ITNinja

yep, location doesn't matter, but ideally for repair, it should be in a location anybody can get to, like a UNC path, or a local cache area. NOT C:\Temp, or C:\Windows\Temp (try and make it a bit harder for any hackers...)

for Windows 7, I normally set,

ALLUSERS=2
MSIINSTALLPERUSER=""
Heres a link MSDN MSIINSTALLPERUSER property

This forces a per machine install, IF the MSI has been written for dual purpose (machine or user install)
I have started to write a blog on using the DuplicateFile table to help with selfrepair putting a file into a users profile. (but I have been very busy....)

 

As mentioned it should not matter where the msi is located.

As VBScab said, the location of the MSI does not matter - that's one of the wonderful things about an MSI. Put it on a thumb drive, burn it to a CD, have it on a server; it matters not.  But some thought should go into where one runs the install from.  The TEMP folder is usually the first place one deletes files to free up space, and if a repair is performed, the initial location of the MSI is expected by the cashed copy of the MSI.  If you run the install from your desktop, and another user logs in and needs to access for a self-heal or an Active Setup, they won't have rights to your desktop and the repair will fail.  So, running it from the temp folder or the desktop is unwise, but will not cause a problem.

Guys thank you very much...

There IS a scenario where the original source location for the MSI comes into play, and that is when files have to be put in an individual user's profile through advertisement. Then the fact that you cannot reach the original MSI file (like if it's in another user's desktop folder) can become problematic.

However, if you keep this in mind when building/customizing the MSI, your package can deal with this scenario without running into problems. (see http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/a-general-approach-to-software-package-using-duplicatefiles)

PJ