When I install an application which has a file somet.txt it installs it to a certain location C:\temp and windows keeps a register that it has been installed 1 time.
If another application installs the same file with the same id to the same location the install count is incremented to 2.
This is so that if you want to completely remove that file you have to uninstall both applications before the file is removed.
I am looking for the ability to read this count/edit this count/etc.
Does anybody know how to do this, either manually/via wix/via c#?
I found this info
the installer increments the reference count in the shared DLL registry of the component’s key file
The files are included in components. The components are referenced in products. The reference count is not stored as a number but the references from products to components is regarded as this count.
To uninstall a component that includes your file, you need to uninstall all products that reference the component.