# How to get the user's installation path

**URL:** <https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-get-the-users-installation-path/837>\
**Category:** AutoCAD OEM\
**Created:** [June 23, 2022, 7:44am UTC](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-get-the-users-installation-path/837 "2022-06-23T07:44:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![andrea.manzoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@andrea.manzoni](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/u/andrea.manzoni)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2022, 7:44am UTC](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-get-the-users-installation-path/837/1 "2022-06-23T07:44:44Z")

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Hello,  
how can I do to get the installation path that the user choose in the installer ,not the default one specified in the xml, a custom one?  
It may be useful if I have my install code launched by the OEM installer in order to add my files to the global installation.

thank you

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**Author:** ![jm1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.techsoft3d.com/jm1/32/317_2.png) [@jm1](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/u/jm1)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-get-the-users-installation-path/837/2 "2022-06-29T20:24:34Z")

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Hello Andrea,

that is fairly easy.

When the OEM installer has run its course, there is a registry key called **Location** where the install path of the OEM application is saved.

I will demonstrate this with our AutoSTAGE application with AutoCAD OEM 2023 German (disclaimer: I am the lead developer for AutoSTAGE).

Look for a key that looks like this:

```auto
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AutoSTAGE\AutoSTAGE\R27\aust-6101:407

```

There you will find a string called **Location** where the full path to the install folder is stored.

When you use [WiX](https://wixtoolset.org/) (Windows Installer Xml), you can get the path as property with something like this:

```auto
			<Property Id="AUST2023_UPDATE">
				<RegistrySearch Id="AUST2023_UPDATE_REG"
								  Root="HKLM"
								  Key="Software\AutoSTAGE\AutoSTAGE\R27\AUST-6101:407"
								  Name="location"
								  Type="raw" />

```

Obviously, this only works after the OEM installer is done with its magic. You would have to call your installer after the OEM msi has been installed.

[This](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-inject-additional-installer-into-the-autocad-oem-2023-installer/834) will not work, because it injects the your installer **before** the main OEM msi installer is called.

There is surely a way to add the call to your installer **after** the main OEM msi is done, but I would have to think about it more deeply.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![andrea.manzoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@andrea.manzoni](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/u/andrea.manzoni)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2022, 7:03am UTC](https://forum.techsoft3d.com/t/how-to-get-the-users-installation-path/837/3 "2022-06-30T07:03:33Z")

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Thank you very much, that’s what I needed. I’ve only to change something in my msi in order to be executed AFTER the main msi, but as in the past, there should be something like “Post requisite” that worked similar the “pre requisites”, I will check for it.  
Actually your post aswered to my question.  
Thank you