MSYS2 Silent Install (How-To Guide)

Written by Jason Bergner in Software Title

MSYS2 is a collection of tools and libraries providing you with an easy-to-use environment for building, installing and running native Windows software. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of MSYS2 from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install MSYS2 Silently

MSYS2 Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Download the MSYS2 Installer
  2. Download the EXE file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  • Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  • Add the following lines:
var target_dir = installer.value("InstallDir")

function Controller()
{
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.Introduction, true);

    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName( "ComponentSelectionPage" );
    page.selectComponent( "com.msys2.root" );
    page.selectComponent( "com.msys2.root.base" );

    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.ComponentSelection, false);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.StartMenuSelection, false);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.LicenseCheck, false);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.ReadyForInstallation, false);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.PerformInstallation, true);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.InstallationFinished, true);
    installer.setDefaultPageVisible(QInstaller.FinishedPage, true);
    ComponentSelectionPage.selectAll();
    installer.autoRejectMessageBoxes();
    var result = QMessageBox.question("quit.question", "Installer", "Do you want to quit the installer?",
                                      QMessageBox.Yes | QMessageBox.No);
 
    installer.setMessageBoxAutomaticAnswer("OverwriteTargetDirectory", QMessageBox.Yes);
    installer.setMessageBoxAutomaticAnswer("stopProcessesForUpdates", QMessageBox.Ignore);
}

Controller.prototype.IntroductionPageCallback = function()
{
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NextButton);
}

Controller.prototype.TargetDirectoryPageCallback = function()
{
    gui.currentPageWidget().TargetDirectoryLineEdit.setText(target_dir);
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NextButton);
}

Controller.prototype.StartMenuDirectoryPageCallback = function()
{
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NextButton);
}

Controller.prototype.PerformInstallationPageCallback = function()
{
    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("PerformInstallationPage");
    installer.setAutomatedPageSwitchEnabled(true);
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NextButton);
}

Controller.prototype.InstallationFinishedPageCallback = function()
{
    var checkBox = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("RunItCheckBox");

    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("InstallationFinishedPage");
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NexthButton);
}

Controller.prototype.FinishedPageCallback = function()
{
    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("FinishedPage");
    page.RunItCheckBox.checked = false;
    gui.clickButton(buttons.FinishButton);
}
  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  3. Enter the following command:
    • msys2-x86_64-20200903.exe --platform minimal --script silent-install.js InstallDir=C:\MSYS2\
  4. Press Enter

After a few moments you should see the MSYS2 entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:MSYS2
Vendor:The MSYS2 Developers
Architecture:x86_x64
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:msys2-x86_64-20200903.exe --platform minimal --script silent-install.js InstallDir=C:\MSYS2\
Silent Uninstall Switch:"C:\MSYS2\maintenancetool.exe" --platform minimal --script silent-uninstall.js
Download Link:https://repo.msys2.org/distrib/x86_64/

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website.

How to Uninstall MSYS2 Silently

  • Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  • Add the following lines:
function Controller()
{

}

Controller.prototype.IntroductionPageCallback = function()
{
    if (installer.isUninstaller()) {
        var widget = gui.currentPageWidget(); 
        if (widget != null) {
            widget.findChild("PackageManagerRadioButton").visible = false;
            widget.findChild("UpdaterRadioButton").visible = false;
            widget.findChild("UninstallerRadioButton").visible = false;
        }
    }
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NextButton);
}

Controller.prototype.ReadyForInstallationPageCallback = function()
{
    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("ReadyForInstallationPage");    
    gui.clickButton(buttons.CommitButton);
}

Controller.prototype.InstallationFinishedPageCallback = function()
{
    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("InstallationFinishedPage");    
    gui.clickButton(buttons.NexthButton);
}

Controller.prototype.FinishedPageCallback = function()
{
    var page = gui.pageWidgetByObjectName("FinishedPage");
    gui.clickButton(buttons.FinishButton);
}
  • Save the file to the C:\MSYS2 directory and name it: silent-uninstall.js
  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Enter the following command:

MSYS2 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

"C:\MSYS2\maintenancetool.exe" --platform minimal --script silent-uninstall.js

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.

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