MSI Software Installation (System Wide-All Users)

Why would you use the System-wide MSI Software Installation Worklet?

This System-wide MSI Software Installation remediation script is designed to allow an administrator to install a system-wide (All Users) MSI with minimal knowledge of the bitness, command line, or other MSI properties. By placing the name of the MSI to be uploaded, between the single quotes. 

How to install MSI files system-wide with this PowerShell Worklet

The System-wide MSI Software Installation Worklet gets the five mandatory properties that all MSI files must contain and stores them in a table for later use.

This function will capture the fives mandatory properties that all MSI files require to be considered a valid Windows Installer file:

Product Code

The ProductCode property is a unique identifier for the particular product release, represented as a string GUID.

Product Language

The ProductLanguage property specifies the language the installer will use. 4-digit code. (eg: 1033 for En-US)

Manufacturer

The manufacturer property is the name of the manufacturer of the product. Sometimes this is the author.

Product Version

A version of the MSI/Installation. This is in String format-set type to [version] when comparing values.

Product Name

This is the name of the application. This name is generally what displays in App and Features (under Add and Remove Programs).

The System-Wide MSI Software Installation Worklet applies the standard command line arguments to silently install the application with logging. Once the installation has been completed, the script will then check both 32-bit and 64-bit registry hives to verify the installation was successful.

What is an MSI file?

MSI stands for Microsoft Installer which is a file format used for software installation on Windows. By installing an MSI file system-wide, the software becomes available to all users on the computer.

What are the benefits of installing an MSI system-wide?

User configuration

When software is installed system-wide, the configuration settings are applied universally, ensuring consistency across all user accounts. This eliminates the need for individual users to configure the software separately.

EXE files

Some software applications come as executable (exe) files that require installation. By using an MSI file instead, the installation process becomes standardized and controlled. MSI files provide a structured approach to software deployment and ensure that all necessary files and settings are properly installed.

User logs

Installing software system-wide allows for consolidated user logs. User logs contain valuable information about the software's performance, errors, and user interactions. When software is installed system-wide, the logs are stored in a centralized location, making it easier to analyze and troubleshoot issues.