Top Contributor in ITNinja

Today I have reached the top contributor spot in ITNinja which was earlier famous as AppDeploy.
I was too happy and just wanted to share this on my blog :D

Re-Packaging Apple Quicktime 7.72.80.56 and later versions

Quicktime comes as an EXE file which can be extracted easily with 7Zip. The three MSI I received were AppleApplicationSupport, AppleSoftwareUpdate and Quicktime. The Apple Update MSI can be discarded if you do not want to AutoUpdate your Quicktime.

Apple Application Support MSI can be directly installed with /qb! switch.

iTunes can be packaged separately and I have created a separate post for its customization:
http://msiworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/re-packaging-apple-itunes-10617-and.html

Quicktime should be modified through Transform as follows:

1) Change the following properties in your MST:

 SCHEDULE_ASUW =0
  REGSRCH_DESKTOP_SHORTCUTS =0
 REBOOT=ReallySuppress

2) Install Quicktime on a test machine and do all the customizations you want with preferences. Once all customizations are complete, copy the quicktime.qtp file from "%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\Apple Computer\QuickTime\QuickTime.qtp"

Add this file to Transform in C:\ProgramData\Apple Computer\QuickTime\QuickTime.qtp.

Now add these two scripts in your package in Custom Action to run just before Install Finalize and with Condition as NOT REMOVE~="ALL"

a) This script will copy the .qtp file to all the users profile.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
'Created by Piyush Nasa
'Used to copy the config file to the current user\appdata\local directory.
on error resume next
Set oShell = CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
userprofile=oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERPROFILE%")
systemdrive=oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SYSTEMDRIVE%")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set afile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple Computer\QuickTime\QuickTime.qtp")
strDestination1 =userprofile & "\AppData\LocalLow\Apple Computer\QuickTime\QuickTime.qtp"

fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\Application Data\LocalLow\Apple Computer")
fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\Application Data\LocalLow\Apple Computer\QuickTime")
afile.Copy(strDestination1)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) This script will create the registry key for every user.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Created by Piyush Nasa
'Used to create HKCU registry to point to qtp file.
Option Explicit
Dim Temp
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER = HKCU
'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = HKLM
'HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = HKCR
'HKEY_USERS = HKEY_USERS
'HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG = HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
Temp = WriteReg("HKCU\Software\Apple Computer, Inc.\QuickTime\LocalUserPreferences\FolderPath","%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\Apple Computer\QuickTime\","REG_SZ")

Function WriteReg(RegPath, Value, RegType)
       'Regtype should be "REG_SZ" for string, "REG_DWORD" for a integer,…
       '"REG_BINARY" for a binary or boolean, and "REG_EXPAND_SZ" for an expandable string
       Dim objRegistry, Key
       Set objRegistry = CreateObject("Wscript.shell")
      Key = objRegistry.RegWrite(RegPath, Value, RegType)
       WriteReg = Key
End Function
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) Add any HKCU registry key in a new component placed at the highest parent Feature. Set this as a keypath. This will ensure that the application is self healed when launched by the user.

4) You will have to remove a Launch condition to check if the existing version is installed already, because I faced a problem and it was not uninstalling properly too with that condition being there. Though this step is optional.

Please note that this package works fine when deployed/installed through any deployment tool in System context as it will trigger the self heal. If you have to manually install this application then you need to add the file the LOCALAPPDATAFOLDER manually in your transform.

Hope this will expidite your packaging of Quicktime application.

Re-Packaging Apple iTunes 10.6.1.7 and later

iTunes comes as an EXE file which can be extracted easily with 7Zip. The five MSI I received were AppleApplicationSupport, AppleMobileDeviceSupport64, AppleSoftwareUpdate, Bonjour64 and iTunes64. The Apple Software Update MSI and Bonjour MSI can be discarded if you do not want to AutoUpdate your iTunes. Bonjour can be kept if you want to allow file sharing on your desktop fleet. We did not want this so we removed this MSI. If you want to install Bonjour then it can be installed silently with /qb! switch.

From this Version QuickTime is not part of iTunes. QuickTime can be packaged separately. more details for packaging this is in this post:
http://msiworld.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/re-packaging-apple-quicktime-7728056.html

Apple Application Support and Apple Mobile Device Support MSI can be installed silently with /qb! switch.

You will have to customize iTunes by creating an MST file.

1) Change the following Public Properties in the MST:
DESKTOP_SHORTCUTS = 0
DISABLEADVTSHORTCUTS = 0
SCHEDULE_ASUW = 0
AMDS_IS_INSTALLED = 1
BONJOUR_IS_INSTALLED = 1
REBOOT = ReallySuppress
NO_ASUW = 0
NO_BONJOUR = 0
IAcceptLicense = Yes
REGSRCH_DESKTOP_SHORTCUTS = 0

2) Install iTunes on a test machine and make all the customizations you want. All the customizations will be stored in following files:

a) "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes\cache.db
b) "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunesPrefs.xml"
c) "%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunesPrefs.xml"
d) "%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Preferences\com.apple.iTunes.plist"
e) "%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Preferences\keychain.plist"

Copy these files in C:\ProgramData\Apple Computer\iTunes\ folder in your MST file and then use the below script to run in Custom Action just before InstallFinalize. Condition to be kept as NOT REMOVE~="ALL"


