LOGGING WINDOWS INSTALLER ACTIVITIES IN WINDOWS 98

Even though the introduction of the Windows Installer has made the installation of desktop applications more reliable, applications that use the Windows Installer sometimes still fail. When this happens, it is useful to be able to drill down to find the exact problems through a log file, even if it is only to pass this information on to a higher level of tech support.

The Windows Installer includes a logging service; however, to switch it on, you need to create a registry key and set its value depending on what you require it to log.

To create the registry key in Windows 98, click Start | Run and type

Regedit

Click on OK.

Next, create a new key in the registry under

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software

This key should be

\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer

Once the key is created, create a new String Value named Logging, with a default value of voicewarmup.

The value may appear a little unusual, but each letter turns on a separate logging feature (the letters can be entered in any order):

i - Status messages

w - Non-fatal warnings

e - All error messages

a - Start up of actions

r - Action-specific records

u - User requests

c - Initial UI parameters

m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit information

o - Out-of-disk-space messages

p - Terminal properties

v - Verbose output

+ - Append to existing file

! - Flush each line to the log

"*" - Wildcard, log all information except for the v option. To include the v option, specify "/l*v".

Once enabled, the log files are created in the computer's current temp folder with a random name starting with msi and a .log extension. Because this logging service can seriously affect system performance, it is important to turn it on only when required.

Note: Editing the registry can be risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before making any changes.