How to make the TDM Portal think it is a new installation?

Products

• CA Test Data Manager (Data Finder / Grid Tools)

Issue/Introduction

We would like to understand a little bit more about how the setup installer for TDMWeb works on Windows servers.

We know that it is looking for a specific value in the registry for the version that is currently installed or last installed before continuing the setup process.
This tells the setup installer to do either a clean install or an upgrade.

Do you guys know exactly which registry key or value it is looking for?

Environment

Test Data Manager Portal
TDM 4.9.x 4.10.x

Resolution

 

NOTE: This is NOT support and support can not help troubleshoot any problems arising in using this method.
We will require a clean uninstall and reinstall of the application and issues reproduced if there are unexpected issues.

 

Information

The TDM Portal uses an installer anywhere wrapper. 
All this does is call a windows MSI installer to do the actual installation of the individual products or components.

Windows MSI installers store information in two places.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Products\{<Product-GUID>} OR
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Products\{<Product-GUID>} if the installer doesn't need elevation

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{<Product-GUID>} OR

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{<Product-GUID>}

 

To prevent the MSI installer from prompting to uninstall, repair, etc and act like it is a new installer the registry key for the installer product must be removed.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Products\{<Product-GUID>} 

This will cause the installer to go through a new installer.

 

NOTE: This has not been tested for expected outcomes other than starting the installer.
This process is not supported, expected, or designed for.
Support nor dev can provide any insight into what should be considered expected behavior of this operation or change it.

If there are any problems the only solution will be to do a complete uninstall of the product and clean reinstall of the product.

Additional Information

the version is tied to a GUID{Globaly Unique ID).
As such when you do an upgrade the OLD GUID entry is checked for then removed and replaced with a new one for the new version.

So there is no simple way to re-run the existing version installer without deleting the registry keys or doing an uninstall and reinstall as mentioned on the call.