Determine Windows version in Inno Setup - windows

Question

I'm using Inno Setup to change the recycle bin in the OS. I need to make some cases for if the user is running Windows 7 or Windows XP. I try using:
if not FileExists(winDir + '\System32\imageres.dll') then
if not FileExists(winDir + '\System32\shell32.dll') then
installError(3);
But it seems like it can't find imageres.dll or shell32.dll even though I've verified they exist. What am I doing wrong? Or can I check the Windows version another way?

Answer 1

In most Inno Setup sections (like [Files], [Tasks], [Run], etc.) you can use the MinVersion and OnlyBelowVersion common parameters.
[Files]
Source: MyDllForVistaAndNewer.dll; Dest: {app}\MyDll.dll; MinVersion: 6.0
Source: MyDllForOldWindows.dll; Dest: {app}\MyDll.dll; OnlyBelowVersion: 6.0
In Pascal Script, use the GetWindowsVersionEx function to find the Windows version number. Then compare the number against a specific Windows version number.
Here are few handy functions to check specific Windows versions:
function IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(Major, Minor: Integer): Boolean;
var
Version: TWindowsVersion;
begin
GetWindowsVersionEx(Version);
Result :=
(Version.Major > Major) or
((Version.Major = Major) and (Version.Minor >= Minor));
end;
function IsWindowsXPOrNewer: Boolean;
begin
Result := IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(5, 1);
end;
function IsWindowsVistaOrNewer: Boolean;
begin
Result := IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(6, 0);
end;
function IsWindows7OrNewer: Boolean;
begin
Result := IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(6, 1);
end;
function IsWindows8OrNewer: Boolean;
begin
Result := IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(6, 2);
end;
function IsWindows10OrNewer: Boolean;
begin
Result := IsWindowsVersionOrNewer(10, 0);
end;
// Windows 11 has the same major.minor as Windows 10.
// So it has to be distinguished by the Build.
// The IsWindows10OrNewer condition is actually redundant.
// Once we have to test for Windows 11 using the build number, we could actually
// unify and simplify all the tests above to use the build numbers only too.
function IsWindows11OrNewer: Boolean;
var
Version: TWindowsVersion;
begin
GetWindowsVersionEx(Version);
Result := IsWindows10OrNewer and (Version.Build >= 22000);
end;
Example of use:
function InitializeSetup: Boolean;
begin
if not IsWindowsVistaOrNewer then
begin
MsgBox(
'This program was not tested on Windows XP and older, proceed with caution.',
mbCriticalError, MB_OK);
end;
Result := True;
end;
To test for server-editions of Windows, see:
Checking for Windows Server 2003
For version checking to work correctly on modern versions of Windows, make sure you always use the latest version of Inno Setup.

Answer 2

You should use the GetWindowsVersionEx function. It fills a TWindowsVersion record:
TWindowsVersion = record
Major: Cardinal; // Major version number
Minor: Cardinal; // Minor version number
Build: Cardinal; // Build number
ServicePackMajor: Cardinal; // Major version number of service pack
ServicePackMinor: Cardinal; // Minor version number of service pack
NTPlatform: Boolean; // True if an NT-based platform
ProductType: Byte; // Product type (see below)
SuiteMask: Word; // Product suites installed (see below)
end;
There are a lot of other related functions. See below 'System functions' at this page.

Answer 3

According to the documentation, the parameters associated with each file can be directly tied to the OS version:
[Files]
Source: "{app}\WinNT2000XP.exe"; DestDir: "{app}"; MinVersion: 0, 1
Source: "{app}\Win9598Me.exe"; DestDir: "{app}"; MinVersion: 1, 0
"0" means never install; "1" means install on any version (i.e. version 1.0 or later).
Note: The above technique isn't limited to the [Files] section; MinVersion and OnlyBelowVersion can be used in most sections.