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Why you should consider MsiXray
Have you ever?
a) Installed an Application on a PC and discovered another
Application which was previously had been working correctly now no
longer works?
b) Installed an Application on a PC and finds it does not work on
this PC (or for a particular UserID) while it works correctly on other
PCs (or other Users)?.
c) Upgraded some system DLLs on your PC and find that some
Applications have stopped working?
d) Deleted some files on your PC and find that some Applications no
longer work?.
e) Found new problems with Applications on your PC BUT you are not
aware that any changes have been made to its configuration?
When this happens, what do you do?
a) Rebuild your PC. Fine BUT
b) Do you then install your new “Killer” Application? If you do
the same problems will reoccur! So how do you get both your original
applications and your new “Killer” Application to work on the Same
PC?
Using MsiXray you can
a) “Discover” the Software Environment required by each
Application to work correctly
b) Compare the Environments and detect DLL Version and other
conflicts.
c) Use MsiXray to setup Local Isolation to isolate the conflicting
DLLs and enable all the applications to coexist on the same PC.
d) Detect what changes have recently been made to your system.
Expected Market for MsiXray
There are currently a large number of Software Tools which can
a) Scan your Registry, detecting and correcting potential problems
and inconsistencies
b) Defrag your Disks detecting and correcting system errors
c) Ensure that your System DLLs and Drivers are the latest ones
d) Checks for Viruses and the installation of other Non Authorised
Software.
BUT up until now there is no Software Tool which directly addresses
the Applications Installation problems described above.
In some ways this is surprising because a PC without Applications is
reduced to a
a) Dumb Internet Terminal,
b) Citrix Client or other Thin Client processing networked
applications.
Hence the correct installation of Applications on a PC is essential
if a User is to get the full benefit from it.
It is therefore expected that the following will be interested in
MsiXray
a) Support staff who are responsible for Defining, Setting up and
Maintaining PCs for the Users of their Companies. These users will be
particularly interested in the ability to load the MsiXray License
onto a USB Memory Stick, and run MsiXray on any of their User’s PCs
(provided the Memory Stick is plugged into the PC when they are doing
so (ie a Pseudo Dongle)).
b) Professional Application Packagers who generate MSIs which are
used by (a) above. MsiXray has several functions for editing and
correcting MSIs as well are tools for detecting conflicts and MSI
Errors.
c) Advanced Home Users who have who already purchased some of the
Software Tools described above. e.g. RegScanning, Disk Maintainers,
Anti Virus tools etc. and are frequently installing and removing
Applications from their PCs.
Summary of some of the Functionality of MsiXray
MsiXray was originally written to work with Applications installed
using MSI Installation Scripts (hence the name), listing and comparing
the File and Registry details contained in the MSIs with each other
and what is installed on the PC.
BUT as a significant number of Applications are still installed
using “Classic” Non MSI Installation Scripts it did not provide a
comprehensive picture of all the Applications installed on the PC.
MsiXray has since been enhanced to “Discover” what
Files/Registry Entries are installed by the Application’s
Installation Script.
Standard Reports
MsiXray has a “Standard” Report which can compare the
Files/Registry Entries in one or more MSIs (and now installation lists
for non MSIs) and
a) Compare them with each other and what is installed on the PC.
Differences and omissions are highlighted and functionality provided
to
· Re-install missing entries.
· Isolate conflicting DLLs
b) Scan all the Applications (MSI and non MSI) installed on the PC
· Detecting conflicts
· Isolate them using Local Isolation
c) Scan all the Applications (MSI and non MSI) to detect which ones
installed a particular DLL, File or Registry Entry and list the
Versions/Values etc in each installation.
The Registration Details for DLLs can similarly be listed and
compared with what is installed on the PC.
Generating Lists of Files/Registry Entries installed for other (non
MSI) Applications
This is done by the “Standard” method of
a) Scanning the PC before the Installation of the Application to
capture the status of the Files/Registry entries installed
b) Installing the Application
c) Scanning the PC again to detect the changes and generate the
“Differences” or Installation Script.
