Why does InstallShield ask for a restart?

Question

I have an installshield installer that works fine under normal circumstances. But when I run it while a particular software is running, the installer asks for a restart at the end.

Now on some research I have come to learn that a restart is asked only when the installer wants to modify files that are currently locked by other processes.

Is there anyway that I can find out which is the file installsheild wants to modify? (but cannot because it is locked by another process)

I would also like to know if it is only file modifications that affect the restart/no restart or is it also associated with registry key modifications.

Answer 1

You can use WhyReboot after the setup, it will show you pending reboot file and registry keys that could not be modified during the setup.

Answer 2

You tagged your question with "windows-installer", so I'm assuming you're using InstallShield to author an MSI installer.

Run the other software app, do a complete log of your install, like:

msiexec -i file.msi -l*vx test.log

In the resulting log, look for all lines containing "RESTART MANAGER". You will get more data on what is prompting for the reboot.