Minimizing Reboots on Windows Vista and Later Systems

InstallShield 2020

Windows Logo Guideline:Restarting the system after an installation is inconvenient for end users. One of the Windows logo program requirements is that all installations must contain an option that enables end users to automatically close applications and attempt to restart them after the installation is complete.

To support this requirement, all Basic MSI projects include the MsiRMFilesInUse dialog by default. An installation displays the MsiRMFilesInUse dialog on a Windows Vista or later system if one or more files that need to be updated are currently in use during the installation. The dialog contains two options to allow end users to specify how to proceed:

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End users can choose to have the installation close the applications that are using those files and then attempt to restart the applications after the installation is complete.

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End users can avoid closing the applications. A reboot will be required at the end of the installation.

For the best end-user experience, your application should be instrumented to use the Restart Manager API; doing so allows the Restart Manager to effectively pause and resume your application exactly where the end user left it. For detailed information, see About Restart Manager and the other Restart Manager documentation on the MSDN Web site.

See Also

Using Windows Installer with Restart Manager (Windows Installer Help Library)