Afternoon Rainer Thanks again for you help and comments. If anyone are interested I'll upload the working script (once I get it to work and stable) Thanks Dan At 09:11 12/06/2009, Rainer Meier wrote: >Hi, > >ds10025 at cam.ac.uk wrote: > > Where {xxxx} is a long idea code, where can I get the id code from I've > > checked registry. > >If you still have a machine where this "old" version is installed you can grab >the uninstall code from its uninstall entry within the registry: > >For example on my system I found it here: >HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A91000000001} > >It needs some explanations I guess... >The Wow6432Node sub-key is only there if you use a 64-bit system. On such >systems all 32-bit HKLM\SOFTWARE\* entries are re-located to that >sub-key. So on >your 32-bit system it will be here: > >HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A91000000001} > >The best way to find it is to go to the enclosing "Uninstall" key and then >search for a string as it appears within the control-panel. You should end up >finding the "DisplayName" entry within the corresponding key. > >Then have a look at the UninstallString. This is the uninstall >command-line used >if you click "remove" within the control-panel -> add/remove software. > >Sometimes there is a QuietUninstallString entry too which already contains the >values to silently uninstall the application. This value usually can >be used 1:1 >within a remove command in WPKG. > >Also the UninstallString can usually be transformed into a silent >uninstaller by >adding some commands. Most uninstallers support an option like -s or /s to run >it silently. >In case of Adobe Reader it looks as follows on my system... >UninstallString: MsiExec.exe /I{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A91000000001} > >As you can see the command-line contains the correct ID to uninstall >it and can >be easily transformed into a silent uninstall string: >MsiExec.exe /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A91000000001} /qn > > >It depends on the application packager which key is chosen. In case of Adobe >Reader this key unfortunately changes with each release or patch. >This means you >really need to know all of them - or guess them by naming scheme >(have a look at >the latest part of the ID, it includes the version of the reader). > > > > Also, is it possible to msiexec /x acrobat? > >No. >You have two possibilities to use msiexec or software uninstall. >Either you have >to specify the ID (as above) or you have to refer to the MSI package. So for >Adobe Reader the following works: > >MsiExec.exe /x {AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A91000000001} /qn >MsiExec.exe /x \\path\to\AcroRead.msi /qn > > > > Also at the same time I want to remove Acrobat.com & Acrobat air,? > >I don't have Acrobat.com and Acrobat Air installed but I guess they >will create >their own Uninstall entry. If there is one follow the procedure above to find >its ID in order to uninstall it. > >Personally I preferred to extract the Adobe installer and then use the Adobe >Customization Wizard 9 to modify some parameters (like disabling all online >features) so Acrobat.com does not get installed at all. Download it from: ><http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3993> >it will generate some MST transform file, then you can use >msiexec /i \\path\to\AcroRead.msi /qn TRANSFORMS="\\path\to\AcroRead.mst" >/update "\\path\to\AdbeRdrUpd912_all_incr.msp" > >In order to install Adobe Reader 9 using the transform created with the wizard >and directly apply the latest 9.1.2 patch. > >Somebody might find some time to add this to the WPKG wiki... > > > > Is they a command that removed file as listed in the Add/remove control > > panel? > >The control panel does not list files. It lists installed programs - there is >one entry for each entry within the registry key I referred to on top. >And there is no way to uninstall these entries silently - only the >ones having a >QuietUninstallString might work but it's more an exception than the >default that >applications specify a QuietUninstallString. So it's not possible to >automatically read the necessary commands from the registry. >As you can see from the Adobe Reader example Adobe does not even use >the correct >'msiexec /x ...' syntax for uninstall - they use the install syntax >(msiexec /i >...) instead. This will make you enter the installation routine when you click >the "remove" button within the control panel. In case of the Adobe installer >this will show you an option to modify or to remove the reader (maybe also to >repair it). The same effect you get if you try to (re-)install the reader by >running the installer again. > > >br, >Rainer |