Windows App Silent and Bulk Installation
=======================================

This guide explains how to deploy the Windows application silently and at scale using the MSI and EXE distribution methods. 

.. note::

   For silent, bulk, MDM, and administrative deployments, MSI is generally the preferred and more versatile method.


MSI Installation Options
--------------------------------------

The MSI installer supports several user-interface levels, per-user vs per-machine scope, administrative extraction, and uninstallation methods. The examples below use a sample file name ``AcrobitsClient.msi``—adjust as needed.

Basic Install (Default UI)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Installs the application using the default Windows Installer behavior.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi


Silent Mode (No UI)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Use this for a fully invisible installation with no prompts or interface shown to the user.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi /quiet


Passive Mode (Minimal UI)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Use this for unattended installs where you want to show a progress bar only, without user interaction.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi /passive


Install for All Users (Per-Machine)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Run Command Prompt as an administrator to install for all users. Otherwise, the per-machine install may fail or silently fall back to per-user.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi ALLUSERS=1

Combine with quiet mode if desired:

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi ALLUSERS=1 /quiet


Administrative Installation (Network Extraction)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

An administrative installation extracts the application's files into a network-sharable folder. It does not install the application on the local machine; it prepares the files for deployment to multiple users or systems.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /a AcrobitsClient.msi

This command will prompt for a network path where the extracted installation files should be placed.


MSI Uninstall Options
---------------------

You can uninstall the application using the MSI installer from the command line, either using the original ``.msi`` file or the Product Code GUID.

Uninstall Using the MSI File
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /x AcrobitsClient.msi


Uninstall Using the Product Code
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you do not have the ``.msi`` file, use the Product Code (a unique identifier for the installed product). You can find it in the registry or via PowerShell.

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /x "{PRODUCT-CODE-GUID}"

How to Find the MSI Product Code
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

PowerShell example to list installed products and their identifiers:

.. code-block:: powershell

    Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*<NAME>*" } | Select-Object Name, IdentifyingNumber

Replace ``<NAME>`` with the display name of the installed app. The ``IdentifyingNumber`` in the output is the Product Code GUID.


MSI Installation Additional Arguments
--------------------------------------

These arguments can be combined with any install or uninstall mode (default, passive, or silent):

Restart Behavior
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. list-table::
   :header-rows: 1

   * - Option
     - Description
   * - ``/norestart``
     - Prevents automatic system restart
   * - ``/forcerestart``
     - Forces reboot after the process completes
   * - ``/promptrestart``
     - Prompts user to restart if needed

Examples
^^^^^^^^

Install the app in passive mode and force a restart:

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /i AcrobitsClient.msi /passive /forcerestart

Uninstall the app silently with logging and without restart:

.. code-block:: bash

    msiexec /x AcrobitsClient.msi /quiet /norestart /l*v uninstall.log


Silent EXE Installation
-----------------------

While MSI is generally preferred, you can still perform a fully silent EXE install. The following command installs without prompts and can target all users:

.. code-block:: bash

    installer_name.exe /S /AllUsers /D=<path>

Where:

- ``/S`` installs the application silently without prompts.
- ``/AllUsers`` installs the application for all users with access to the folder specified by ``/D``.
- ``/D`` specifies the destination path where the application is installed.