He navigated to the . There it was—the Product Code , a 38-character GUID: E4B2... . This unique string was the software’s social security number. It told Windows, "I am this specific version of this specific thing."
If you are deploying the same MSI to different clients and need different Product Codes (for licensing), do not rebuild the MSI. Use InstallShield . A transform can override the Product Code at installation time without requiring a new build.
Unique to a specific "edition" or version of the program. installshield product code
Windows stores installation metadata within the system registry. You can browse to these keys to find your specific application details.
The Product Code is a 128-bit hexadecimal string enclosed in curly braces (e.g., 50EFC3E0-8AF8-11D4-94C7-00E09876D9C4 ). Its primary functions include: Flexera Community Uniqueness He navigated to the
The Product Code serves as the primary anchor for several critical installation behaviors. 1. Managing Application Upgrades
The Windows Installer engine uses the Product Code to determine whether a product is already installed on a computer. This unique string was the software’s social security
: For those using build servers, you can set the Product Code dynamically using ISCmdBld.exe
: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall . Search the subkeys (which are themselves GUIDs) for the DisplayName of your software; the subkey name is often the Product Code.
Managing when to change the Product Code is the most critical aspect of release management.
Require a completely new Product Code. The installer uses this to find the old version, uninstall it, and then install the new version.