Adobe CS3 Silent Install and Uninstall
After spending a fair amount of time looking for a solid way to perform silent installations of CS3 products I found there was no good documentation on it. Even Adobe has failed to document the method well so I thought I'd share my findings.
Silent Install Method
Run Setup.exe with --record=1 option, run through the quick recorded install, grab the two files it spits out at the end and throw them up on the server. Rename them to install.xml and remove.xml (respectively).
With this done, create the application.xml.override as the PDF explained and put it in the proper location (making sure you have the proper quotation marks!). It should be the value of Driver folder indicated in the payloads/Setup.xml.
Run the silent install again pointing to the full path for "install.xml" and you're all set. For my setup I use the following command line.
Setup.exe --mode=Silent --deploymentFile=".\install.xml"
Silent Uninstall Method
To run a silent uninstall I copy the remove.xml to the %TEMP% directory on the machine and run the following command line.
"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Installers\aef45239e3987fdf2a5e406d559eb22\Setup.exe" --mode=Silent --deploymentFile="%temp%\remove.xml"
Note that I'm running the Setup.exe from the installSourcePath value indicated in the install.xml.
Both the install and uninstall work with Deployment Console and Software Delivery Solution.
Enjoy.
Added December 20th, 2007 by Todd Murray
Here are screenshots of the Install and Uninstall Tasks I'm using in the Deployment Console.
Comments
This is exactly what I set
This is exactly what I set out to do today! Thank you, however I have one question.
My application.xml.override file, what "type" of file should it be?
I have tried application.xml.override.XML (to make it xml) and I am now trying application.xml.override.txt. I know the cs3_deployment pdf states for it not to have a hidden extension, does this mean that when you right click on the file and select properties that it should say it's an "override" file? So that would mean the file needs to just be "application.xml.override" with override acting as the extension?
application.xml.override
[quote=caleywoods]This is exactly what I set out to do today! Thank you, however I have one question.
My application.xml.override file, what "type" of file should it be?
I have tried application.xml.override.XML (to make it xml) and I am now trying application.xml.override.txt. I know the cs3_deployment pdf states for it not to have a hidden extension, does this mean that when you right click on the file and select properties that it should say it's an "override" file? So that would mean the file needs to just be "application.xml.override" with override acting as the extension?[/quote]
It should be named application.xml.override
I have gotten this
I have gotten this functioning. Please note: The install.xml contained in the deployment folder on the CD does not work for me. Only after doing the recorded setup like Todd explains, and then renaming the file to install.xml and using that, did the silent install work correctly.
Thanks for the great article.
More info
There is a detailed explanation on the steps to follow here.
I attached the output files
I attached the output files from the record as well as the CS3 Deployment guide to this article. Keep in mind that the method's described in the Deployment Guide do not actually work. If they had, there would be no need for anyone to document their methods.
adobe
[quote=Todd Murray]I attached the output files from the record as well as the CS3 Deployment guide to this article. Keep in mind that the method's described in the Deployment Guide do not actually work. If they had, there would be no need for anyone to document their methods.[/quote]
Completely agree, adobe doesn't even have the filenames correct, they refer to "deployment.xml" which is actually install.xml which doesn't work regardless of what you call it. After running setup.exe --record=1 and using that xml as install.xml it functions properly. Now if you're installing individual apps then there is a deployment.xml however this file doesn't exist on the suite install.
Can't figure out where i went wrong
OK, so i ran the setup.exe from a DVD via the windows comand prompt:
"D:\Adobe Ultra CS3\setup.exe" /S/v/qn --record=1
The setup launches, I can see in from the task manager, but nothing happens. The command promt just creates a new prompt that lookes just like the one i typed the previous command into. No response from it. Where am I going wrong? It doesn't seem to like --record=1, because i tried using --mode=silent in place of the /s/v/qn and it told me to use that command to run in silent mode.
Try copying the content of
Try copying the content of the DVD to your HD first. When you run the record option it drops the output files in the same directory.
Followed directions and still wont work.
Uninstall ends in Error 7.
Using c:\windows\temp to store remove.xml
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