SMSINST: Access Violation When Adding a Large Number of Files

• Microsoft Systems Management Server Installer version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

If you use the Systems Management Server Installer 1.0 Repackage option from the Installation Expert, you may receive an access violation (AV) error when you click Finish. Additionally, attempting to use the Application Files, Installation Files dialog box from the Installation Expert to add the contents of a directory containing more than 5,885 files will produce the following message :

   You cannot add any more items. Please delete items before trying to
   add any new items.

CAUSE

During a repackage where a large number of files are added, Systems Management Server Installer attempts to create the Install File(s) script action for each and every file detected. There is a finite limit to the number of Install File(s) script actions that can be added by a repackage at any one time. This is currently limited to approximately 5,885 Install File(s) script actions added by a repackage. Similarly, attempting to add the contents of a directory containing a large number of files from the Installation Expert is limited to 5,885 files.

WORKAROUND

The workaround provided in this section assumes that you have familiarized yourself with Systems Management Server Installer scripting, to add appropriate script actions.

1. Install the proposed application on another computer to know the number of files the application installs.

2. Record the full paths to directories where more than 5,885 files will be created. (for example, d:\Bigapp\bin)

3. When selecting the Repackage option on the reference computer, click Change, to modify the "Files to ignore" option for the repackage.

4. Type paths to directories to scan as required, by clicking Add in the "Directories to Scan" section of the Repackage Advanced Settings dialog box.

5. Click Add in the "Files to ignore" section and then type the full path recorded earlier to the directory that will contain the large number of files, including a file wildcard (such as d:\Bigapp\Bin\*.*). The dialog box will allow you to type paths that do not currently exist, along with file wildcards if required.

   This allows directories that will contain certain file types to be ignored, or all files in a particular directory to be ignored. You can add multiple directory paths by repeatedly clicking Add and typing each path and file specifier to be ignored.

6. When you are finished selecting files to ignore, Click OK to close the Repackage Advanced Options dialog box.

7. Enter the repackage options as normal (Installation Program, Command Line Options and so on) and then click Next.

   The Systems Management Server Installer will scan directories and the registry and then start the application setup program. After the repackage is complete, clicking Finish should no longer cause Systems Management Server Installer to generate an AV, and return you to the Installation Expert.

8. On the File menu, click Save or Save As to save the script.

9. To now include the files that were ignored during the repackage, change the Systems Management Server Installer view from Installation Expert to the Script Editor (on the View menu, click Script Editor).

10. Examine the script for Install File script actions where other files during the repackage have been selected. These are typically added after the "Include Script %_SMSINSTL_%\INCLUDE\uninstal.ipf" Include Script action.

11. Add an Install File(s) script action below the Include Script script action, using the source the path to the previously excluded files, along with file wildcard (*,?) specifiers where possible. For example, for the earlier example, the d:\Bigapp\bin directory had all its files ignored, so you would type the following as the Source for an Install File(s) script action:

          d:\Bigapp\bin\*.*
    

12. If wildcards were used in the Source entry, type %MAINDIR% as the only entry in the Destination field.

13. Complete other entries in the Install File(s) dialog box as necessary and click OK.

14. Add further Install File(s) script actions if required or change back to the Installation Expert from the View menu.

    At this point, you may want to save the script under another file name, to allow testing with the new script.

15. Use the Test option to test the script as appropriate. To ensure conclusive results, test the compiled Systems Management Server Installer executable file on a computer that did not previously have a copy of the application.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Systems Management Server Installer version 1.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

To keep scripts small and concise, it is recommended that you review scripts that are created by using the Repackage option. For example, it is possible to replace many hundreds of lines containing Install File(s) script actions that install single files with a single line using the *.* wildcard.