"INSTMSIA.EXE" Details

Hi,

Recently I downloaded the newest version of "EchoLink" (a program used
by many "Ham" radio operators).

In order for me to install this on my Windows 98 computer, I had to
download "INSTMSIA.EXE" and install that first, which I did. Afterwards
I had no trouble installing "EchoLink".

All I know about "INSTMSIA.EXE" is that it is a "Windows 98, etc.
Installer". A Google search did not produce much more information about that
file, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time searching.

Can anyone provide more details about "INSTMSIA.EXE" and how it "works"?

Thank You in Advance, John N3AOF

wrote:

I had to download "INSTMSIA.EXE"

Can anyone provide more details about "INSTMSIA.EXE" and how it
"works"?

Are you asking how the self-installation package file called
INSTMSIA.EXE works, or are you asking how the "windows installer"
installation technology works?

This will tell you want the "windows installer" is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Installer

=========
The Windows Installer (previously known as Microsoft Installer) is a
software component used for the installation, maintenance, and removal
of software on modern Microsoft Windows systems. The installation
information, and often the files themselves, are packaged in
installation packages, loosely relational databases structured as OLE
COM Structured Storages and commonly known as "MSI files", from their
default file extension. Windows Installer contains significant changes
from its predecessor, Setup API.

New features include a GUI framework and automatic generation of the
uninstallation sequence. Windows Installer is positioned as an
alternative to stand-alone executable installer frameworks such as older
versions of InstallShield and Wise (later versions of both products are
based on Windows Installer) and NSIS.
==========

I have the following versions of INSTMSIA.EXE:

1.10.1029.1
2.0.2600.1
2.0.2600.2

I likey have the most recent version (2.0.2600.2) installed on my win-98
systems.

Micro$haft is up to at least version 3 of the installer, and naturally
has not made this version available for win-98, so many .msi files can't
be installed on win-98.

Note that it's very easy to unpack an MSI file to get at the package
contents and in some or most cases install the software manually.

98 Guy wrote in :

Note that it's very easy to unpack an MSI file to get at the package
contents and in some or most cases install the software manually.


Yes, there a tool called Less Msierables (how awesome is that?). I don't know
if it handles the V3 types but if so it might also do that on W98. I haven't
tried it because I think it needs .net to run, and I'm not entirely sure
which is worse, that or the MSI thing.

In other news, you are officially unplonked.