Administrative Installation

The /a switch causes Setup.exe to perform an administrative installation. An administrative installation copies (and uncompresses) data files to a directory specified by the user, but does not install shortcuts, register COM servers, or generate an uninstallation log.

The Windows Installer can perform an administrative installation of an application or product to a network for use by a work group. An administrative installation installs a source image of the application onto the network that is similar to a source image on a DVD. Users in a work group who have access to this administrative image can then install the product from this source. A user must first install the product from the network to run the application. The user can choose to run-from-source when he installs and the installer uses most of the product's file directly from the network.

Advertise Mode

The /j switch causes Setup.exe to perform an advertised installation. An advertised installation installs shortcuts, registers COM servers, and registers file types, but does not install product's files until the user invokes one of these "entry points".

The Windows Installer can advertise the availability of an application to users or other applications without actually installing the application. If an application is advertised, only the interfaces required for loading and launching the application are presented to the user or other applications. If a user or application activates an advertised interface the installer then proceeds to install the necessary components as described in Installation-On-Demand.

The two types of advertising are assigning and publishing. An application appears installed to a user when that application is assigned to the user. The Start menu contains the appropriate shortcuts, icons are displayed, files are associated with the application, and registry entries reflect the application's installation. When the user tries to open an assigned application it is installed upon demand.

Uninstall Mode

The /x switch causes Setup.exe to uninstall a previously installed product.

Uninstall Product

The /uninst switch uninstalls the previously installed product:

Setup.exe /uninst

The /removeonly switch uninstalls the product, but depending upon how authored it may display the welcome/maintenance dialog.