Val0013

InstallShield 2026

Project: This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
QuickPatch

Message 1(Warning)

Validation has detected that you are using the Remove column in the Upgrade table for the entry [1]. Doing this will result in the incomplete uninstallation of the referenced setup. For the most common upgrade scenarios, you should not author the Remove column of the upgrade table.

[1] is the Upgrade code being referenced in the Upgrade table.

Description

When the remove attribute of a major upgrade item is left empty, it will remove all of the features from the target product, effectively uninstalling the entire product.

If you place one feature name in the remove attribute of a major upgrade item, only that feature will be removed, and all of the other features of the existing product will be left on the target machine along with the target product itself. This means that you will be left with two products on the target machine with two entries in Add or Remove Programs.

This feature is intended for users who want to leave the target product on end users’ machine while removing only some of its features.

This validator applies only to major upgrades.

To perform this validation test, the validation engine needs to examine the latest installation only.

Corrective Action

This is a warning. If the behavior described above is what you desire, you can disregard this warning. Otherwise, do not use the Remove attribute of a major upgrade item.