How to create a MSI extractor with Powershell? [closed] - powershell

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A few months back I made a simple MSI extractor script, I improved it some today by adding a popup dialog using WScript.Shell, however I also wanted to improve on the first part of the script, the extractor. Originaly users would have to go in and manually edit the input file (.msi) and the output directory. I used the old friend google to see what the file popup syntax was. Tried to encorperate it into the script, with no luck.
Current code:
msiexec /n /a $FileBrowser /qb TARGETDIR=$Out # This uses the built in Windows tool to extract the MSI
$FileBrowser = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog -Property #{
InitialDirectory = [Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop')
Filter = 'Windows Packages (*.msi)|*.msi'
}
$Out = $FileBrowser.ShowDialog()
$Shell = New-Object -ComObject "WScript.Shell"
$Button = $Shell.Popup("Once you install the MSI using this PowerShell script, please add any programs that run from a shell (i.e. CMD, PowerShell) be added to Path.
To add a program to path, search for Control Panel in Windows Search, and open it. Once in Control Panel,
select User Accounts, then User Accounts again. On the side bar, select Change my Enviorment Variables.
Select the Path variable, and then Edit. Select a unfilled box, and type the path to the program (for most, it can be just the root folder, some may need to be bin) and then Ok, and Ok again.
You WILL need to restart any open shells.", 0, "Thank you for using MSI-Extractor", 0)
Any help is greatly apprecitaed,
James
I tried adding vars, with no luck.
EDIT: I got some outside help, and I somewhat fixed it.
#Use Windows Forms to open a file select dialog
$FileBrowser = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog -Property #{
InitialDirectory = [Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop')
Filter = 'Windows Packages (*.msi)|*.msi'
}
$Out = $FileBrowser.ShowDialog() #Display the dialog
#Select output directory
$FolderBrowser = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog -Property #{
Description = 'Output'
}
$Out = $FolderBrowser.ShowDialog() #Display the dialog
$FolderBrowser.SelectedPath #Variable stuff
msiexec /a $FileBrowser.FileName /qb TARGETDIR=$($FolderBrowser.SelectedPath) # This uses the built in Windows tool to extract the MSI
#A helpful message
$Shell = New-Object -ComObject "WScript.Shell"
$Button = $Shell.Popup("Once you install the MSI using this PowerShell script, please add any programs that run from a shell (i.e. CMD, PowerShell) be added to Path.
To add a program to path, search for Control Panel in Windows Search, and open it. Once in Control Panel,
select User Accounts, then User Accounts again. On the side bar, select Change my Enviorment Variables.
Select the Path variable, and then Edit. Select a unfilled box, and type the path to the program (for most, it can be just the root folder, some may need to be bin) and then Ok, and Ok again.
You WILL need to restart any open shells.", 0, "Thank you for using MSI-Extractor", 0)
Running this in Windows Powershell ISE works, but in Powershell directly it errors out
New-Object : Cannot find type [System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog]: verify that the assembly containing this type is
loaded.
At C:\Users\693982\Downloads\MSI-extractor.ps1:4 char:16
+ ... leBrowser = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.OpenFileDialog -Property ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidType: (:) [New-Object], PSArgumentException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : TypeNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\Users\693982\Downloads\MSI-extractor.ps1:9 char:1
+ $Out = $FileBrowser.ShowDialog() #Display the dialog
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull
New-Object : Cannot find type [System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog]: verify that the assembly containing this
type is loaded.
At C:\Users\693982\Downloads\MSI-extractor.ps1:13 char:18
+ ... erBrowser = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog -Prop ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidType: (:) [New-Object], PSArgumentException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : TypeNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.NewObjectCommand
You cannot call a method on a null-valued expression.
At C:\Users\693982\Downloads\MSI-extractor.ps1:17 char:1
+ $Out = $FolderBrowser.ShowDialog() #Display the dialog
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [], RuntimeException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvokeMethodOnNull

Answer 1

Running this in Windows Powershell ISE works, but in Powershell directly it errors out
The reason this works in the ISE is that the ISE will autoload needed libraries/modules. The Powershell consoles (powershell.exe/pwsh.exe) will not.
You need to put stuff like this at the top of your code for the shells to load for use in GUI-based scripts.
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing,
PresentationCore,
PresentationFramework,
System.Windows.Forms,
microsoft.VisualBasic
[System.Windows.Forms.Application]::EnableVisualStyles()
Point of Note:
You don't need all of those for what you are doing, but I put them here for your awareness/research of them. Sure, you can still use this old COM...
New-Object -ComObject "WScript.Shell"
... for popups; however, you should be using the modern .Net namespaces above.
Example details:
[enum]::GetNames([System.Windows.MessageBoxImage])
# Results
<#
None
Hand
Error
Stop
Question
Exclamation
Warning
Asterisk
Information
#>
[System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show('Do you want to proceed?', 'Confirm', 'YesNoCancel','Error')
Example message boxes using .Net.
[System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show(
"
General Info
`n Some other Info
`n Username
`n Password,
", 'Dialog Title'
)
[System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show(
"
General Info
`n Some other Info
`n Username
`n Password
", 'Dialog Title'
)
Here's a refactor of your popup message for readability.
[System.Windows.MessageBox]::Show(
"1. Once you install the MSI using this PowerShell script,
please add any programs that run from a shell (i.e. CMD, PowerShell)
be added to Path.
`n2. To add a program to path,
`t->search for Control Panel in Windows Search, and open it.
`n3. Once in Control Panel,
`t->select User Accounts,
`t->then User Accounts again.
`n4. On the side bar, select Change my Enviorment Variables.
`tSelect the Path variable, and then Edit.
`t`Select a unfilled box, and type the path to the program
`t->for most, it can be just the root folder,
`t->some may need to be bin
`t->and then Ok, and Ok again.
`n5. You WILL need to restart any open shells.", "Thank you for using MSI-Extractor"
)