This method does NOT detect the Shared System DLLs installed by the
PC if a copy of the Same or a Later Version of the DLL is already
installed on the PC.
However a “Counter” in the Registry is supposed to be
incremented by the Installers (and is by Classic (non MSI) Wise and
Installshield Scripts) when they Install (or try to install a DLL)
MsiXray detects changes to these “Counters” and adds the
installation of these DLLs to the Installation Scripts.
Both these Scripts and MSIs can now provide MsiXray with details of
the Files and Registry Entries each Application installs on the PC.
Complete definition of the Software Environment for each
Application.
Neither the MSIs or the MsiXray Installation Lists provide any
details of Files/Registry Entries which are used by the Application
when it is running, but are already installed on the PC( before the
Application is installed) by the Window’s System or other
prerequisite software.
MsiXray
a) Uses SysInternals’s ProcMon or FileMon/RegMon to generate logs
which capture the Read/Write operations made to the Disk/Registry when
the application is running.
b) Reads the resultant logs and extracts the details of the
Files/Registry Entries Read/Written and can add these details to the
MSI (MsiXray List) to provide a comprehensive definition of the
Software Environment for the Application, which can then be reported
on using Standard MsiXray Reports.
Checking, that a User, has the correct Access Permissions, to run
the Application.
Sometimes an Application will run correctly for one user but fail
(with Access Denied) when another User tries to use it.
As the Application fails on the first Access Security Problem it
encounters, it can be a very laborious process to detect and correct
each problem in turn.
Often SysInternal’s ProcMon or FileMon/RegMon Monitors will have
to be used to detect which File/Registry Entry cannot be accessed. In
standard form they are not the easiest to use as they have to be run
with Administrator Access (the Application has to be run with the
required UserID) and they all produce large logs which need to be
interpreted to identify what the problem is, and Access Granted.
This process will have to be repeated many times.
With MsiXray the Application is
a) Run once using a UserID which has the required level of Access.
b) When the Application is running it is being Monitored by MsiXray,
which is running SysInternal’s ProcMon or FileMon/RegMon Utilities
in Administrator Mode. This process is all Scripted and very easy to
use.
c) MsiXray then produces a list of the File and Registry Entries
which were used and the level of access they require e.g
Read/Write/Delete/Modify.
d) MsiXray can then check that the required UserID has the required
level of Access Permissions for each of these Files/Registry Entries
and List those that it does not.
i.e. a Single Pass using simple to use Commands will list ALL the
Access Security Problems.
User Interface
In order for User’s to quickly be able to gain the full benefit of
MsiXray a significant proportion of the Help Documentation has been
written, describing how a User can use MsiXRay to undertake particular
Tasks and Address Individual Problems.
Colour displays are extensively used to highlight problems etc in
MsiXray reports and the User Interface for List and Tree Views
enhanced to provide
* Easy Expansion of Tree node
* Highlighted nodes in colour when a subnode has a problem or
matches a particular criteria. E.g missing File (All parent nodes for
this node are turned Red)
* Resizing Columns in ListViews
* Displaying Complete Data in the Cell “Currently under the
Mouse” in a Tool Tip
A Free 30 Day Evaluation Copy can be downloaded
by using the “Download.Com” button below
(In this version some functions are limited by the
Number of Applications they can access.)
To Purchase MsiXray
a) Download and Install the Evaluation Version
b) Startup MsiXray and on the Main Screen
select the Purchase Menu. Download MsiXray Purchasing MsiXray
Please contact
Support@Winok-Msixray.com if you have any questions about Support
Sales@Winok-MsiXray.com if you have any questions about Purchasing
MsiXray
Business@Winok-MsiXray.com for Business Enquiries
Affiliates@Winok-MsiXray.com for Affiliate Enquiries [1]
