Enabling Windows Installer Logging

Christopher Rice

    I have been running through some testing with Windows Installer services and their effect on the OS, other programs, services, addressing locked keys, etc.

I have been running through some testing with Windows Installer services and their effect on the OS, other programs, services, addressing locked keys, etc. My problem was that I could not really trace my progress, it was like second grade, pass or fail. I had been told that Windows 2000 includes a registry-activated logging services to help diagnose Windows 2000 Installer issues. I did a little looking around and I found a great article on the Microsoft site. Here is a chunk of it:

    My problem was that I could not really trace my progress, it was like second grade, pass or fail.

    I had been told that Windows 2000 includes a registry-activated logging services to help diagnose Windows 2000 Installer issues.

    I did a little looking around and I found a great article on the Microsoft site.

    Here is a chunk of it:

Open the registry with Regedt32.exe and create the following path and keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
Reg_SZ: Logging
Value: vicewarmup

The letters in the value field can be in any order. Each letter turns on a different logging mode. Each letter's actual function is as follows for MSI version 1.1:

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".

 

    The actual link to the site is:  http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q223/3/00.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0

    or, the Q article number is 223300.

    I hope this helps.