Specifying the Behavior for an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Package that Requires a Restart

Project:This information applies to the following project types:

• Advanced UI
• Suite/Advanced UI

Edition:The Advanced UI project type is available in the InstallShield. The Suite/Advanced UI project type is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield. For information about the differences between these two project types, see Advanced UI Projects vs. Suite/Advanced UI Projects.

When you are configuring a new package in an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project or modifying the settings of an existing one, you can specify how the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation should proceed if it appears that the target system needs to be restarted. For example, in some cases, you may want the installation to first prompt the end user before restarting the target system; in other cases, you may want to skip the restart. The Packages view of the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project provides the flexibility needed to carry out the response that is appropriate for each type of operation (install, remove, repair, or modify) and for each package in the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project.

To specify the behavior for an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI package that requires the target system to be restarted:

1. Open the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project that contains the package whose restart behavior you want to configure.
2. In the View List under Organization, click Packages.
3. In the Packages explorer, select the package that you want to configure.
4. Under the appropriate operation (Install, Remove, Repair, or Modify), in the Reboot Request setting, select the appropriate option.

The following table explains appropriate options for various restart-related behaviors that a package in an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation may perform.

Restart Behavior for Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Packages

Behavior of the Package in the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI Installation

Guidelines for the Reboot Request Setting

Prompts the end user and, based on the end user’s response, may restart the target system

Consider selecting one of the following options for the Reboot Request setting:

• Allow the machine to reboot—This option is appropriate for most scenarios.
• Always reboot the machine—Note that this option may conflict with the end user’s response to the package’s prompt if the end user chooses the option to avoid restarting the target system. If this scenario is possible and you always want to restart the system, consider suppressing the package’s prompt, and selecting the appropriate option for the package’s Reboot Request setting.

Always triggers a restart; may or may not prompt the end user

Consider selecting one of the following options for the Reboot Request setting:

• Allow the machine to reboot—This option is appropriate for most scenarios.
• Always reboot the machine—Note that this option may conflict with the end user’s response to the package’s prompt if the end user chooses the option to avoid restarting the target system. If this scenario is possible and you always want to restart the system, consider suppressing the package’s prompt, and selecting the appropriate option for the package’s Reboot Request setting.

Uses a return code or the registry to indicate the need to restart; does not prompt the end user

Consider selecting one of the following options for the Reboot Request setting:

• Prompt, then exit or reboot the machine—If the target system must be restarted for a subsequent package, you may want to select this option.
• Always prompt, then exit or reboot the machine—If the target system must be restarted immediately, you may want to select this option.
• Ignore the reboot request—If the package’s restart request is unnecessary, you may want to select this ignore option.
• Delay the prompt, then exit or reboot the machine—If the restart is not required for a subsequent package, consider selecting this option. If more than one package in the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI installation requires a restart, this option may help minimize the number of restarts.

Note that if a restart must occur before a subsequent package runs, and if a restart is not guaranteed to occur before that subsequent package runs, avoid selecting this delay option.

Requires a restart but does not prompt the end user or indicate the need to restart

Consider selecting the following option for the Reboot Request setting:

• Always prompt, then exit or reboot the machine—If the restart is required, you may want to select this option.