Error applying transforms for an MSI

Question

I've got an MSI-based install package. The MSI deployed via Group Policy and had an MST (transform) applied to it as part of that deployment.

I'm now attempting to install the same MSI on a machine that previously had the software deployed on it via group policy. The software was uninstalled via add/remove programs, and an attempt to reinstall the software was made via double clicking the MSI file.

Doing this, however, results in the following Windows Installer error:

Error applying transforms. Verify that the specified transform paths are valid.

I have to assume this is because the machine in question is subject to the group policy based deployment of the MSI, and therefor has some registry key some where that is telling it to apply a non-existent MST file.

Is there a way to prevent this (via some command line switch, perhaps), other than by removing this machine from the group policy in quesiton?

What exactly are you trying to do on that machine? If you're trying to repair a broken installation, you can use Add or Remove Programs (Programs and Features) in Control Panel or redeploy the package through GPO. If you're trying to install a modified version of the package, perhaps a small update would be best: msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa367575(VS.85).aspx — cosmin
In this case, a client of ours wants to try out a new version of our product. We have an auto-update (non-MSI) mechanism, but we don't have the abilty to selectively push it out easily. So we asked them to uninstall the existing version and install the new version via an updated MSI. — RMD

ykay ykay · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-27T23:16:48

The question is how to prevent this error from happening. If the MSI does not support updates but a client wants to install the latest version, they have to go into the registry key to delete the keys that are causing this problem.

I'm tempted to add a Custom Action in the uninstaller to detect these specific keys to prevent the next install from failing.

The keys that cause the non-existent transform to run are:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\<product_code>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group
Policy\AppMgmt\{<product_code>}

I'm thinking deleting these (if they exist) on uninstall would guarantee that the next install will succeed. Though, I was hoping that I'd find a better answer than this.

Error applying transforms for an MSI

3 Answers