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Preinstall - All versions


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Blancco PreInstall (MSI) package is created by using a WixE Edit software to "combine" the Blancco MSI installer content with an Blancco Erasure Software ISO image (Blancco Drive Eraser or Blancco 5).

In order to create the PreInstall package, you will need to have the following "components" available

Wixedit requires .NET2.0. To install .NET2.0

  1. Open "Control Panel"
  2. Open "Programs"
  3. Select "Turn Windows features on or off"
  4. Select ".NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0)
  5. Press Apply /OK
    1. Windows starts installing components "Searching for required files"
  6. Select "Let Windows Update download the files for you"
  1. Wix Edit software
  2. Blancco MSI package content
  3. Blancco Drive Eraser ISO image file
    • The download link for the ISO should have been delivered to you (Check your email for a delivery email / download page link / web store email, etc.).
      • If you do not have any ISO image file available, contact your Blancco Sales representative or Technical Support.




Automatic steps for creating the Blancco PreInstall (MSI)

  1. Copy the custom Drive Eraser ISO into the PreInstall package subfolder “msi_build”.
    1. Name the ISO file “BlanccoErasureClient.iso”.
    2. Alternatively a link to the ISO can be provided, to download the ISO from somewhere, instead of manually copying it into the "msi_build" folder of the PreInstall package. See the parameter “--ISOLink” in the parameter table.
  2. Run the executable “PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe” included in the PreInstall package to generate an MSI package.

Manual steps for creating the Blancco PreInstall (MSI)

  1. Copy the (pre-configured) Blancco ISO image file to \Preinstall...\msi_build directory and rename the ISO image file as a “BlanccoErasureClient.iso”
  2. Copy "BlanccoPreInstall.exe" located in \Preinstall...\win32 to \Preinstall...\msi_build directory.
  3. Launch WiX Edit software and select: File -> Open -> \msi_build -directory
    1. For normal manual MSI installer in English, select “BlanccoPreinstall2_en.XML"
      1. The normal version prompts the user to accept the EULA and manually reboot the PC.
    2. For fully automatic MSI installer, select "BlanccoPreinstall2_en_auto.XML"
      1. The automatic version will force the installation and reboot automatically.
    3. Optionally, edit the command line parameters at Actions -> LaunchPreInstall -> ExeCommand field.
      1. For the command line parameters, see the Preinstall user manual and “Command line Parameters” chapter.
      2. If you don't want Preinstall to start automatically after installation, delete the LaunchPreinstall action.
  4. Select: Build -> 'Build MSI setup package' from Wix Edit GUI.
  5. If the MSI build was successful, the Results Panel should say "----- Finished".
  6. The MSI package is created in the \msi_build directory.


Parameter Table

Parameter

Mandatory

Description

--additionalArguments

No

List of additional arguments to pass to PreInstall when run immediately after installation (only effective when the parameter –launchPreInstall is also passed).


The parameters need to be surrounded by inverted commas and a space needs to be included after the last argument, e.g. --additionalArguments “--extract_wireless_settings --force --reboot “


--architecture

Yes

The architecture (32 bit or 64 bit) of the PreInstall binary to use when generating the MSI package.

--autoXML

No

If active, the MSI package installation won’t require any user input/confirmation during installation, e.g. pressing the “Next” button.

--help

No

Displays the help text.

--ISOLink

No

URL to a Drive Eraser image.

--language

Yes

The language to be used in the generated MSI installer.

--launchPreInstall

No

Run PreInstall once the MSI installation completes.

--preInstallDir

No

The root directory of the PreInstall package. This argument is only necessary when running the PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe from anywhere else other than the PreInstall package root directory (where the PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe is located by default).

--restoreBootOrder

No

Restore the boot order (i.e. undo any boot changes done by previous PreInstall runs).

--wixDir

Yes

The location of the Wix installation.


Example use cases:

Use case

Command

Manually install PreInstall without running it

PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe --architecture win32 --language en --wixDir "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\WixEdit\\wix-3.0.5419.0"

Automatically install PreInstall

PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe --architecture win32 --autoXML --language en --wixDir "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\WixEdit\\wix-3.0.5419.0"

Automatically run and install PreInstall

PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe --architecture win32 --autoXML --language en --wixDir "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\WixEdit\\wix-3.0.5419.0" --launchPreInstall --additionalArguments "--extract_wireless_settings --force --reboot "


Note: Running a 64 bit version of PreInstall from an MSI package isn’t currently supported.

Note: Multiple runs of the PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe in the same PreInstall package is not supported. To generate another MSI package, take the original unmodified PreInstall package and generate the new MSI package in there. Don’t run PreInstallPackageGenerator.exe multiple times in the same PreInstall package.