ThinApp MSI in View - Showing "Invalid" in Name and Status

[DB1213141516]

We are using:

View 4.5.0 build-293049

ThinApp - 4.6.0-287958

We are having a problem adding an .msi as an app using the View Admin Console. We created a repository and added a different app using the console. It was added successfully, and all was well with deploying that persistent app.

When we try to add the RCT Calculation Engine .msi, it fails with "Invalid" for the name and for the Status. The image is attached.

When we run the installer package locally, it installs without a problem, and the app runs without a problem. Basically, it's a single ThinApp .exe file that is written out to the installation directory.

There is an item in the event viewer on the View server with the following message:

Error details. HRESULT hr = 0x80070715. The specified resource type cannot be found in the image file.

That's all the information we have, so I'm not sure what "resource" it's looking for. Does anyone know how to further troubleshoot this error? Like I said, the .exe generated for this ThinApp runs just fine, and when you run the .msi locally, it installs and runs just fine; this is only an issue with getting it to be managed by the View server.

Our .ini file is also attached. Does anyone know how to further troubleshoot this? It appears to be an issue with the server, as the .msi installs and runs just fine by itself; not sure why the server would say it's invalid.

[kwacky1]

Hi There,

You need to set MSIStreaming=1 in your package.ini

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1028385

[chulerico]

DB,

I had the same issue, when you build the thinapp, it only creates an executive that you can manually run, but if you want to add it to the repository, you need to select build MSI just before you build, then that thinapp can be added to view, and you won't get the invalid error

check "generate MSI package" just after the post scan

the option MSIStreaming=1 is very good to keep in mind too, you edit the package.ini just before you build and change the option 0 to 1 and them build, that way you have deployment option of FULL and streaming, if you don't use it, then you can only do FULL

good night

Sam

[DB1213141516]

Actually, I tried both ways, and both produced the same "Invalid" results.

The real reason my package was failing to be recognised was because there wasn't a vaild .exe in the package. The View admin console was looking for a valid .exe file in the package when adding it as a ThinApp, and failed to find it. However, the .msi built and installed just fine as a stand-alone. I asked if they planned on allowing non-executable packages to be deployed through the Admin console in the future, and have not yet received a response (so it sounds like the answer is probably no).

I am marking this as answered as I was finally able to get it to work.

[kwacky1]

I stumbled across this post because I am having the same problem with one of my thinapps.

In my case, the thinapp package has 60 entry points, 3 are published as shortcuts, a cmd based entry point, a .htm entry point and a helpctr.exe link.

The other 57 are command line utils.

From my understanding, these are invalid because non of the shortcut targets are located inside the package, is that correct?

[bulldude]

After having several packages give me trouble with no answers or KBs I proceeded to troubleshoot this

So far I have only seen this problem with Microsoft Applications; I imagine there are others.

The offending line is in the package.ini.  It will cause VMware View to throw an "Invalid" error when you are
scanning in a new ThinApp package from the repository. This affects View 4.5 and 4.6.  The problem occurs within
the ThinApp SDK if the source executable of the ThinApp package isn't actually part of the package but is loaded
from the native filesystem.

All changes we will update are found under the
;-------- General Purpose Parameters  ---------- section

This is a problem with ThinApp 4.5.0-238809 and above.

Here is a default package of Microsoft Office Plus 2007 created with ThinApp 4.5.0-238809, ThinApp 4.6.0-287958
or ThinApp-4.6.1-361923

[Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007.dat]
Source=%SystemSystem%\rundll32.exe
ReadOnlyData=bin\Package.ro.tvr
MetaDataContainerOnly=1

The offending line is Source=%SystemSystem%\rundll32.exe

To fix replace Source=%SystemSystem%\rundll32.exe with a valid .exe that is a source executable

example:

[Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007.dat]
Source=%ProgramFilesDir%\Microsoft Office\Office12\WINWORD.EXE
ReadOnlyData=bin\Package.ro.tvr
MetaDataContainerOnly=1

other examples depending on which version of office you have could be:
Source=%ProgramFilesDir%\Microsoft Office\Office12\ONENOTEM.EXE
or
Source=%ProgramFilesDir%\Microsoft Office\Office12\MSACCESS.EXE

If you have a package built with ThinApp 4.5.0-233427 and below you will notice that the entry point does not
point to rundll32.exe

All you have to do is comment out MSIUseCabs=1 and add MSIstreaming=1

example:
;MSIUseCabs=1
MSIstreaming=1

and build with ThinApp 4.6 or above.

Another Microsoft Application that also had the same issue is Visual Studio 2008:

Again here is the fix I applied:

[Visual Studio 2008 Professional.dat]
;Source=%SystemSystem%\rundll32.exe
Source=%ProgramFilesDir%\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe
ReadOnlyData=bin\Package.ro.tvr
MetaDataContainerOnly=1

I have heard that a KB is coming in the meantime happy View/ThinApp integration.

[casperinmd]

I had this issue, and it was b/c I separated my msi files from teh exe files. You have to keep the .msi and the .exe/.dat files in one folder.

[cjohnson596]

:smileycry:I am having this same problem, but with a different cause (I do not have a solution yet )

Our application requires a mapped network drive (M:) to install.  After it installs, the shortcut to the program points to a .exe on the mapped network drive M:\macsql\MACOLA32.EXE

I beleive ThinApp sees this as "Invalid" upon scanning the repository because it doesn't recognize the .exe file since it's just a shortcut to a mapped network drive. // I also tried modifying the package.ini file line MSIStreaming=1 but it did not have any effect.

Screenshots attached of how ThinApp sees the .exe when packaging it and when scanning it in the View Administrator...

Anyone have any suggestions?  If I figure out a way to make it work I will come back and post the solution.

[casperinmd]

So did a quick test, I captured:

copy notepad.exe to server

Made shortcut to that exe on my desktop

However, I get the same message as you. I have never captured a network drive mapping shortcut..wonder if that is it? Have you done any captures using mapped drives before?

[cjohnson596]

No I havent ever needed to :smileyconfused:

Glad to know it's easy to reproduce... I might be reaching out to VMware support today ^.^

/edit: I have a case open with VMware support now, going to put the premium we pay for support to use!

[cjohnson596]

Long story short: ThinApping packages that require pointing to a mapped drive is not supported and will not work.  VMware support aided me in submitting a change/feature-request.

Also, trying to ThinApp another package that just requires a shortcut on the desktop pointing to an .exe in a network location produces the same result.  /mutter

[casperinmd]

Oh great. b/c I just closed a case where Thinapp did not work when using a data file on a UNC path, but support said to use a mapped drive. That did yield me better results, but still has issues in production.

So I guess the Thinapp team really does not know how to use the product. I guess it is time to look at Liquidware and dump Thinapp.