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Building an Installation Package

Contents

    1 Things to consider before getting started
         1.1 Methods for distributing Origin
         1.2 Post installation settings you can pre-configure in your distribution package
                 1.2.1 User Files Folder
                 1.2.2 License management
                 1.2.4 The Origin Group Leader
         1.3 Distributing your Origin installation package
    2 Preparing an MSI installer
    3 Preparing a Template installation
         3.1 Procedure to clean a machine of Origin
         3.2 Installing Origin
         3.3 Post-installation settings
         3.4 Final notes

Things to consider before getting started

Methods for distributing Origin

There are two ways you can build an Origin installation package for distribution:

  • Preparing an MSI Installer: In this case you can use an MSI transform to pre-set the license management, the User Files Folder, and other properties. You can include a batch file to run the MSI and the transform.
  • Template Installation: In this approach, you can install Origin on a "template" machine and then prepare an Origin package for distribution. As with the MSI package, you can pre-set the license management and other properties.

Post installation settings you can pre-configure in your distribution package

It is optional to configure the following settings in your installation package:

User Files Folder

The User Files Folder is the default file open and save location in Origin.

You can pre-set the User Files Folder by editing the Path key in the [User Files] section of the Origin.ini file, located in the Origin program folder. Comments are provided in the Origin.ini file to assist you. If you do not pre-set the User Files Folder in your installation package, then each Origin user (each log in user) will be asked to select their own User Files Folder when they first start Origin. The user's Windows log in account does NOT need Administrator permissions to complete this step.

Note: If you upgrade from Origin 2018 or later to a higher version, User Files Folder of the old version will be used automatically. You don't need to consider the User Files Folder in your distribution package and thus can skip this section.

License management

If you have the Multi-seat Node Locked (Group) package, you can pre-set the group product key so that the Origin users are not asked to specify the product key when they start Origin.

To configure this in your installation package, you must first save a Group Product Key obatined from the OriginLab website in a text file, name it '''PK.txt'''. You must then put this text file into the folder where other Origin Setup files are.

If you do not pre-set the group product key in your installation package, then when each user runs Origin on their computer, they will see a license dialog asking them to enter a Product Key.

Note: If you upgrade from Origin 2017 or later to a higher version, Origin will be activated automatically. You don't need to consider the license management in your distribution package and thus can skip this section.

If you have the Concurrent Network package, you can pre-set the location of the FLEXnet license server so that the Origin users are not asked to specify this when they start Origin.

To configure this in your installation package, you must first create a text file named use_server.lic. You must then have your installation package install this text file into the Origin program folder \License folder that is created on the user computer by your installation package.

The use_server.lic text file you create must have the format:

SERVER <FLEXnet server Host Name or IP Address> ANY
USE_SERVER

If you do not pre-set the location of the FLEXnet license server in your installation package, then when each user runs Origin on their computer, they will see a license dialog asking them to enter the Host Name or IP address of the FLEXnet server.

The Origin Group Leader

The Group Folder / Group Leader feature allows you to set up a group leader which can serve as a source for distributing custom Origin files and patches to members of the group. Then once you have done this, you can set up the Origin in your installation package so that it is predefined to receive updates from the group leader.

Distributing your Origin installation package

Once you have your Origin installation package prepared, you can use a software distribution environment / software such as NetInstall or SMS to distribute the MSI package or the template installation.

Preparing an MSI installer

Preparing a Template installation

This section shows how you can prepare a template Origin installation, for use in "snap shot roll out" distributions.

Procedure to clean a machine of Origin

When preparing a template installation, you should start with a "clean" machine - one that has not previously had Origin installed on it. This is because although you can un-install a previous Origin installation, the un-install program does not delete all the Registry entries written by the Origin setup. So when you record or prepare your Origin distribution package from a second Origin installation, you may not include some needed Registry entries if they already exist (and thus were not changed by the second installation).

If you have already installed Origin on a computer, and would like to "clean" it, then do the following:

  1. Keep Origin installed, or re-install Origin. Run Origin to set the default User Files Folder.
  2. Run system.path.appdata$= in the Script window to find where the User Files folder is located. Record this folder so you can delete it later.
  3. Run system.path.license$= in the Script window to find where the license folder is located. Record this folder so you can delete it later.
  4. Open a DOS window and change directory into the Origin folder.
  5. Run the following commands one by one from the DOS prompt (make sure you have Administrative privileges).
    regsvr32 /u GSpcIOLib.dll
    regsvr32 /u OSoap.dll
    regsvr32 /u tx4ole12.ocx
    regsvr32 /u ActiveQueryBuilderXControls.ocx
    This will unregister the DLLs that Origin registered. You must have Origin installed to unregister them, because these files are installed into the Origin directory.
  6. Now uninstall Origin and remove the install directory if it still exists.
  7. Delete the AppData folder you stored earlier.
  8. Delete the License folder you stored earlier.
  9. Go to the Origin program folder in the Start menu and find the User Files Folder link. Click it to find the User Files Folder. Delete the User Files Folder. Then delete the link.
  10. Click the autosave shortcut, and delete the folder. Then delete the shortcut.
  11. Delete the whole Origin Start folder.
  12. Open the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE\Software\OriginLab and delete the Origin 9.5b key
  13. Delete the registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Origin.Application
  14. Delete the registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Origin.ApplicationCOMSI
  15. Delete the registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Origin.ApplicationSI
  16. Search for and delete any of the keys that have the following from the registry:
    {B0F21977-8AAB-4632-A73D-528B909C5663}
    {9FE89513-7A1C-4229-8DF1-AB272A668E52}
    {2F234A01-A4EB-4EAB-A130-A13C97953F0B}
    {DBC515E6-9735-4D78-A75C-3DE67DF252D0}
  17. Check the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OriginLab\Origin 9.5b\. If found, delete it.

Installing Origin

Your Origin distribution package must include all the files installed by the Origin setup, as well as the Registry entries written by the Origin setup. When running the setup, please keep the following points in mind:

  • On the Origin Setup | Customer Information page, the User Name and Company Name that you enter will display in the About Origin dialog box for all users you distribute to.
  • On the Origin Setup | All Users or Current User? page, select All Users.

Post-installation settings

Please review the Post installation settings you can include in your package above to learn about settings you can pre-configure in your template installation.

Final notes

At this point your Origin template installation package should be ready to distribute. If you started Origin and selected a User Files Folder, you can omit your User Files Folder from the package.

 

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