The Windows Installer has the following standard actions.
| Action name | Brief description of action |
|---|
| ADMIN | A top-level action used for an administrative installation. |
| ADVERTISE | A top-level action called to install or remove advertised components. |
| AllocateRegistrySpace | Validates that the free space specified by
AVAILABLEFREEREG exists in the registry. |
| AppSearch | Searches for previous versions of products and determines that upgrades are installed. |
| BindImage | Binds executables to imported DLLs. |
| CCPSearch | Uses file signatures to validate that qualifying products are installed on a system before an upgrade installation is performed. |
| CostFinalize | Ends the internal installation costing process begun by the
CostInitialize action. |
| CostInitialize | Starts the installation costing process. |
| CreateFolders | Creates empty folders for components. |
| CreateShortcuts | Creates shortcuts. |
| DeleteServices | Removes system services. |
| DisableRollback | Disables rollback for the remainder of the installation. |
| DuplicateFiles | Duplicates files installed by the InstallFiles action. |
| ExecuteAction | Checks the EXECUTEACTION property to determine which top-level action begins the execution sequence, then runs that action. |
| FileCost | Initializes disk cost calculation with the installer. Disk costing is not finalized until the CostFinalize action is executed. |
| FindRelatedProducts | Detects correspondence between the
Upgrade table and installed products. |
| ForceReboot | Used in the action sequence to prompt the user for a restart of the system during the installation. |
| INSTALL | A top-level action called to install or remove components. |
| InstallAdminPackage | Copies the installer database to the administrative installation point. |
| InstallExecute | Runs a script containing all operations in the action sequence since either the start of the installation or the last InstallFinalize action. Does not end the transaction. |
| InstallFiles | Copies files from the source to the destination directory. |
| InstallFinalize | Runs a script containing all operations in the action sequence since either the start of the installation or the last InstallFinalize action. Marks the end of a transaction. |
| InstallInitialize | Marks the beginning of a transaction. |
| InstallSFPCatalogFile | The InstallSFPCatalogFile action installs the catalogs used by Windows Me for Windows File Protection. |
| InstallValidate | Verifies that all volumes with attributed costs have sufficient space for the installation. |
| IsolateComponents | Processes the
IsolatedComponent table |
| LaunchConditions | Evaluates a set of conditional statements contained in the LaunchCondition table that must all evaluate to True before the installation can proceed. |
| MigrateFeatureStates | Migrates current feature states to the pending installation. |
| MoveFiles | Locates existing files and moves or copies those files to a new location. |
| MsiConfigureServices | Configures a service for the system.
|
| MsiPublishAssemblies action | Manages the advertisement of common language runtime assemblies and Win32 assemblies that are being installed. |
| MsiUnpublishAssemblies | Manages the advertisement of common language runtime assemblies and Win32 assemblies that are being removed. |
| InstallODBC | Installs the ODBC drivers, translators, and data sources. |
| InstallServices | Registers a service with the system. |
| PatchFiles | Queries the Patch table to determine which patches are applied to specific files and then performs the byte-wise patching of the files. |
| ProcessComponents | Registers components, their key paths, and component clients. |
| PublishComponents | Advertises the components specified in the PublishComponent table. |
| PublishFeatures | Writes the feature state of each feature into the system registry |
| PublishProduct | Publishes product information with the system. |
| RegisterClassInfo | Manages the registration of COM class information with the system. |
| RegisterComPlus | The RegisterComPlus action registers COM+ applications. |
| RegisterExtensionInfo | Registers extension related information with the system. |
| RegisterFonts | Registers installed fonts with the system. |
| RegisterMIMEInfo | Registers MIME information with the system. |
| RegisterProduct | Registers product information with the installer and stores the installer database on the local computer. |
| RegisterProgIdInfo | Registers OLE ProgId information with the system. |
| RegisterTypeLibraries | Registers type libraries with the system. |
| RegisterUser | Registers user information to identify the user of a product. |
| RemoveDuplicateFiles | Deletes files installed by the DuplicateFiles action. |
| RemoveEnvironmentStrings | Modifies the values of environment variables. |
| RemoveExistingProducts | Removes installed versions of a product. |
| RemoveFiles | Removes files previously installed by the InstallFiles action. |
| RemoveFolders | Removes empty folders linked to components set to be removed. |
| RemoveIniValues | Deletes .ini file information associated with a component specified in the IniFile table. |
| RemoveODBC | Removes ODBC data sources, translators, and drivers. |
| RemoveRegistryValues | Removes an application's registry keys that were created from the Registry table.. |
| RemoveShortcuts | Manages the removal of an advertised shortcut whose feature is selected for uninstallation. |
| ResolveSource | Determines the source location and sets the SourceDir property. |
| RMCCPSearch | Uses file signatures to validate that qualifying products are installed on a system before an upgrade installation is performed. |
| ScheduleReboot | Prompts the user for a system restart at the end of the installation. |
| SelfRegModules | Processes modules in the SelfReg table and registers them if they are installed. |
| SelfUnregModules | Unregisters the modules in the SelfReg table that are set to be uninstalled. |
| SEQUENCE | Runs the actions in a table specified by the SEQUENCE property. |
| SetODBCFolders Action | Checks the system for existing ODBC drivers and sets target directory for new ODBC drivers. |
| StartServices | Starts system services. |
| StopServices | Stops system services. |
| UnpublishComponents | Manages the unadvertisement of components from the PublishComponent table and removes information about published components. |
| UnpublishFeatures | Removes the selection-state and feature-component mapping information from the system registry. |
| UnregisterClassInfo | Manages the removal of COM classes from the system registry. |
| UnregisterComPlus | The UnregisterComPlus action removes COM+ applications from the registry. |
| UnregisterExtensionInfo | Manages the removal of extension-related information from the system. |
| UnregisterFonts | Removes registration information about installed fonts from the system. |
| UnregisterMIMEInfo | Unregisters MIME-related information from the system registry. |
| UnregisterProgIdInfo | Manages the unregistration of OLE ProgId information with the system. |
| UnregisterTypeLibraries | Unregisters type libraries with the system. |
| ValidateProductID | Sets ProductID property to the full product identifier. |
| WriteEnvironmentStrings | Modifies the values of environment variables. |
| WriteIniValues | Writes .ini file information. |
| WriteRegistryValues | Sets up registry information. |