msi-batch-installer

name	msi-batch-installer
description	Install a set of .msi files silently via msiexec with logging, exit-code decoding, and summary reporting. Provides both CMD batch and PowerShell scripts.

MSI Batch Installer

Scripts for installing multiple .msi packages on Windows via msiexec.exe with full logging, exit-code interpretation, and pass/fail summaries.

msiexec Key Flags

Flag	Meaning
/i	Install
/x	Uninstall
/qn	Fully silent (no UI)
/qb	Basic UI (progress bar only)
/L*V	Verbose log to file
/norestart	Suppress reboot
PROPERTY=value	Pass public MSI property at install time

Critical Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1602	User cancelled
1603	Fatal error (usually permissions or locked files)
1618	Another installation already running
1619	MSI file could not be opened (missing/corrupt)
1638	Another version already installed
3010	Success — reboot required

Full list: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/msi/error-codes

Usage — CMD

REM Install all .msi in current directory (silent)
install-msi.cmd

REM Install all .msi in a specific directory
install-msi.cmd "C:\Packages"

REM Install specific files
install-msi.cmd app1.msi app2.msi

Configuration (edit inside the script):

• LOGDIR — log output directory (default: %TEMP%\msi-install-logs)
• UI_MODE — /qn (silent) or /qb (basic UI)
• EXTRA_PROPS — MSI public properties, e.g. ACCEPT_EULA=1

Usage — PowerShell

# Install all .msi in current directory
.\install-msi.ps1

# Install specific files
.\install-msi.ps1 -Path "C:\Packages\myapp.msi","C:\Packages\other.msi"

# Install from a directory with basic UI and properties
.\install-msi.ps1 -Path "C:\Packages" -UiMode basic -Properties @{ ACCEPT_EULA = '1' }

# Stop on first failure
.\install-msi.ps1 -ContinueOnError:$false

Parameters:

• -Path — directory or file(s). Omit = current dir.
• -UiMode — silent (default), basic, or full
• -NoReboot — suppress reboot (default: on)
• -LogDir — log directory (default: $env:TEMP\msi-install-logs)
• -Properties — hashtable of MSI public properties
• -ContinueOnError — keep going after failures (default: on)

Requirements

• Must run as Administrator — MSI installs fail with 1603 otherwise.
• Only one msiexec install can run at a time (error 1618 if concurrent).
• Scripts wait for each MSI to finish before starting the next.

Pitfalls

1. CMD else if inside for blocks — CMD does not support else if chains inside parenthesized for blocks. Use call :subroutine instead.
2. CMD labels inside if/else blocks — Labels cannot be inside if/else parenthesized blocks. Use goto to jump to labeled sections outside the blocks.
3. CMD parentheses in echo inside if blocks — Escape them as ^( ^).
4. CMD !var!.log with dot-stripped names — Use !MSI_NAME:.=_!_ to insert a literal underscore separator.
5. CMD date/time locale issues — Use !date:~10,4!!date:~4,2!!date:~7,2! for YYYY MM DD on US-locale Windows, and strip slashes with !TIMESTAMP:/=!.
6. Directory detection — Use if exist "%ARG1%\*" to check if a path is a directory.
7. PowerShell $args is reserved — Use $argList or similar for custom argument strings.
8. Em dashes in PowerShell — Use ASCII hyphens (-) instead.
9. Log file paths — Each install gets a unique log file named <MSIname>_<timestamp>.log.
10. Error 1618 — If another MSI install is running, wait for it to finish.
11. Error 1625 — "System policy prevents installation" — can mean the product is already installed AND running non-elevated, or a group policy blocks it.
12. UAC elevation from bash — PowerShell backtick line continuations are eaten by bash. Write a helper .ps1 script and call it with -File instead of -Command.
13. Capturing elevated output — Start-Process -Verb RunAs opens a new console whose output is not captured. Redirect inside the elevated process.

Elevation Helpers

Both scripts require Administrator rights. Helper scripts to launch elevated:

PowerShell (run-elevated.ps1):

Start-Process -FilePath "powershell.exe" -ArgumentList @(
    "-NoProfile", "-ExecutionPolicy", "Bypass", "-Command",
    "& { & '$scriptPath' -Path '$msiDir' *>&1 | Out-File '$outputFile' -Encoding UTF8; exit `$LASTEXITCODE }"
) -Verb RunAs -Wait

CMD (run-elevated-cmd.ps1):

Start-Process -FilePath "cmd.exe" -ArgumentList @(
    "/c", "cd /d `"$msiDir`" & call `"$cmdScript`" > `"$outputFile`" 2>&1"
) -Verb RunAs -Wait

Verification

After running, check:

1. Script exit code: echo %ERRORLEVEL% (CMD) or $LASTEXITCODE (PowerShell)
2. Summary table printed at the end
3. Log files in %TEMP%\msi-install-logs\ for any failures
4. For error 1603, check the log for "Return value 3" entries