Signed WiX Bootstrap EXE can't use taskkill in custom action

Question

We are using WiX to sign and create MSI files and then bundle them into a signed EXE file. The MSIs are generated fine.

Each MSI file contains a command to run at the end to kill the application. In the standard WiX manner, we use CAQuietExec to run a quiet command (we've no Form, so we can't use CloseApplication). This works just fine for the signed MSI files and also works fine if the MSI file is bundled into an unsigned EXE file.

However, if we sign the EXE, then the signature appears OK, but the kill command causes a 1603 Error Code.

We eventually (by literally commenting out each line in the MSI WXS file, building and running the EXE) isolated the issue to the CAQuietExec line that executes a 'taskkill' command.

Is there a way we can get more information on this? It doesn't make much sense and ensures we can't deploy a bundled EXE file.

Answer 1

I managed to find the problem. We found : 1) .Net 45 rather than .Net4 wouldn't have the issue (i.e. changign the pre-req and out app requirement) 2) The signing should be carried out in Wix 3) Sign all contents AND the MSIs too