Summary

This article discusses reasons why data may not being installed or uninstalled.

Problem: Data Is Not Being Installed

A. Create a log file for the installation

See Logging An MSI Installation. Check the states of components, features, as well as the ADDLOCAL and REMOVE properties as described in Checking the Installation of Features, Components,Files on the Microsoft Learn website.

B. Check to see if the file already exists on the target machine

If files are not being installed, then check to see if the file already exists on the target machine in the same location in which the installation is installing the file. If it does, then follow these steps:

1. Determine the following file information for the file that you are trying to install and the file that already exists on the target machine.
   1. If it's versioned, what is the version?
   2. If it's not versioned, what is the Created and Modified date?
2. Go through the Default File Versioning rules to determine if your file should be installed according to these rules.
3. If the rules show that the file should not be installed under the specific conditions then there are some options:
   1. Set the REINSTALLMODE property to override the default rules.
   2. Use Companion Files.

C. If registry data is not being installed

If registry data is not being installed, then verify what options have been set in the Name column of the Registry Table. The value in the name column for the registry entry determines how the key is installed or uninstalled. See the documentation for the Name column in the Registry Table for the available options and their behavior. These options are set in a InstallShield project by following these steps:

1. Select the Components view.
2. Select the component that contains the registry keys not being installed.
3. Expand the component and select the Registry view.
4. Right-click the registry key that is not being installed. Here you will see the corresponding +, -, and * options.
5. Modify the selected flag accordingly depending on the desired behavior. For information on these flags, see Registry Flags in the InstallShield Help Library.

D. Verify that the component containing the data is associated with a feature

To verify that the component containing the data is associated with a feature, follow these steps:

1. Select the Components view.
2. Find any components that have an icon that looks like a white exclamation point surrounded by a red circle. This indicates that the component is not associated to a feature.
3. Expand each of these components and look in the Files view until you find the file that is not being installed.
4. Once the component is found then navigate to the Setup Files view.
5. Select a feature and right-click it.
6. Select Associate Components from the menu options and select the component that needs to be associated to a feature.

E. Verify that there are not any conditions preventing data from being installed

To verify that there are not any conditions preventing data from being installed, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Setup Design view.
2. Find the component containing the data that is not being installed.
3. Select the component and find the Condition property on the right. If there are any conditions on the component, analyze the condition and verify that it is resolving to TRUE during the installation.
4. Now select the feature that the component is associated with and then select the Condition property of the feature on the right.
5. Check to see if there are any conditions that are causing the feature to be deselected at run time. Modify these condition accordingly.

F. Verify that the state of the component or feature is not being changed by any Windows Installer Selection functions via custom actions

Review the Installer Selection Functions section of the Database Functions topic on the Microsoft Learn website for list of functions that can be used to change the component and feature state.

Problem: Data is not being Uninstalled

A. Create a log file for the Installation

See Logging an MSI Installation. Check the states of components, features, as well as the ADDLOCAL and REMOVE properties as described in Checking the Installation of Features, Components,Files on the Microsoft Learn website.

B. Verify that the component installing the file is not marked as permanent.

See Installing Permanent Component, Files, Fonts, Registry Keys on the Microsoft Learn website. Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Components view.
2. Select the component that contains the file that is not being uninstalled.
3. In the component properties view on the right, set the Permanent field for the component to No.

C. If registry data is not being uninstalled

If registry data is not being uninstalled, then verify what options have been set in the Name column of the Registry Table. The value in the name column for the registry entry determines how the key is installed or uninstalled.

See the documentation for the name column in the Registry Table for the available options and their behavior. These options are set in a InstallShield project by following these steps:

1. Select the Components view.
2. Select the component that contains the registry keys not being installed.
3. Expand the component and select the Registry view.
4. Right-click the registry key that is not being installed. Here you will see the corresponding +, -, and * options.
5. Modify the selected flag accordingly depending on the desired behavior. For information on these flags, see Registry Flags in the InstallShield Help Library.

D. The component is used by another application or feature that is still installed

This can occur if the component has been shared among features or applications without changing the Component Code. In order to uninstall the component, every application or feature using the component must be installed. The issue can be prevented by using unique component codes.

To change the component code, follow these steps:

1. Select the Components view.
2. Select the component that is not being uninstalled.
3. Select the Component Code property on the right .
4. Push the Generate GUID button to create a new GUID.

E. Data is being created via a custom action

If data is being created on the target machine via a custom action, then ensure that a custom action is being called during uninstallation to remove the data. See Uninstalling Custom Actions on the Microsoft Learn website.

F. Verify that there are not any conditions preventing data from being uninstalled.

Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Setup Design view.
2. Find the component containing the data that is not being installed.
3. Select the component and find the Condition property on the right.
4. If there are any conditions on the component, analyze the condition and verify that it is resolving to TRUE during the installation.
5. Select the feature that the component is associated with and then select the Condition property of the feature on the right.
6. Check to see if there are any conditions that are causing the feature to be deselected at runtime. Modify these condition accordingly.

G. Component's key file is on the list of protected files

If a component's key file is on the About Windows Resource Protection list of protected files, the installer does not remove the component.

H. Component Rules have been broken

See What happens if the component rules are broken? on the Microsoft Learn website.

I. A previous reference count is set

A previous reference count could be set under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls. This key could be set by other applications installing the same file, if you marked the component's Shared property to Yes, or if your application has a file that is being installed the System folder.

When a application is uninstalled, then the SharedDLLs key is decremented for the file being uninstalled. In order to decrement the SharedDLLs key manually, perform the following steps:

1. Go to the registry by typing regedit in the Start > Run command.
2. Navigate to the SharedDLLs key.
3. Open this key,
4. Find the file's entry and delete.

WARNING: Deleting this entry and the file could affect other applications and should be used cautiously.

Additional Information

For more information, see Removing Stranded Files on the Microsoft Learn website..