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I have tried to build a MSI package for my Windows Service with WiX for a couple of days but have big problems to get it the way I need.
The documentation is very bad and then XML structure just dont feels structured. I really don't see how they could have been doing a worse job at version 3.6.
I dont want to invest all my time in the MSI package, instead I need my time in dev of the main application.
So the questions is, what MSI builder should I use If I need:
Set app.config settings during installation
Install Windows Service
Start Windows Service
Simple install/uninstall
Thats really all I need
WiX can do all those things fairly easily (I have applications that do that and some that I use WiX to install). Problem is you have to have a pretty good understanding of Windows Installer to use WiX, as it does not really hide any of the detail from you.
The obviously alternative is InstallShield (They have a LE version that comes with VS2012 apparently, using VS2012 but not that) and Express is relatively reasonably priced.
You also may want to check out InstallAware, but I have not had good experiences with them personally when I have looked at them.
I have also been told that Advanced Installer is usable, though I have not used it myself personally.
A list and description of other installation products as well as Wix: What installation product to use? InstallShield, WiX, Wise, Advanced Installer, etc
And a link to some Wix quick-start suggestions (similar articles):
Wix generate single component id for entire tree
WiX Quick Start Tips
Related
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A project I worked on 15+ years ago as need additional work. Unfortunately, my build & kit environment has long ago been taken down. I have recreated the build environment but am seeking a boxed, licensed copy of InstallShield 5.5. Does anyone know where I can find one. I have the old .ipr files but updating it to a newer Install Shield has proven very difficult. I just want it to work again and allow me to generate a self extracting .exe. I'm doing this all on an old XP laptop with VS6 and VB6. Everything compiles and links. Just need to create a kit. Thanks for your help
Ideas:
Look on eBay - it typically has lots of obsolete items like this. You can search internationally and also save your search so it will email you when new matches are found. (I don't see any copies on there as of this moment).
Contact the current InstallShield owner - Flexera Software. Maybe they can help you out.
Post on VBForums - possibly someone has a copy they can sell/send/lend you.
Depending on your comfort level, you might find it on a download site / torrent download site. Since you do own a license this seems legit to me, but you need to be careful of malware, etc. (especially since you will presumably distribute the results of this installer build).
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Part of our business includes providing a (windows) desktop machine with a pile of Data Acquisition Cards and associated software all set up and working for our customers.
Right now, we package up all our software, dependencies, drivers, etc and a pile of bat scripts, and this is our "install tool". Our production staff run the scripts (in order), choosing options as required and they eventually get the machine configured and tested.
The process isn't great - it's a bit buggy and really should just be a lot easier.
It's occurred to me that there must be an installer technology out there that we can use to replace our bat scripting. Does anyone know of something we could use?
It should:
Be able to install multiple pieces of software (ie run their installers with all default options on).
Be able to have some scripting/customization ability, because we'd want to be able to recreate some of the things our .bat scripts do.
Preferably provide some UI - ie click through installations screens with options.
Thanks in advance!
In the end we have gone with Wix - Installshield looked great - but... in the end it was just calling a whole pile of custom build scripts.
Wix has a high learning curve, but is more like what we need.
There are many installers tools, and different people prefer different tools. You won't find the best one, because some tools fit for one tasks more than others, some expensive, some really bad and expensive and so on.
But in your case, I can recommend use Windows Installer technology and InstallShield tool for it, base on my experience. It has a lot of possibilities to create great and powerful installers. With help of Windows Installer and own InstallShield features.
Also all your requirements could be done with InstallShield.
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We distribute an application that runs only on Window's machines (XP and up). I have been distributing by building an exe with WINRAR that has generally worked well but I have run into a problem as we move to support Vista and Win7 in that the application path is going to be dependent on the OS. So I either have to build an OS dependent WINRAR exe or join the modern age and use an installer.
I have scanned the websites of a couple of the installers for sale and the open source ones but since I have limited programming knowledge I am a bit overwhelmed by the choices.
It could be that the correct answer is that because we are not making any registry changes any of the installers will do.
From your description, the install process of your application is simple: just copy the files. In this case, any install tool would do its job. You can try the following:
Inno Setup
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System)
WiX Toolset
The first two are easier to learn. WiX creates Windows Installer packages and has a steep learning curve; although in your case you could merely follow the WiX Tutorial to build your setup package.
If your installation procedure is so simple that it does not require an install, users of your application may like if you just give them a zip package which they can extract to any directory. Of course, this depends on the target users. Anyway, it could be a good option in addition to install package.
Generally the key distinction is whether or not you want to deliver a .msi Windows Installer package or not. Corporates prefer that because it makes large scale deployment easier for them. But .msi packages are harder to create and have a steep learning curve.
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I'm looking for a web application to manage tasks (not necessary programming-oriented) for a small team. It must be easy to setup and maintain, and I don't look for an SaaS solution. It must offer file upload and mail users in case of a change. There is hundred of solutions available but most are too complex for what we want or are not "stable" (not updated since a long time, not very well programmed). i was wondering if stack overflow's folks have some recommendations...
Try:
lighthouse - http://lighthouseapp.com/
-or-
gemini - http://www.countersoft.com/home.aspx
We had a very similar requirement and after much searching we eventually decided on Redmine.
Does all that you require and more. Setup couldn't be easier if you use one of the Bitnami stacks. We went down the virtual image route as we had a VMWare server - but installers for existing platforms are also available.
I tried Basecamp some time ago but I don't need a web based solution. But it was pretty good.
http://basecamphq.com/
Redmine is a great project management, used by many open source projects. It is also quite actively maintained and really stable.
It's worth mentioning that even though Redmine is software oriented, it can easily be used as a project management software. All you have to do is ignore all the parts about repositories and you have a full-fledged project management software.
http://www.redmine.org/
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I have to create an installation file for ActiveX components. This ActiveX components will be downloaded as an *.exe installer file, executing this installer file will install the required ActiveX components on the user's PC.
To create such an installation file I came across two installer software -
Install Shield
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System)
So which of the above option is preferable or any other options?
The only thing InstallShield has going for it is its IDE. And as it turns out, it works decently well for very basic installers when you don't need to write a line of code. However, when you need to create custom tasks and get into InstallShield's scripting language, it's a very clunky and unpleasant experience.
In terms of reliability, flexibility, speed, and size, NSIS is far superior to InstallShield. I know it's a bold claim. But you can read about my install system saga here and what led me to NSIS... http://swortham.blogspot.com/2008/02/nsis-another-gem-from-nullsoft.html
In visual studio, you can also create an installer project for your Active X which uses the windows installer.
InstallShield is superior to NSIS. However, because NSIS is free and enough for your needs, I recommend using it.