Own installer
Development of own software that's one thing, installing it is another. Once you have created your product, you need to think about how it will be delivered to the end user. If it's just a single executable that you can just zip and share, then it's simple. But when your product consists of several files, such as dlls, that need to be registered, you already need an installer. Even if you just need to create a couple of shortcuts on users' computers, then the installer will already be convenient, unless you want your users to do everything manually, of course.
The expensive and commercial flagship InstallShield is familiar to everyone, and you have used the installers created by this product more than once. But, it is not the only stronghold for creating installers. There are quite capable free products that can provide you with all the necessary features. I have selected a few of the best. They cover different approaches to creating an installer, from fast and easily customizable (5-10 minutes and done) to powerful and supporting a huge number of settings.
Overview of free programs for creating installers
The program for creating the installer Inno Setup is a complete tool
After reviewing several other free products in this category, I decided to settle on the most attractive one. This tool is not for users who are looking for a simple operation with a graphical editor and quick results. This solution is more suitable for those developers who want to have full control over the creation of the installer and feel free to work with text-based configuration files. Inno Setup was released in 1997 and has evolved a lot since then. This tool certainly beats many commercial contenders in this area due to its many features and stability.
The Inno Setup GUI is an editor/compiler for a configuration file that contains settings for creating a setup program. The text file format is very similar to the INI file format, which allows it to be less cumbersome to work with than an XML format file, such as in . The help file is well structured, making it easy to learn about the available options. The editor supports a color code highlighting scheme, which makes it more convenient to work with. I won't list all the features of this professional installer tool, but I didn't find anything else that Inno Setup won't be able to do. Source files, target files, shortcuts, dialogs, license acceptance, deletion, user forms and more. I have used it on several projects over the past years with great success (not cost). If you love the GUI, then for this great tool, you can find several third-party add-ons at home page innosetup.
The NSIS installer tool is convenient and powerful
- if you don't really need a script editor, and you want something with more advanced user interface features, NullSoft's installer tool is what you need. It is the most capable product yet lacks a full user interface (apart from the compiler window).
Just as you create the HTML for a web page in a separate program and then display that page in a browser, you must create the NSIS script in any editor of your choice and simply compile it with the NSIS compiler. On the NSIS home page you can find links to editors (PSPad, Notepad) and IDE plugins (eg for Eclipse) with support for NSIS scripts with syntax highlighting, as well as various other helper programs.
This product is definitely more geared towards professional developers than those looking for a quick and easy graphical solution for creating installers. The products in this review address both types of these users, and it makes it a bit difficult to recommend one single solution. Although NSIS is more capable than , I chose the latter because of its balance between GUI and functionality (including learning organization).
NSIS simply pops up one small window with text links to get you started by exploring its endless possibilities. A small window (really too small to show all the text, but big enough not to resize) contains links to the compiler itself, sample scripts, online support, documentation, and plugins.
The plugins are really worth it, they offer a lot of advanced features like fadeout/fadein effects for custom dialogs. NSIS suggests creating a more modern UI setup. You can create your own icons, banners, backgrounds, and make your collection out of them. The user community is quite large and many resources and forums will help and support you with your NSIS installation project.
Creating a setup file is as easy as dragging and dropping a script file into the compiler window. The window displays all compiler messages, including success or error reports. The generated installation files are small compared to other installer creation tools, allowing you to manage your . I could say a lot more about NSIS, but I'll leave that for their well-organized home page. It is the most capable tool presented of all, but is geared towards professional developer solutions and requires third-party tools to work effectively and fruitfully.
The program for creating an installer Ghost Installer analogue of InnoSetup
is an analogue. If you want to have full control over the creation of the installer, and you are not afraid to work with XML configuration files, then Ghost Installer can be good choice For you. While the commercial version of the tool comes with a GUI (Ghost Installer Studio), the free version simply offers a so-called gEditor for editing configuration XML files.
This product takes time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it and know all the settings, you can use the full power of this tool. The help file is very well organized, listing all the keywords and settings you can use. When you create a new project, the setup wizard will create a basic or advanced template that will prepare the necessary XML structure that you can start working with right away. For me, this tool was a bit more difficult to learn than InnoSetup, but I'm sure this tool is very powerful. As a result, we have an XML editor gEditor with a built-in button that starts the process of compiling your installer. If this scheme of work is attractive to you, then, of course, try it.
