Administrators interested in automating deployment of Flex Terminal Emulator to groups of user desktops should use the information below to assist. This is very useful when login scripts, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager), or any deployment tool is used to perform "push" installations of the software.


Extract MSI From Downloaded EXE

The downloaded Flex Terminal Emulator installation is a 32-bit or 64-bit self-extracting zipped executable file, which contains a Microsoft Windows Installer (*.msi) package. To perform an automated, unattended or silent install, it is recommended to extract the MSI package to use for this purpose.


Use one of the following methods to perform the extraction:


    1. Use an archive/zip program such as 7-Zip or WinZip to open the Flex_64bit.exe or Flex_32-bit.exe file and extract the Flex.msi file.

    2. Use a Windows command prompt with elevated permissions (Run as administrator) to extract Flex.msi. For example, use the following command to extract the MSI from the 64-bit executable located on the current user's desktop:

"%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Flex Terminal Emulator Install\Flex_64bit.exe" /c /t:"%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Flex Terminal Emulator Install"

This will create the file named Flex.msi at the specified location.

Note: you may leave off the /t switch in the above command to get prompted for the location to extract Flex.msi.


Command Line Install

Due to Windows security settings, you must use a Windows command prompt with elevated permissions (Run as administrator). Failure to do so will result in a failed installation, without notification from the operating system.


Follow the steps below to perform a command line install:


    1. Type "cmd" in the Windows Search input box found next to the Start menu (assumes Windows 10 device; this step may vary for other operating systems).


    1. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.


    1. Issue one of the following commands as an administrator to install Flex Terminal Emulator:

      • Automatic installation:

        msiexec.exe /i "\\ServerName\ShareName\Flex.msi" PIDKEY="XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX" /qb


      • Silent installation:

        msiexec.exe /i "\\ServerName\ShareName\Flex.msi" PIDKEY="XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX" /qn

        Where XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX is the license code provided by FlexSoftware.


Additional Command Line Parameters

The following parameters are also available when using a command line to install Flex Terminal Emulator:


    • ADDLOCAL
      Specifies which Flex Terminal Emulator components to install, where "All" = all Flex Terminal Emulator components (default), "Complete" = core Flex Terminal Emulator features without the FlexFTP Client and "FtpFeature" to include the FlexFTP Client, for example:

      ADDLOCAL="All"
      ADDLOCAL="Complete"


    • INSTALLDIR
      Specifies a custom location for the Flex Terminal Emulator installation files, for example:

      INSTALLDIR="C:\FlexInstall\"

    • USERFILEDIR
      Specifies a custom location for the User Data Folder when performing a silent install, for example:

      USERFILEDIR="C:\FlexUserFiles"


    • USERFILEOPT (GUI install only)
      Specifies the option to choose for the User Data Folder, where 0 = Personal Documents Directory (default), 1 = Public Documents Directory and 2 = User Defined Directory (must be used in conjunction with CUSTOMUSERFILEDIR), for example:

      USERFILEOPT="1"

    • CUSTOMUSERFILEDIR (GUI install only)
      Specifies the custom location for the User Data Folder when USERFILEOPT is set to 2, for example:

      USERFILEOPT="2" CUSTOMUSERFILEDIR="C:\FlexUserFiles"

    • USERCONFIGFOLDER
      Specifics the location for configuration deployment, for example:

      USERCONFIGFOLDER="C:\Downloads\FlexInstall\Config"
      USERCONFIGFOLDER="\\ServerName\Config"


For additional information on msiexec.exe command line parameters, please see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article on this topic found here:


https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa367988(v=vs.85).aspx