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When installing using InstallShield is there a way to have the products key a fixed name rather than a GUID in the following registry path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{Random GUID}
and for the alternative paths for Current User installs and 32bit OS
Bassically i want something like
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\My App
Windows Installer’s PublishProduct standard action uses the ProductCode property to create this registry key. If your GUID is changing, this is because you are doing major upgrades and therefore changing your ProductCode with each build.
I can think of ways of suppressing this behavior ( ARPSYSCOMPONENT property ) but to be honest, it’s of little value and only serves to increase the fragility of your installer. FWIW, just because you see some other big name company do something in an installer ( especially companies that are multiplatform ) doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to emulate.
BTW, it might help to know why you care what an obsecure registry key is named. Perhaps you are trying to do some automation. If that’s the case, it might help to know that Windows Installer has a Win32 and COM automation interface that allows you to query MSI for information about installed products. There is also a WMI provider but it’s quality is exceptionally low.