Clickteam Install Creator is fast and easy to use
, probably the fastest and most convenient tool for creating installers that I have reviewed. This tool contains the main features wrapped in an efficient graphical interface. The wizard will quickly guide you through the basic steps. My first project was done in a few minutes and everything worked like a charm!
Each stage is represented by a separate tab, so after completing the wizard, you will always have the opportunity to change the previously specified settings. If you need to install multiple executables, then you need to add a Start menu and create desktop shortcuts. The tool makes it easy to change all installation texts, even the text in the "Welcome" dialog box. The final installer can run in either dialog mode or full screen mode (with the ability to set a background fill gradient, just like in the good old days of Windows).
You can set bitmaps and icons of your choice. Install Creator lacks more professional features, such as adding registry entries, different installation packages, or languages. But that was not the purpose of this tool, and it's fine for simple tasks. This is great choice for a quick decision to distribute your program, without having to understand a bunch of intricacies of the process of creating installers. The free version is fully functional, however, at the end of each installation, a window with ads and a link to the developer's website is shown.
CreateInstall is an analogue of the program for creating a Clickteam installer
it's a treat for those who don't want to spend a lot of time creating installers and editing tons of text. The tool is very similar to , it also presents a simple and efficient interface where you can quickly find and configure all the important features of your project. You can select custom bitmaps and icons for the setup dialog, as well as specify a background fill gradient for full screen mode. You can customize six installation dialogs and one installation completion dialog.
Working with files and the context menu is quite easy, which is an advantage over Install Creator. You are also given the opportunity to set entries in the registry and register DLL / OCX / TBL files. The tool has some additional features that make a good enough impression. With them you can change some features, such as language selection, installation path selection. However, I had a few questions about the tool, namely about changing the fonts of the dialogs. For some fonts, such as Tahoma, the display will just show a blank window. Why is that? The free version is fully functional, but displays the line "CreateInstall Free" in the bottom left corner of every installation window. You can buy this tool and change the content of this line to your liking.
Advanced Installer program to quickly create an installer
is a good choice if you need to quickly create an MSI installation package. Caphyon offers a free version of its tool, built into its commercial product, to create installers. You can download and install full version product is free, but only the "Basic" options work without purchasing a registration. But this is enough to quickly and easily create an MSI installation package.
It has a fairly friendly interface that allows you to set all the basic configurations in the shortest possible time. There are quite a few installation options that allow you to play with the tool fairly easily, such as target folder, shortcuts, system reboot, startup conditions, registry settings, and more. My only disappointment is that you can't define different installation types such as "Full installation" and "Minimum installation". "All or nothing" is not the principle of today's installers. I would prefer the type setting option instead of the trigger conditions option. However, I am very impressed with the ease of use and the minimum amount of time per project. If you need an MSI file for easy installation, then Advanced Installer is definitely what you need.
Quick Selection Guide (download free programs to create an installer)
Inno Setup
| very powerful - years of experience - simple file format | ||
NSIS
| a large number of functions - a small size of the installer - custom dialogs - the ability to connect plugins | ||
| no GUI - not easy to learn - no editor |
Ghost Installer Free
| powerful features - based on XML | ||
| based on text files - no GUI |
Free automatic installer of any set of programs on your computer.
Attention! Some antiviruses (for example, AVG) report that there is a Trojan in the program. In fact, this is not the case (tested by other reputable antiviruses).
It's just that the automatic installation functions of programs for especially corrosive antiviruses may look like the action of a Trojan program.
If your antivirus does not allow you to install Easy AutoInstaller Free, it is better to look for some other program for your tasks.
You have probably already encountered the need to reinstall the operating system more than once. But this is not the main problem - the main thing is to install all the necessary programs later and not forget anything!
From my own experience, I know that software installation sometimes takes twice as long as the installation itself. Windows installation. Recently, many special disks have appeared with automatic installation of the necessary applications.
Is it possible to create such a disk yourself? Of course! For this there are many special utilities. But they are either paid or not very stable.
However, among a bunch of similar programs, you can find pretty decent freeware projects. An example of this is Easy Autoinstaller FREE.
This program is intended for non-commercial home use and allows you to easily create startup disks with a set of software we need! It can remember, and then play back an unlimited number of times all the actions that the user performs when installing the necessary software.
