I created an VSTO Outlook app for my job. The thing is, we need to deploy that to users without any user interaction, so in other words, silently.
I know that we can use VSTOinstaller.exe located in %commonprogramfiles%\microsoft shared\VSTO\9.0\ and use it like so in a command line VSTOinstaller.exe /install "Path_to_the_VSTO_file" /silent.
But when I do this, nothing happens, no error message and no install.
However If I remove the /silent arg, it launch the VSTO and prompt me if I want to install the app.
I tried changing the arg with /I, /i, /S or /s but nothing change.
My app is sign with a valid cert and when we get prompt, we can see the green logo
I've look at many threads about silent install for that, but it's always the same.
Do I do something wrong? Is there any other way to do that silently?
Thank you!
Related
Before reporting to Microsoft I want to ask here. I have a problem that I cannot see Live Visual Tree of my WinUI 3 application. I cannot even see the in-app toolbar. I can see both in WPF and UWP application, no problems. I have these options for hot reload, that should be fine.
I am using VS2022 17.3.1 and Windows App SDK in version 1.1.4. Weird is that it was functioning without problems, but one restart of application just broke that. I also tried adding the ENABLE_XAML_DIAGNOSTICS_SOURCE_INFO to environment variables manually, but no luck there.
It seems that 32-bit WinUI 3 app is working fine, it only affects 64-bit WinUI 3 applications. Even the new and blank ones. Packaged/unpacked type doesn't affect the problem.
I tried uninstall and install VS again, no changes.
So I did finally find a solution (more of a workaround) to this.
Run following commands in elevated cmd, where you replace WindowsAppRuntime version with version you currently have (for me it is Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1004.584.2120.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe):
takeown /f "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1004.584.2120.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe" /r /d y
icacls.exe "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1004.584.2120.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe" /grant Users:(RD,R,REA,RX) /t
Don't know what it does, but it is working. This solution is taken over from Developer Community
UPDATE:
You have to repeat this procedure when you update Windows App SDK to a new version.
Here is a PowerShell command that loops over all WindowsAppRuntime folders and applies the fixes on #benderto's answer.
Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\' -Filter 'Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime*' | Foreach {
takeown /f "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\$_" /r /d y
icacls.exe "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\$_" /grant "Users:(RD,R,REA,RX)" /t
}
You don't need to restart Visual Studio for this to take effect. Restarting the debugging session is enough.
After lots of reinstallion, 100+?, I came across with this information then problem solved.
It is very frustrating the recent quality of Visual Studio 2022 after 17.2. Each update gets me reinstall loops again, again and again, just because something broken.
This time, MAUI (WinUI 3) XAML Hot Reload won't work.
XAML Hot Reload
So I created 3 VMs and installed with different detail of workloads, and tried to figure out "What's wrong". But I failed.
The error seems random. However, I did get some thing strange.
The Hot Reload was "working" after installaion and I left the VM on. After awhile back, I stopped debugging and restarted to debug, the working one became "not working" somehow over time, so I compared two snapshot, one work, one did not. After comparing installion configuration, run with user, run with admin, MAUI App with .net 6.0, MAUI App with template 7.0, both registry, both disk contain (entire C:). I found nothing, all identical as they should be.
Checking Logs:
Event Log, AppData\Local\Temp\VSLogs, AppData\Local\Xamarin\Logs\17.0, the Output of VS
However, the Output: debug. Did make me tracing the component binding process, also found nothing.
The One "Not Wotking":
The One "Not Wotking"
The One "Working":
The One "Working"
Huge data but no luck:
Assembly binding log
Windows Policy, no luck: Audit Access Deny
I have to say the error logs are well hidden.
After lots of google thing, I came across with this information then problem solved. It is a Permission problem.
