Windows Live Essentials is the umbrella suite for a bundle of various applications such as Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Movie Maker, Bing Bar, Windows Live Mesh and etc. While end-user can always run the setup installer and configure the various options on the go, system administrators who have to install Windows Live Essentials into many computers do not have such convenient or flexibility.

In the event that you have to mass-install Windows Live Essentials product(s) unattended or through a script, the setup installer of Windows Live Essentials allows input of various switches or parameters that can dictate how the Windows Live installer should install its products. For example, to install one or more applications such as only Windows Live Messenger or with other apps, or to install silently and without any dialog prompt, here’s a list of switches that can be used in script to automate the installation in various scenarios.

Note that the switches and trigger parameters can works on Windows Live Essentials 2009 and Windows Live Essentials 2011, where the full standalone version of setup installer is named wlsetup-all.exe. Append the switches with a “/” (slash) in front.

  • AppSelect:[ProductID] (to install only the product)

    or,

    AppSelect:![ProductID] (to not install the product)

  • log:log_location
  • NOToolbarCEIP (to not opt into Toolbar CEIP)
  • NOhomepage (to not set home page defaults)
  • nolaunch (to block installed applications from running automatically after installation is completed)
  • NOMU (to not opt into Microsoft Update)
  • nosearch (to not set search defaults)
  • AutoSelect (to auto select products configuration)
  • MessengerOnly (for messenger only configuration)
  • nostrict (for non-strict dependency check)
  • q

    or,

    silent

    (for a silent or unattended install)

For example, the syntax like “WLSetup-all.exe /q /NOToolbarCEIP /NOhomepage /nolaunch /nosearch /AppSelect:Messenger,Writer,Mail,Silverlight” will automatically install Messenger, Writer, Mail and Silverlight without any prompt for user action, with no toolbar, no home page, no automatic launch and no search engine set.

To install all application programs of Windows Live Essentials automatically and unattended, the command can be shorten to just:

WLSetup-all.exe /silent

Complete list of product ID supported by Windows Live Essentials 2011 and Windows Live Essentials 2009:

  • companion
  • silverlight
  • familysafety
  • mail
  • messenger
  • moviemaker (Install Photo Gallery in addition of Movie Maker)
  • olc
  • wlsync
  • writer
  • bingbar
  • idcrl32/idcrl64