[wix-users] Debugging help - Uninstall not removing files

[Molly Erskine]

Good afternoon,

Using WiX Toolset I have built:

  1.  An Installer for my program
  2.  A Bundle that includes this Installer and also it's prerequisite packages
During development I have been releasing iterations of the Bundle for testing, with changes being made to both the Bundle and Installer between each release. I simply incremented the Bundle Version to keep track of changes, but only the minor version (so v0.0.2.4 to v0.0.2.5).

In one iteration of my Bundle, I had included a Custom Action within the Installer that would launch the program when installation was complete, however I forgot to add the condition to this Custom Action to prevent it from running on Uninstall. As a result, this particular version could be installed but not removed. When running the Bundle and specifying Uninstall the Bundle would run this Custom Action, launch the program, and Uninstall would fail.

I fixed this issue for the next iteration of the installer, however the machine it had been tested on now had an unremovable (by regular methods) version of the Bundle. In this case I used a third party program (Revo Uninstaller) to remove the files. This appeared to be successful as the next iteration of the Bundle successfully installed on this machine. However when uninstalling this new iteration the Bundle very quickly states it succeeds but none of the files regarding the program are removed.

What can I do to correct this behaviour? I have been looking into residual files, cached paths and Registry Keys but have not been able to track down the exact cause of this issue.

I reliably recreated this issue on multiple VMs, installing using the "bad" bundle, removing the files manually, and re-installing and removing the program with "good" bundle and the result is the same, the uninstall states a quick success but does not remove the program.
The error does not occur if only the newer version is used.
I am aware that I am likely missing files on manual removal that then cause this issue, but just don't know how to track them down.

I am using:

  *   WiX Toolset v3.11
  *   Windows 10 and Windows 11
  *   Visual Studio 2019 for building both my program and installer / bundle
  *   The program itself is a WPF / C++ application

Any help would be greatly appreciated, please let me know what other information would be useful!

Kind Regards,
Molly
-- The information in this email may be confidential, privileged and/or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. Unauthorised use, copying or disclosure is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. The views expressed in this e-mail are personal and may not necessarily reflect those of Edinburgh Instruments Ltd. or any of its divisions, unless explicitly stated otherwise. We do not accept any liability or responsibility for: (1) changes made to this email after it was sent, or (2) viruses transmitted through this email or any attachment. If you have received this transmission in error please notify the sender immediately and delete the message from your email. Business Address : Edinburgh Instruments Ltd, 2 Bain Square, Kirkton Campus, Livingston, EH54 7DQ, UK. Registered Office : Edinburgh Instruments Ltd. Lake House, Market Hill, Royston, Herts SG8 9JN Registered in England and Wales No: 962331. VAT Number : GB271737937 Please consider the environment before printing. For further information on Edinburgh Instruments please visit our website at http://www.edinst.com