packaging & wizard issues

I am using the PW that came with VB6 to deploy my programs. I have been plauged with a problem and I have not been able to find a solution within PW to correct my problem.

Essestentially, when a user tries to install my program(s) and they are part of a net work or do not have full administrative control my programs won't install. The user needs to be able to read/write data to MS Access db and write txt files.

I have inquired into InstallShield software and sent several emails a few days ago but those knuckleheads have never responded. I am going to have to call them and rattle their cage abit. Anyway, I thought I would come to the forum and see if anyone could answer my questions.

First is there any way for the PW to set permission on folders or otherwise bypass administrative issues?

Secondly, does InstallShield Express allow you to install on pc's where users don't have adminstrative control? :)

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Originally Posted by Navarone

First is there any way for the PW to set permission on folders or otherwise bypass administrative issues?

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No.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Navarone

Secondly, does InstallShield Express allow you to install on pc's where users don't have adminstrative control? :)

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No.

Network Admins impose these restrictions for a reason (although often it is beyond the reason of mortal man :rolleyes: ).

Frankly, I'm glad you can't bypass network security regardless of how odd it may seem.

Image what havoc could be unleased upon networks if a commerical software package like InstallShield, or a component to a commerical software package like the P&DW could bypass them.

Thanks for the quick reply. Do you know if to install a program the users needs complete control or partial admin permissions.
--edited--
I think the reall issue is even if the clients IT guy installs the program, the user is still restricted.

I know that my users could write and save documents before the program was installed, like powerpoint and word documents so I am not sure why they needed full permissions to run my program. All the program does as I mentioned before is read/write to a MS Access db and write text files. The program also uses some vb controls like the flexgrid.

Anyway I am trying to narrow down what it could be in my prgram that rquires full permissions. I am not an network admin so I have no idea what it could be.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Navarone

Thanks for the quick reply. Do you know if to install a program the users needs complete control or partial admin permissions.

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I can't answer this question as I do not know what kind of permissions have been set.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Navarone

I think the reall issue is even if the clients IT guy installs the program, the user is still restricted.

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That depends on what your program does.

I have a number of clients that can not install anything on their own PC's. When I rollout updates, they have to call their IT department, and have one of them come out, log onto the machine, and perform the install. My company's applications are all database driven and as long as my customers have access to our backend database, our software works just fine.

There are also a number of our clients who are working in registry lockdown envirnoment, so we have completely gone away from having our software use the registry for anything. Individual user settings are still possible however, but we write them back to a DB table rather than the registry.

What does your program do in terms of creating/writing external files?

It writes a number of text files that I use for a Flash exe. It also allows the user to create a personal greeting in the form of a mp3 which I also use for my Flash exe. There are no other external files except the db.

Is this a corporate application or a commerical application?

This would be a corporate application.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Navarone

This would be a corporate application.

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Ok, cool.

I'm a commerical developer and I've had to talk with a number of IS people at some of my clients sites, and that is what I would suggest you do at yours.

Get someone from IS on the phone, or better yet, in a meeting. Map out what you need, and what your application needs in order to run.

What I've had done for me by the IS folks is a creation, by them, on a folder on my customers C:\ drive where they (the users) would have the ability to make file read/writes. Some IS folks set it up so that anything my program made, or my customers made, off of the App Path where it was installed was free for them to use.

Other IS departments were a bit more restrictive, and I actually had to hard code the path that they precreated for our app.

Either way, my company, myself, and these IS departments got it worked out, and, as I said, that looks like the path you may have to go down.

Yeh, that looks like what I'll need to do. May I ask what install program you use? I was thinking of InstallShield Express which is alot cheaper than the full version. Do you have any recomendations?