Software Support

match the deployment environment. When complete, schedule the job to run on the supported systems that are
managed from the Altiris Deployment Solution.
System Recovery on Failed Installation
The Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) provides the ability to return a system to its fully working condition after a failed
installation. MSI does this by maintaining an undo operation for every standard action it performs during an install,
upgrade, or uninstall. This operation includes restoration of deleted or overwritten files, registry keys, and other
resources. Windows temporarily saves all files that it deletes or overwrites during the course of an installation or
removal, so that they can be restored if necessary, which is a type of rollback. After a successful installation, Windows
deletes all of the temporary backup files.
In addition to the rollback of MSI Standard Actions, the Dell OpenManage library also has the ability to undo commands
listed in the INI file for each application if a rollback occurs. All files that are modified by the Dell OpenManage
installation actions are restored to their original state if a rollback occurs.
When the MSI engine is going through the installation sequence, it ignores all actions that are scheduled as rollback
actions. If a Custom Action, MSI Standard Action, or a Dell OpenManage installation action fails, then a rollback starts.
You cannot roll back an installation once it is completed; transacted installation is only intended as a safety net that
protects the system during an installation session. If you want to remove an installed application, you should uninstall
that application.
NOTE: Driver installation and removal is not executed as part of the installation transaction and therefore cannot
be rolled back if a fatal error occurs during execution.
NOTE: Installations, uninstallations, and upgrades that you cancel during installer cleanup, or after the installation
transaction is completed, are not rolled back.
Failed Updates
Apply the MSI patches and updates provided by vendors to the original vendor MSI packages provided. If you
intentionally or accidentally repackage an MSI package, or make changes to it directly, patches and updates may fail.
MSI packages must not be repackaged; doing so changes the feature structure and Globally Unique Identifier (GUID),
which break any provided patches or updates. To make any changes to a vendor-provided MSI package, use a .mst
transform file.
NOTE: A GUID is 128-bit long, and the algorithm used to generate a GUID guarantees unique GUID. The product
GUID uniquely identifies the application.
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