Users Guide
Custom Repair
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings® Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Dell Server Administrator and click Change.
The Welcome to the Install Wizard for Dell OpenManage Server Administrator dialogboxopens.
4. Click Next.
The Program Maintenance dialog box opens.
5. Select the Repair option and click Next.
The Ready to Repair the Program dialog box opens.
6. Click Install to install the selected software features.
The Installing Dell OpenManage Server Administrator screen opens. Messages provide the status and progress of the software features being
installed.
When the selected features are installed, the Install Wizard Completed dialog box opens.
7. Click Finish to exit the Server Administrator installation.
If you are prompted to reboot your system, select a reboot option:
l Yes, reboot my system now.
l No, I will reboot my system later.
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 any files that it deletes or overwrites during the course of an installation or
removal, so they can be restored if necessary, which is a type of rollback. After a successful installation finishes, 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 will be 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.
An installation cannot be rolled back once it has finished; 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, for instance, you should simply uninstall that application.
Failed Updates
MSI patches and updates provided by vendors must be applied 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 might fail. MSI packages must not be repackaged; doing so changes the feature structure
and GUIDs, which break any provided patches or updates. When it is necessary to make any changes to a vendor-provided MSI package, a .mst transform file
should always be used to do so.
Windows Installer Logging
Windows includes a registry-activatedloggingservicetohelpdiagnoseWindowsInstallerissues.Toenablethisloggingserviceduringasilentinstall,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: voicewarmup
Thelettersinthevaluefieldcanbeinanyorder.Eachletterturnsonadifferentloggingmode.Eachletter'sactualfunctionisasfollowsforMSIversion3.1:
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, will not be
rolled back.