MSI-based installer silent install summary

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Recently I need to reorder the pre-req installation for a InstallShield installer package that has pre-reqs and MSI inside it. That means I’ll have to extract all the pre-req EXE and MSI files and write batch files to call them, then the installer again for the core software, all done silently.

I learned:

  • Administrative install (/a switch) only extracts the core firmware, not the pre-req files
  • /b”<target-folder>” extracts the pre-reqs as .prq files
  • Need to steal the extracted .exe files by monitoring temporary folder as they go
  • /s doesn’t always silent installs. Some with MSI packed inside the .exe files requires the ‘silent’ request passed to the MSI by adding /v/qn (/v passes the switch to the MSI, which is /qn, which means silent in this case)
  • .NET before v2.0 requires different switches to install without prompting for license agreement, namely 
    /q:a /c:"install /q"

     

 

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Remove McAfee Enterprise Antivirus from Windows

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I was asked to install McAfee Enterprise Antivirus v8.8 as a favor to somebody else’s client, turns out this piece of 5h1t is a nightmare.

After I installed the agent, the main software won’t proceed to install. I looked up error code 1603 in the MSI log and upgraded a fresh Windows XP to SP3 and updated Windows Installer to 4.5, set the time back (somebody suggested potential certificate problem) and it still fails.

Without being compensated for my time, I gave up and tried to uninstall it through Add/Remove programs. Now the uninstaller complained that the program cannot be uninstalled in managed mode. Normally, I’m quite understanding towards programmers since their job is wrestling complexities, but this time there is no excuse: if you add an item in Add/Remove programs, people are expected to be able to uninstall it directly from there by definition!

After some digging, being unable to uninstall McAfee is a known common problem. The IT-crowd at University of Oregon has written an article with the solution. It boils down to running:

C:\Program Files (x86)\McAfee\Common Framework\frminst.exe /remove=agent

I bet even stoners are more competent packaging the software for release! How much productivity across the world they have drained by shipping out an incompetent software bad as malware!

Stay away from McAfee. Won’t install it even if they pay me $8k. Refuse to service anything McAfee without charging an exorbitant sum, or you won’t make your lost time back.

 

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Python 3 Scientific Installation To-do List

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Although I am a big fan of MATLAB, it’s time for me to really try out Python so I can fairly compare the pros and cons of both languages.

The first tiny hurdle for Python is its scattered installation process for Windows. I thought Python(x,y) will give me everything in one place, but turns out the Spyder is stuck in Python 2.7. To install Python 3.7, I’ll need to do it from scratch. Here are the steps:

  1. Download official Python 3. You will need that for the “pip” package manager located in {python37}/scripts
  2. Update PIP first to avoid complaints. You can run it anywhere in command prompt
    python -m pip install --upgrade pip
    You don’t call PIP to update PIP because you an executable cannot write itself in WindowsNote that for 32-bit Python, you might run into Python37\python.exe: No module named pip, so you might want to use ensurepip to bootstrap: python -m ensurepip
  3. Now I’ll need Spyder3, a MATLAB-like IDE. Qt5 is one of the pre-req:
    pip install PyQt5
  4. And finally Spyder3
    pip install Spyder
    pip does not install icons in your start menu. So I’ll need to manually create a shortcut
    {Python37}/Scripts/spyder3.exe
    .py files are not associated with Spyder3 (normally it’ll just directly run the python script with python3). I usually manually change the association in Windows to Sypder3.
  5. PyVISA is the analog of “Instrument Control Toolbox” in MATLAB.
    pip install pyvisa
    MATLAB’s Instrument Control Toobox also cover serial ports, which is done in Python by PySerial
    pip install PySerial
  6. Numpy is included with scipy:
    pip install scipy
  7. Turns out that only NumPy and IPython is installed with SciPy, not the entire ecosystem.
    pip install pandas
    pip install matplotlib
    If you know the power of dataset/table objects in MATLAB like I do, you’ll jump for dataframes in panadas.
  8. SymPy, the analog of MATLAB’s symoblic math toolbox, needs to be installed separately
    pip install sympy
  9. IPython gives the ‘notebook’ feel in Mathematica, MathCAD and Maple, where the returned results are directly pasted in the same area where your command/syntax is. I rarely cared for it because I usually want the max visual real estate for my plots.

Update: I tried Anaconda (2019.03, Python 3.7.3 x64) which supposedly have everything in one place, but the Spyder it included crashes right out of the box. Jyupter is confusing as it relies on the web-browser to render the results. Feels patchy and doesn’t look like it adds more than the steps above. Uninstalled it without hesitation.

Update: To update the packages, tack -U switch at the end of each of the above pip install commands. Remember to follow the order of dependencies (e.g. update PyQt5 before Spyder)

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