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Silent MSI Installation and Uninstallation Guide

Use Windows Installer (msiexec) to install or remove BuzzBID MSI packages silently for automated and managed Windows deployments.

Recommended configuration: Use msiexec with /qn or /quiet for a fully silent operation, and include /norestart to prevent Windows Installer from restarting the computer automatically.

Overview

This guide explains how to install or uninstall an MSI package silently using Windows Installer (msiexec). Silent mode prevents installation dialogs from appearing and is commonly used for automated or managed Windows deployments.

1. Silent installation

To install an MSI package with no user interface and without automatically restarting Windows, use:

msiexec /i "C:\Path\BuzzBID_xxx.msi" /qn /norestart

You can also use /quiet instead of /qn:

msiexec /i "C:\Path\BuzzBID_xxx.msi" /quiet /norestart

Optional progress-only mode

Use /passive if you want Windows Installer to show progress while preventing user interaction:

msiexec /i "C:\Path\BuzzBID_xxx.msi" /passive /norestart

2. Silent uninstallation

To uninstall an MSI package silently, use either the MSI file or the product code.

Using the MSI file

msiexec /x "C:\Path\Application.msi" /qn /norestart

Using the product code

Replace the placeholder below with the application's Windows Installer product code:

msiexec /x {PRODUCT-CODE-GUID} /qn /norestart

3. Command-line options

  • /i installs the specified MSI package.
  • /x uninstalls the specified MSI package or product code.
  • /qn runs completely silently with no user interface.
  • /quiet runs silently with no user interface and is functionally similar to /qn for this purpose.
  • /passive shows installation progress but does not allow user interaction.
  • /norestart prevents Windows Installer from automatically restarting the computer.
  • /L*v creates a detailed Windows Installer log file for troubleshooting.

4. What /norestart means

/norestart instructs Windows Installer not to reboot the computer automatically after the installation or uninstallation completes.

This is recommended for managed deployments because it prevents an unexpected restart while a user is working.

Important: The operation may still require a restart. Windows Installer can return exit code 3010, which means the installation or uninstallation succeeded, but a restart is required to complete the operation.

Final recommendation

For fully silent managed deployments, use /qn /norestart with the appropriate install (/i) or uninstall (/x) command. Monitor the installer exit code and schedule a restart separately if Windows Installer returns 3010.