Summary

Synopsis

This article summarizes a way to acquire and use Orca to modify MSI packages and ISM project files.

Discussion

Orca is a Microsoft utility for modifying and validating Windows Installer packages. It is a database tool intended for setup authors and administrators that works with the Windows Installer Service. This utility is a part of the Windows Installer SDK download along with other MSI related tools.

You can use Orca to open and modify MSI packages and ISM project files.

To download and install Orca, follow these steps:

1. Visit the SDK Platform Site page to download the Windows Installer SDK. The link to Windows Installer SDK should be at the bottom of the article.

2. Click on that link to go to the next page to download Windows Installer SDK, which includes Orca.

3. After downloading and installing Windows Installer SDK, go to \Program Files\Microsoft SDK\Bin folder on the machine to look for Orca.msi.

4. Run Orca.msi by double clicking on it, which is the setup to install Orca on your machine.

5. After installing Orca on your machine, you will be able to right click on any MSI package and open it in Orca.

Note: Because Orca allows for direct modification of the MSI package or ISM, ISE files, which may have an impact on the project, it is recommended that users make a backup copy of the file they are about to modify. Because Orca is a third-party tool, InstallShield Technical Support will not support any issues encountered due to direct modification of a package via Orca.

Additional Information

You can use Orca to view and modify project files authored in both InstallShield and InstallShield Express.

Note: In the Premier and Professional versions of the InstallShield product, for Orca to open the project files, the ISMs need to be saved in the binary format, and not XML.

Listed below are some articles from Microsoft that discuss Orca:

• Q255905 How To Use the Orca Database Editor to Edit Windows Installer Files
• Orca.exe