16th July 2002
I just hate it when I try to install a program and the installation fails. I hate it even more when the program doesn't leave a log file to help me track down the problem. Some would say I am out of luck, but as long as the program uses Windows Installer, then I am on Cloud Nine. Why am I so happy? Because for any program that uses Windows Installer, I can turn on logging through the Registry. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Installer. Add a new String value, double-click it, and enter the following Value data: "voicewarmup" (sans quotes). These letters can be entered in any order: v = Verbose output; o = Out- of-disk-space messages; i = Status messages; c = Initial UI parameters; e = All error messages; w = Non-fatal warnings; a = Start up of actions; r = Action-specific records; m = Out-of- memory or fatal exit information; u = User requests; p = Terminal properties. If you add a plus, the existing file will be appended. If you add an exclamation mark, each line is flushed. Now, when something fails, I just have to check in the "Temp" directory and look for my log files. They'll vary in name, but will always start with "Msi" and end with the .LOG extension. As always, make sure to backup your registry before making any modifications.