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How to: Specify Per-user or Per-computer Installation

When installing an application using Windows Installer deployment, you can specify whether you want the application to be installed for all users of the computer (per computer), or only for the user doing the installation (per-user). A combination of the InstallAllUsers property of the deployment project and the InstallAllUsersVisible property of the Installation Folder user interface dialog box determine the install-time behavior.

You can specify that an application can only be installed per-user or per-computer, or you can allow the end user to decide and provide a default choice.

Note

The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described in Help depending on your active settings or edition. To change your settings, choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Visual Studio Settings.

To specify mandatory per-user installation

  1. In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.

  2. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to false.

  3. On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.

  4. Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.

  5. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to false.

To specify mandatory per-computer installation

  1. In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.

  2. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to true.

  3. On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.

  4. Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.

  5. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to false.

To specify per-user installation as the default

  1. In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.

  2. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to false.

  3. On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.

  4. Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.

  5. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to true.

    At install time, the user will be able to choose the installation method.

To specify per-computer installation as the default

  1. In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.

  2. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to true.

  3. On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.

  4. Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.

  5. In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to true.

    At install time, the user will be able to choose the installation method.

See Also

Reference

Windows Installer Deployment Properties

Installation Folder User Interface Dialog Box

InstallAllUsersVisible Property

InstallAllUsers Property

Other Resources

User Interface Management in Deployment