Orca.exe is a database table editor for creating and editing Windows Installer packages and merge modules. The tool provides a graphical interface for validation, highlighting the particular entries where validation errors or warnings occur.
This tool is only available in the Windows SDK Components for Windows Installer Developers. It is provided as an Orca.msi file. After installing the Windows SDK Components for Windows Installer Developers, double click Orca.msi to install the Orca.exe file.
Okay, so now we know what Microsoft has to got to say.
Let's begin, first we will need the SDK, download it from here
After you have installed the SDK you will need to install the Orca.msi. My version is located in the following area, it all depends on the version you have installed.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.22000.0\x86
Once installed launch it. Looks pretty simple right, but looks can be deceiving.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/09fad1_be13dc7e6f2e49cca01baeea92512d74~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_837,h_459,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/09fad1_be13dc7e6f2e49cca01baeea92512d74~mv2.png)
Looks work with an example msi, I've picked Google Chrome for Enterprise
Just a couple of basic sections
Tables > Property > ProductCode - this gives us the app we can check for when installing/uninstalling via our MDM
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/09fad1_48625b62ecfe4ef4a3b06faf7c53b0f3~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_546,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/09fad1_48625b62ecfe4ef4a3b06faf7c53b0f3~mv2.png)
CustomAction > CallUinstaller - This gives us the uninstall string we can use to remove the package from the device.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/09fad1_f41b825714944440abb3b944771f0fde~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_450,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/09fad1_f41b825714944440abb3b944771f0fde~mv2.png)
And this gives us the version
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/09fad1_d5823390eb114628900ae784d386a556~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_925,h_587,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/09fad1_d5823390eb114628900ae784d386a556~mv2.png)
This is just an intro to orca.exe, a really useful app for all sysadmins wanting to package applications for deployment.
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