Debugging installers

[sketch]

I have a specific issue, but I can see where this can be applied to many situations, thus the open-ended title.

I am deploying the Office 12.1.5 Update (with the package_updateable file hacked) to my systems, and I’ve found it failing on certain systems, and I have no idea why. By all my reckoning these systems should be fine; there’s nothing obviously unique to them to differentiate them from the systems that work.

Is there a debug mode in installer.app, or some way I can nail down the point of failure to see what I need to fix?

[knowmad]

Your question is worded in a bit of an odd manner…. are you refering to the office update during an isntadmg build or after the machine is already in use?

regarding office updates:
If you have not installed the latest Apple security fix but have updated to 10.5.6 you may likely find that MS updates fail or hang if unattended and require a click on a debug window if attended.
Apple messed up something in 10.5.6 that MS used in their updates. All updates from 12.1.1 to 12.1.5. Apple quietly fixed the issue in the latest security update.
Net result, make certain you update before you build your image.
It does not matter if the image has the security update before/after MS Office, but the machine doing the build must have the update first.

That being said, I have no clue how to add a debugger to the individual updates/installs in an isntadmg build, but I am certain it can be done.

[Author]

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