Article ID: 935695 - Last Review: October 26, 2007 - Revision: 1.1

Windows Installer 4.5 Beta is now available

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Beta Information
This article discusses a beta release of a Microsoft product. The information in this article is provided as-is and is subject to change without notice.

No formal product support is available from Microsoft for this beta product. For information about how to obtain support for a beta release, see the documentation that is included with the beta product files, or check the Web location where you downloaded the release.

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INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Windows Installer 4.5 Beta is now available as a redistributable package. Windows Installer 4.5 Beta makes shipping multiple packages as a single product easier. Windows Installer 4.5 Beta also addresses issues in earlier versions of Windows Installer.
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MORE INFORMATION

Supported operating systems

You can use Windows Installer 4.5 Beta in the following operating systems:
  • Windows XP Service Pack 2
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2
  • Windows Server 2003 R2
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MORE INFORMATION

New features in Windows Installer 4.5 Beta

The following new features are available in Windows Installer 4.5 Beta.

Multiple package transaction
In a multiple package transaction, you can create a single transaction from multiple packages. In a multiple package transaction, a chainer is used to dynamically include packages in the transaction. If any of the packages do not install as expected, you can roll back the installation.
Embedded UI handler
You can embed a custom user interface (UI) handler in the Windows Installer package. This makes a custom UI easier to integrate. You can also invoke an embedded UI handler from the Add or Remove item in Control Panel. Or, you can invoke an embedded UI handler during a Windows Installer repair process.
Embedded chainer
You can use the embedded chainer to add packages to a multiple package transaction. You can use an embedded chainer to enable installation events across multiple packages. For example, you can enable the install-on-demand events, the repair events, and the uninstall events across multiple packages.
Update supersedence resiliency
This feature enables you to correct for changes in the FeatureComponent table during supersedence.
Shared component patching resiliency during uninstall
This feature makes sure that the most recent version of a component is available to all the products.
Custom action execution on update uninstall
This feature enables an update to add or change a custom action so that the custom action is called when an update is uninstalled.
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How to obtain Windows Installer 4.5 Beta

To obtain Windows Installer 4.5 Beta, follow these steps:
  1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    https://connect.microsoft.com/default.aspx (https://connect.microsoft.com/default.aspx)
  2. Click Sign in.
  3. Sign in, or create a new account.
  4. Click Available Connections.
  5. Next to Windows Installer 4.5 Beta, click Apply.
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REFERENCES

For more information, review the “What’s New in Windows Installer 4.5” white paper. To view this white paper, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb736325.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb736325.aspx)
Note To view this white paper, you must register for Windows Installer 4.5 Beta on the Microsoft Connect Web site. To register, follow the steps in the "How to obtain Windows installer 4.5 Beta" section.
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1
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Keywords: 
kbwindowsinstaller kbtshoot kbinfo KB935695
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