HOW TO: Author MSDE 2000 Setup Packages by Using Visual Studio .NET (325004)

SUMMARY

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) includes merge modules to provide flexibility for a developer to consume the merge modules into the developer's setup product. This step-by-step article describes how to use Microsoft Visual Studio Installer .NET to create a simple MSDE 2000 setup package from MSDE 2.0 merge modules.

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Create an MSDE 2000 Setup Package by Using Visual Studio .NET

NOTE: You can obtain the Windows Installer software from any of the Visual Studio .NET development products.

Start Visual Studio .NET.
Create a new setup project:
1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project. The New Project window opens.
2. In the Project Types tree, click the Setup and Deployment Projects node, and then under the Template window in the right pane, click Setup Project.
Type a name and location for the project, and then click OK.

NOTE: Make sure that Solution Explorer is open in the Microsoft Development Environment. To open it, on the View menu, click Solution Explorer.
Set the search path for the project to the folder in which the MSDE merge modules reside:
1. Select the setup project in Solution Explorer.
2. In the Properties window, locate the entry for SearchPath.
  NOTE: If the Properties window is not open, on the View menu, click Properties Window.
3. Type the full path to the location of the MSDE merge modules. Typically, this path is X:\MSDE\MSM and X:\MSDE\MSM\1033 where X is the drive letter of your CD drive.
Add the MSDE 2000 merge modules to the project: Right-click the name of the project in Solution Explorer, click Add, and then click the Merge Module option.
Locate the merge module file locations, and then select the merge modules that you want to add to the project.

NOTE: It is important to consider the dependencies. Some merge modules require other merge modules (which are called dependencies) present in the project to correctly build the installer package.
After you add all the required merge modules, you can build the Windows Installer package:
1. Click the project in Solution Explorer.
2. On the Build menu in the Microsoft Development Environment window, click Batch Build. This step builds and creates an MSDE 2000 Windows Installer package in the location that you specified in step 4.

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REFERENCES

After you create the setup package, you can edit the package by using a tool such as Orca. For additional information about how to use Orca.exe to edit the Windows Installer packages files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255905 HOWTO: Use Orca to Edit Windows Installer Files

To modify the Property table of the Windows Installer package, view the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for a list of available property values:

281983 PRB: Cannot Specify Instance Name Using SQL Server 2000 Merge Modules

When you create a package by using the steps that are described in this article, the package might not install and error 126 might be generated. For additional information about this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

321283 PRB: The MSDE Installation May Fail and Error 126 Is Logged When You Are Using Windows Installer Software

For additional information about how to author the MSDE 2.0 setup package by using Microsoft Visual Studio Installer, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: