Managing Windows 2000 Software Defaults with MSI

This article explains how Microsoft Windows 2000 standardizes and enforces software configuration defaults using the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) framework. Introduced as a foundational component of Windows 2000's change and configuration management strategy, the MSI engine relies on internal relational database tables, transform files, command-line parameters, and Group Policy to control installation paths, feature sets, and user configurations across standalone and networked systems.

The MSI Internal Database and the Property Table

An MSI package is a structured, relational COM-based database containing tables that define an application's components, registry keys, shortcuts, and files. Software installation defaults are primarily defined inside the package’s internal Property table.

Key properties that establish installation defaults include:

  • TARGETDIR and INSTALLDIR: Specify the default file system directories where the program files will be placed (typically resolving to C:\Program Files\ApplicationName).
  • ALLUSERS: Governs whether the software installs defaults per-machine (available to every user on the system) or per-user. Setting ALLUSERS=1 creates shortcuts in common profiles, whereas leaving it unset creates shortcuts only for the current logged-in user profile.
  • ADDLOCAL: Dictates which features in the Feature table are installed locally on the hard drive by default.
  • REBOOT: Defines default system restart behaviors following installation completion.

Customizing Defaults with Transform Files (.mst)

Windows 2000 discourages altering original vendor-supplied MSI files directly. Instead, administrators modify installation defaults using Transform files (.mst). A transform acts as a delta file applied to the core MSI database during setup execution.

Using tools like Orca (provided in the Windows 2000 Platform SDK) or third-party packaging utilities, administrators can generate .mst files that permanently override default property values, disable non-essential features, pre-fill licensing keys, and set standard target directories. When the installer runs, the Windows Installer service applies the transform dynamically in memory.

Group Policy and Active Directory Software Installation

In domain environments, Windows 2000 manages MSI defaults at scale through Active Directory and Group Policy objects (GPO), a system collectively known as IntelliMirror.

Administrators define deployment defaults in the Group Policy Management interface through two primary methods:

  • Assigned Applications: Installs software automatically with predefined defaults. Software assigned to computers installs silently during operating system boot. Software assigned to users places shortcuts on the desktop or Start menu, activating a full install using predefined defaults only when the user first launches the application.
  • Published Applications: Advertises software in the Windows 2000 Add/Remove Programs Control Panel applet. The application is not installed automatically, but when a user chooses to install it, Windows Installer uses the baseline configurations and transforms attached to the GPO.

Command-Line Overrides via Msiexec

For standalone installations or scripted deployments, Windows 2000 allows direct runtime configuration via msiexec.exe. Command-line arguments can override the internal defaults defined in the MSI package's Property table:

msiexec.exe /i package.msi TRANSFORMS=custom.mst ALLUSERS=1 INSTALLDIR="D:\CustomApps" /qn
  • /i: Initiates the installation routine.
  • TRANSFORMS=: Links custom configuration transforms.
  • ALLUSERS=1: Forces machine-wide installation defaults.
  • INSTALLDIR=: Redirects the default target path.
  • /qn: Runs a silent installation, preventing interactive dialogs from prompting the user to change the default settings.

Feature States and Advertising

Windows 2000 MSI packages control application footprints through granular feature installation states:

  • Local: The feature installs completely to the local drive based on the package defaults.
  • Run from Source: The application references the installation media or network share instead of caching files locally.
  • Advertised (Install on Demand): Only interfaces, MIME types, shortcuts, and file associations are registered. When a user accesses an uninstalled feature, Windows Installer transparently pulls the components from the original installation source, applying the default parameters configured during setup.