How to: Specify Per-user or Per-computer Installation
When installing an application using Windows Installer deployment, you can specify whether you want the application to be installed for all users of the computer (per computer), or only for the user doing the installation (per-user). A combination of the InstallAllUsers property of the deployment project and the InstallAllUsersVisible property of the Installation Folder user interface dialog box determine the install-time behavior.
You can specify that an application can only be installed per-user or per-computer, or you can allow the end user to decide and provide a default choice.
Note
The dialog boxes and menu commands you see might differ from those described in Help depending on your active settings or edition. To change your settings, choose Import and Export Settings on the Tools menu. For more information, see Working with Settings.
To specify mandatory per-user installation
In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to false.
On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.
Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to false.
To specify mandatory per-computer installation
In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to true.
On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.
Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to false.
To specify per-user installation as the default
In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to false.
On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.
Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to true.
At install time, the user will be able to choose the installation method.
To specify per-computer installation as the default
In Solution Explorer, select the deployment project.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsers property and set it to true.
On the View menu, point to Editor, and then click User Interface.
Under the Install node, select the Installation Folder node.
In the Properties window, select the InstallAllUsersVisible property and set it to true.
At install time, the user will be able to choose the installation method.
See Also
Reference
Installation Folder User Interface Dialog Box
InstallAllUsersVisible Property