And then I dig a little further, here i found:
VS Output:
WindowsAppRuntime, installed at first run, may be update after
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1005.616.1651.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
The list of files that Permissions are different (Not Working vs. Working):
CoreMessagingXP.dll
dcompi.dll
dwmcorei.dll
DwmSceneI.dll
DWriteCore.dll
marshal.dll
Microsoft.DirectManipulation.dll
Microsoft.Foundation.winmd
Microsoft.Graphics.winmd
Microsoft.InputStateManager.dll
Microsoft.Internal.FrameworkUdk.dll
Microsoft.UI.Composition.OSSupport.dll
Microsoft.UI.Input.dll
Microsoft.UI.Windowing.Core.dll
Microsoft.UI.winmd
Microsoft.Web.WebView2.Core.dll
Microsoft.Web.WebView2.Core.winmd
resources.pri
WindowsAppRuntime.png
WindowsAppSdk.AppxDeploymentExtensions.Desktop.dll
wuceffectsi.dll
en-GB\Microsoft.ui.xaml.dll.mui
en-GB\Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Phone.dll.mui
Microsoft.UI.Xaml\Assets\NoiseAsset_256x256_PNG.png
Conclution:
The "Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime" will get installed on first run and will not get uninstalled with Visual Studio uninstallation.
The "Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime" may get updated and permission also get changed.
The ACL permission of Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime folder and files in it may change somehow after some time, same version (Did not go this far to see why).
Manipulate the Permission manually does the trick
Simple Rest (SYSTEM access right is required, PsExec):
psexec64 -i -s cmd.exe /k icacls.exe "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1005.616.1651.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\*.*" /reset /t
Minimun Reset (for my case, as soon as this reset done, the hot reload shows up when debug, remember to restart debug):
psexec64 -i -s cmd.exe /k icacls.exe "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1005.616.1651.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\Microsoft.Internal.FrameworkUdk.dll" /reset
If I want to install msi on remote computer in quiet mode, an receive a confirmation if the installation completed successfully or did not succeeded.
I have tried to look for a solution in windows installer API but with no luck...
Is there an event or something like that?
I have found 3 options to validate installation.
From the installation log. Need to find "return value 3" - Error value.
The msiexec process will return exit code.
Using Microsoft.Deployment.WindowsInstaller.Dll.
I have a program I wrote in Visual Basic Express 2013 to put a classification banner at the top of the screen. I set up a scheduled task using ngen.exe which makes it run at login. The problem is that it doesn't run as admin so any non-privileged user can kill the task.
This program is to replace another program called Netbanner because there are a few issues with Netbanner. The program I wrote resolves all of these issues except for the admin issue. Netbanner is implemented exactly the same way (ngen.exe) but it won't let a non-privileged user kill the task.
I don't know if it is something in the program itself or I missed something in the deployment process.
This is the command used to deploy Netbanner which I duplicated to deploy mine:
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\ngen.exe install "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\NetBanner\NetBanner.exe"
Also, these are the files in C:\Program Files\Microsoft\NetBanner:
NetBanner.exe
NetBanner.InstallState
NetBanner.pdb
NetBannerSchTask.xml
Any ideas?
Thanks.
You could try to go into the properties->Compatibility->Run this program as an administrator for the application.
Alternatively, you could do the same thing for a batch file that you can schedule to run on startup.
I want to send messages withing a windows 7 LAN using VB.NET code. The problem is that the msg.exe executes commands in admin mode only. Here is the code.
Shell("cmd.exe /k runas /user:farook-pc\administrator msg.exe") 'Here i'm prompted for a password.
Shell("cmd.exe /k msg.exe", 1)
I use the /k switch to see what's going on in the shell. /c is the silent switch. I do not wish to use runas neither do I wish to change privilages in msg.exe
I hate launching other apps and trying to control them like that. If possible, I would recommend trying to mimic the functionality of msg.exe, yourself, programatically. From doing a few quick google searches, I found that the API function that msg.exe uses is apparently WTSSendMessage in Wtsapi32.dll. Here's the MSDN article on that function:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa383842(v=vs.85).aspx
And here's a link that shows how to invoke that API function from .NET:
http://www.pinvoke.net/default.aspx/wtsapi32/wtssendmessage.html
I've never used it before, or even heard of it before, so, unfortunately, I can't help you beyond that.