'Created by Piyush Nasa
'Used to copy the config file to the current user\appdata\local directory.
on error resume next
Set oShell = CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
userprofile=oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERPROFILE%")
systemdrive=oShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SYSTEMDRIVE%")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set afile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple iTunes\local\cache.db")
strDestination1 =userprofile & "\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes\cache.db"
Set bfile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple iTunes\local\iTunesPrefs.xml")
strDestination2 =userprofile & "\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunesPrefs.xml"
Set cfile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple iTunes\Roaming\iTunesPrefs.xml")
strDestination3 =userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunesPrefs.xml"
Set dfile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple iTunes\Roaming\Preferences\com.apple.iTunes.plist")
strDestination4 =userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Preferences\com.apple.iTunes.plist"
Set efile = fso.GetFile(systemdrive & "\ProgramData\Apple iTunes\Roaming\Preferences\keychain.plist")
strDestination5 =userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Preferences\keychain.plist"

fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\AppData\Local\Apple Computer")
fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes")
fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer")
fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes")
fso.CreateFolder(userprofile & "\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\Preferences")
afile.Copy(strDestination1)
bfile.Copy(strDestination2)
cfile.Copy(strDestination3)
dfile.Copy(strDestination4)
efile.Copy(strDestination5)

3) Add any HKCU registry key in a new component placed at the highest parent Feature. Set this as a keypath. This will ensure that the application is self healed when launched by the user.

Please note that this package works fine when deployed/installed through any deployment tool in System context as it will trigger the self heal. If you have to manually install this application then you need to add the file the LOCALAPPDATAFOLDER manually in your transform.

Hope this will expidite your packaging of iTunes application.

Packaging Google Chrome for Enterprise deployment

Many times it is an issue with the Administrators to deploy Google Chrome enterprise wide as there are lots of issues like:

1) Many people would have already installed various other versions of Chrome either through MSI or through exe.
2) How to customize Google chrome for enterprise wide deployment.

*Edited: The new version has a few differences, please see the end of post on how to tackle this.*

First, I would like to mention here that Google Chrome Enterprise version can be downloaded from the following location:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/business/browser/

This site contains an MSI, which is already customized for business as in there are no desktop/Taskbar shortcuts and the application automatically goes to Program files folder.
If you need to customize this, it is best to capture this MSI as it runs a Setup.exe from within.
I would say that, this MSI is good enough to go like this too so not recommended to waste your time in capturing the MSI unless specifically required.

You can add master_preferences file in the Google\Chrome\Application folder with following contents:

{
"homepage" : "http://msiworld.blogspot.com",
"homepage_is_newtabpage" : false,
"browser" : {
"show_home_button" : true,
 "check_default_browser" : false,
 "window_placement": {
 "bottom": 1000,
 "left": 10,
 "maximized": false,
 "right": 904,
 "top": 10,
 "work_area_bottom": 1010,
 "work_area_left": 0,
 "work_area_right": 1680,
 "work_area_top": 0
 }
 },
 "bookmark_bar" : {
"show_on_all_tabs" : true
},
"distribution" : {
"skip_first_run_ui" : true,
"show_welcome_page" : false,
"import_search_engine" : false,
"import_history" : false,
"create_all_shortcuts" : true,
"do_not_launch_chrome" : true,
"make_chrome_default" : false
}
}

If you add this, change the install sequence of Custom Actions which are already there in the MSI to run before InstallFiles action. That is, move InstallFiles Action after DoInstall. This will make sure your master_preferences file is retained till end.
*Edited
There are are 3 Custom Actions by the name starting from : CallUninstaller
Change their condition to REMOVE="ALL"
This will enable for a clean upgrade else you will face issues while upgrading the application.
*
Uninstall Any Previous Version of Chrome:

To Uninstall any previous version of Chrome, I have written this VBScript which can be run before the installation of your MSI.

'==============================================================
'Lines to get the computer Name
Const HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = &H80000002
 Set wshShell = WScript.CreateObject( "WScript.Shell" )
 strComputerName = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings( "%COMPUTERNAME%" )
 dim folder, MyProperties, arrMyProperties, Exe, Param, oReg, strKeyPath, strValueName

'==============================================================
 'To check whether the OS is 32 bit or 64 bit of Windows 7
'==============================================================
'Lines to detect whether the OS is 32 bit or 64 bit of Windows 7
 Set oReg=GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputerName & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
   strKeyPath = "HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0"
   strValueName = "Identifier"

 oReg.GetStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,strValueName,strValue
'==============================================================
'Checking Condition whether the build is 64bit or 32 bit
   if (instr(strValue,"64")) then
 folder = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome"
 RegVal = ReadReg ("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome\UninstallString")
 End If
if (instr(strValue,"x86")) then
 folder = "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome"
 RegVal = ReadReg ("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome\UninstallString")
End If
'==============================================================

MyProperties = RegVal
arrMyProperties = Split(MyProperties, "-")
Exe = arrMyProperties(0)
Param = "--uninstall --multi-install --chrome --system-level --force-uninstall"
'Uninstall Previous version Chrome
'==============================================================
wshShell.run Exe & Param, 1, True
'Delete leftover folder and files from Previous version Chrome
'==============================================================
dim filesys
Set filesys = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If filesys.FolderExists(folder & "\") Then 
   filesys.DeleteFolder folder
End If
Function ReadReg(RegPath)
      Dim objRegistry, Key
      Set objRegistry = CreateObject("Wscript.shell")
      Key = objRegistry.RegRead(RegPath)
      ReadReg = Key
 End Function


Hope these steps will reduce your efforts in deployment of Chrome.

*
With the New version 26.0.1410.64, Google has changed the install sequence. do the following:

1) In InstallExecuteSequence Table move InstallFiles action after DoInstall Custom Action. This DoInstall Custom Action is actually installing the Google Chrome from an exe. So if the MSI already had copied the master_preferences file, this exe will replace it with its own. If you place the InstallFile Action after DoInstall, then the file which you have added in your package will overwrite the one which Google provides.
2) You might have to write a small script to delete the shortcut from C:\Users\Public\Desktop, if you do not want a desktop shortcut.
Place this CA at the end just before InstallFinalize.