EXE requires administrator rights to install in per-user mode while MSI doesn't

[pguidotti]

Hello,

I created an installer which asks the users whether to install in per-machine or per-user mode. by settings the proper option.
When I run the MSI version, the per-user mode works correctly, while when running the EXE version, right after the install mode dialog, by choosing the "per-user" mode, the administrator password request pops-up.
By pressing the "details" link in the dialog, I see that the MSI is launched with a parameter "TARGETDIR=C:\".
I suspect this is the problem, since all the rest is set exactly as suggested by the guidelines to allow a "per-user" install.
In other words, it seems that the bootstrapper launch the MSI installer with wrong parameters, but the problem is not inside the MSI itself since it works well when run alone.
What could I check to solve this strange problem?
Thanks in advance.

Pier Alberto

[Catalin]

Hello Alberto and welcome to our forums,

I have tested this, but I'm afraid I wasn't able to reproduce it on my end.

When selecting "only for me" in the "InstallTypeDlg", the setup does not require admin rights.

What could I check to solve this strange problem?

There would be some things here, therefore instead of trying to guess, it'd be better if you could recreate this in a sample project that you can share with me so I can test and further investigate this on my end. Could you please do that for me?

Best regards,
Catalin

[pguidotti]

Hello Catalin,

I finally identified the cause of my problem.
I created the project from a MSI generated by InstallShield Express.
For some reason, there was an empty component pointing to the System directory. I removed it by opening the .AIP file using notepad, and the admin right request went away.
What i can't understand is why the problem arose only when using the EXE and not the MSI, but I don't need an explanation for this.

Best regards.

Pier Alberto

[Catalin]

Hello Pier,

Glad to hear you managed to find the culprit here.

What i can't understand is why the problem arose only when using the EXE and not the MSI

I'm afraid I can't say for sure unless I manage to reproduce this on my end.

However, if we don't need the explanation, then I will skip it myself too.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with and I will gladly assist.

Best regards,
Catalin