Download Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1

A new version of Windows Installer has appeared on Microsoft’s Download Center. This concerns version 3.1 that has been made available as a redistributable, which means that the package can be put on, for example, a CD and can be installed on various platforms. Windows Installer is required to be able to start so-called msi files on the PC. This version can be installed on Windows 2000 SP3 and SP4, Windows XP SP1 and SP2, and finally on Windows Server 2003. The changelog of version 3.1 looks like this:

New features in Windows Installer 3.1

• New minor UpdateTargetRTMProperty property: Patch files can now target both the original release baseline and the latest service-pack-level baseline that is on the system.
• New MsiSetExternalUIRecord API: Packages that use an external user interface can now receive messages as records instead of receiving the messages as strings.
• New x64 and Msix64 properties: Packages can now use the x64 and Msix64 properties to indicate x64 processor-based operating system support.
• New MsiNotifySidChange API: You can use this API to upgrade the Windows Installer configuration if the security identifier (SID) of a user changes.
• Flyweight patching is now an opt-in behavior: Windows Installer 3.0 introduced new “flyweight patching” functionality. By default, this functionality was enabled for all patches. Windows Installer 3.1 now disables this functionality unless you specifically enable the functionality by setting the OptimizedInstallMode property in the MsiPatchMetaData table.

Issues that are addressed in Windows Installer 3.1

• Windows Installer now logs null characters (“[~]”) correctly when the characters are used in a registry value marker or in a service dependency.
• The MsiGetFileHash function now works correctly for very large unversioned files. These files may be about 2 GB.
• The MediaSrcProp property of a patch is now set to the original launched-from location when the patch is installed. The MediaSrcProp property is set to the cached patch location for subsequent transactions.
• Progress bar now works correctly even if the package installs more than 2GB of files.
• Patching of isolated components now works.
• Target information for a custom action is no longer logged when the custom action fails if the custom action is marked to hide the target.
• Error 1642 (ERROR_PATCH_TARGET_NOT_FOUND) is returned even if only one Windows Installer 2.0-style inapplicable patch is being applied.
• Applying a full-file Windows Installer 2.0-style patch that contains companion files no longer requires access to the source media.
• Windows Installer 3.1 now correctly handles the scenario where a minor update package is installed when an obsolete or superseded patch also exists.
• Windows Installer 3.1 now supports application of patches for packages that have large numbers of files. (Sequence column of File table includes values ​​larger than 32767.)
• Windows Installer 3.1 now sends INSTALLSTART_ACTIONSTART messages for all actions.
• In Windows Installer 3.0 and earlier versions, if you applied several major upgrade patches, subsequent installations occasionally failed. This issue is now fixed.
• The patch sequencer no longer incorrectly rejects a valid patch during administrative image patching.
• Windows Installer 3.1 no longer skips script custom actions that are marked as asynchronous.

Issue that is addressed in Windows Installer 3.1 (v2)

• Windows Installer no longer fails silently when the installer tries to update a file that is protected by the Windows File Protection feature.