InstallShield 2012 Express Edition User Guide - Knowledge Base ...

Chapter 17: Updating Applications
Working with Upgrades and QuickPatch Projects
Non-Administrator Patches
Project: This information applies to QuickPatch projects.
Windows Installer 3.0 and later enables you to create patches that can be installed by nonadministrators.
Non-administrator patches can be used if all of the following criteria are met:
• The target machine must be running Windows Installer 3.0 or later on the Microsoft Windows XP or
later client platform. Server platforms are not supported.
• The application was installed from a removable media such as a CD-ROM or DVD.
• The application was installed in a per-machine context.
Note: If the ALLUSERS property is overwritten at the command line, non-administrator patches will fail.
• The base installation must include the certificate that will be used to sign all subsequent patches.
• The base installation must include the MsiPatchCertificate table. This table provides the signer
certificate that will be used to verify the digital signature of subsequent patches when they are
applied by a non-administrator. If necessary, this table can contain multiple certificates, and
subsequent patches would need to be able to verify at least one of the certificates. For more
information, see Preparing Installations for Non-Administrator Patches.
• The non-administrator patch must contain the MsiDigitalCertificate table. This table contains
the signing certificates for the signed patches.
If any of the above criteria are not met, end users cannot install the digitally signed patch in a lockeddown
environment.
A typical scenario in which non-administrator patches are used is the computer game industry. Some
computer game users are children who might not have access to areas of the system other than folders in
their own user profile and registry keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Their parents would have
administrative access to the machines so that they can control what is installed and what their children
can access. Parents would install any and all applications. If patches are available for the installed
software, children would be able to download and install non-administrator patches without help from
their parents, as long as all of the above criteria have been met.
Creating a QuickPatch Project and Applying QuickPatch
Packages
Project: This information applies to QuickPatch projects.
A QuickPatch project is recommended for installation authors who want to ship small, single upgrades
to their users. QuickPatch authoring provides a simple alternative to creating a patch in the Patch
Design view, even though it provides less customization. Fundamentally, both patch creation methods
produce the same deliverable types: .msp and .exe files.
334 ISE-1800-UG01 InstallShield 2012 Express Edition User Guide