Its possible to start the VB.NET application automatically in admin mode.
That can be changed in the project-settings.
After that you can open msg.exe with the following command:
Shell("msg.exe")
I'm using c#, .net 4, WIX 3.5, Windows Vista.
I have made my application compatible with RestartManager by p/invoking the RegisterApplicationRestart method and by handling the WM_QUERYENDSESSION and WM_ENDSESSION window messages (I return new IntPtr(1);).
If I try to update my application manually, then everything works as it should:
Launch application;
Launch msi file containing new app version;
During the installation/update, I'm prompted to close the running application;
Upon continuing the running app is closed, install completes, and the app is restarted;
If I try to update my application from the application itself, then I run into problems:
1) Launch application;
2) Download the new msi file;
3) Launch msi file with:
using (System.Diagnostics.Process p = new System.Diagnostics.Process())
{
p.StartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
p.StartInfo.FileName = "msiexec";
p.StartInfo.Arguments = "/i \"" + downloadPath + "\" /passive";
p.StartInfo.UserName = "Administrator";
p.StartInfo.Password = securePassword;
p.Start();
}
4) Because I'm using passive mode, the application is closed automatically;
5) After the installation, my application is not restarted and under Event Viewer I have an
Event 10007 - Application or service 'MyApp' could not be restarted.
I have tried:
Not to use passive mode for msiexec;
Launch msiexec via cmd.exe (cmd.exe /C "msiexec /i ....") - in the hopes that launching msiexec from another process would solve the problem;
Wait for 60+ seconds before launching the msi update (shouldn't be relevant in my scenario, but MSDN documentation has something about it...)
But none of the above has worked (always the same result).
Having to launch the setup with elevated permissions might have something to do with the issue, because during the manual update I get a warning in the Event Viewer - Application MyApp (pid 3220) cannot be restarted - Application SID does not match Conductor SID.
Despite this, restarting the app still works. Googleing the warning yields no good/specific results, only that this warning is probably caused by running the msi in an elevated prompt.
How do I fix (or workaround) this issue, so that I can update my application from the application itself and restart my application afterwards?
Edit - extra testing:
There doesn't seem to be a need to respond to WM_QUERYENDSESSION and WM_ENDSESSION messages, because application restart during a manual upgrade works without them, so we can rule them out;
If I don't provide administrator credentials to the application initiated upgrade and instead I type them in during the upgrade, then app restarting works;
If I run an elevated command prompt and initiate an application upgrade from there (manually), then app restarting still works;
In order for application upgrade to work at all under Standard user accounts (so far I tested under an Administrator account with UAC), then I also have to set p.StartInfo.LoadUserProfile = true;. Otherwise nothing happens. (application restart still doesn't work though);
I tried all other process StartInfo parameters that I could set - WorkingDirectory, Redirect, Verb
(= "runas") - no change in results;
I installed Vista SP2 onto the virtual machine that I have been testing on (so far ran SP1), but no change;
I performed an "automatic" application upgrade with verbose logging. In the end there was an error message - RESTART MANAGER: Failed while restarting applications. Error: 352. That error code is very generic (http://msdn.microsoft.com/cs-cz/library/aa373665), inorder to get more detailed info I would have to write my own installer that would call RmGetList after the error, then I might get more details (this though is something I'm not willing to do);
Edit 2 - msi log file:
http://mommi.planet.ee/muu/log.txt
Assuming that the manual process indeed works without any problem it seems that your need for Administrator privileges in combination with the "updating itself" leads to these problems. I see the following options:
create a batch file to execute the update
When you want to update call this batch file (with elevated privileges), make the app close itself... the batch file should wait some seconds, then check whether the app is still running (and close it in case) and then run the commandline you need to run msiexec - don't restart the app from within msiexec but after a successfull run of msiexec from the batch file.
create a batch file which is always used to start the app
When the time comes to update you just end the app. Either the batch file check for an available update and applies it, starting the app after successfull update OR the app set some environment variable which is then accordingly processed by the rest of the batch file.