Unlike the paid version, the free edition cannot create discs containing operating system files, but the functionality of Easy Autoinstaller Free is enough:
Comparison of the free version of Easy Autoinstaller FREE with the paid version of Easy Autoinstaller PRO
As you can see, in addition to the restriction on creating a startup disk with the operating system, the free version blocks the ability to change the design of the autoinstall menu, as well as writing a script in "real time".
The latter means that to write the next desired action to the script, you will have to press one of the function keys (left Shift or Ctrl). But more on that later, but for now let's install the program.
Installing Easy Autoinstaller FREE
The program installer, although in English, is built in a standard way, therefore, by running it, we will need to press “Next” all the time and agree with all the proposals. At the end of the installation, the program window will appear in front of us:
You can start working, but I would advise you to first create a folder somewhere in which we will move the software distributions and drivers we need. This will make it easier for us to create our own auto-installation disk in the future.
Create an autoinstall script
Now let's proceed directly to creating autoinstallation scripts. First, click on the "Add Script" button.
A window will appear in front of us, where we should enter the name of the program that we are going to install. After confirming the input ("Ok" button), another window will appear in which you will need to specify the version of the application to be installed. In principle, you can enter anything in both boxes, but for our convenience, we will indicate what is asked :).
After entering the version of the program, a window will open for selecting the installer of the desired program (remember, we threw them into a separate folder;)).
We mark the required executable file (.exe and .msi files are supported) and click the "Open" button. We will see a script recording window:
In the lower part, in the "Program Description" section, you can enter short information about the program being installed, in order to later remember what the utility is actually needed for. Pay attention to the "Parameters" box (third from the top).
Here you can set the type of future installation of the program: the usual "silent" (silent, / s) installation, "silent" with progress display (and without) or completely hidden mode. It is possible not to select any additional parameters and then you will always have access to manual control of the installation.
When all the settings are made, press the "Record" button and proceed to the "demonstrative" installation of the selected program :).
You will learn about the activation of the script writing process by the tooltip in the tray, as well as by the information window that appears in the upper left corner.
In this window you can see the current coordinates of the mouse cursor, the object on which the cursor is directed, the current operation, etc. Important: try not to move the installer window unnecessarily, as this may affect the correct operation of the script!
Now a few words about the method of creating an autoinstallation script. To write a command, you must press the left CTRL or SHIFT.
It happens something like this: we bring the mouse cursor to the desired button or menu item and press one of the above keys.
At the same time, SHIFT remembers only mouse clicks, and CRTL can record keystrokes, dots, checkmarks, passwords, paths and the same mouse clicks, so in most cases we press CRTL without thinking. As soon as the button is pressed, your action will be remembered, and you will not need to press the mouse buttons.
If you need to change the path or enter the serial number of the program, for example, then proceed as follows. We enter the necessary data in a text line, move the mouse over this line, press SHIFT, and then CTRL.
When the installation comes to an end, you will need to stop recording the script. To do this, right-click on the Easy Autoinstaller icon in the tray and select the appropriate item.
Script optimization and saving
Now let's check our script for empty entries to optimize it:
If there are none, we can click the "Save script" button. If you need to delete any script item, just double-click on it and confirm the deletion.
Now you can check if the autoinstall script works correctly. To do this, remove the installed program, mark it with a checkmark in the list of Easy Autoinstaller scripts and click the "Start" button.
After that, the installation process should start automatically, and above the program icon in the tray you will see a report on the current installation step:
If the installation was successful, then we did everything right. Otherwise, you will either have to edit the finished script (the "Change script" button), or even rewrite it again.
When all the scripts are checked, you can (and even need to) save the resulting project. To do this, click the button of the same name in the main window of the program.
Create an installation disc
And now comes the most culminating moment - creating your own disk with software! :) To do this, click the "Tools" menu in the main window of Easy Autoinstaller and select the only item "Disc Creation Wizard":
If you followed all the tips described above, then you will only have to specify the path to the folder in which all the files of scripts, distributions and the project are located, and then click the "Create" button.
In the specified folder, several files will be created that will be responsible for loading the menu of our installation disk:
The main one of these files is AutoInstall.exe. By running it, you can see how the menu of our disk will look like:
In fact, everything here is simple and tasteful :). The installation disc window is a list of programs that can be marked for installation and the "Start" button, which initiates the installation.
Admire? :) Now all that's left is to burn all the contents of the folder directly onto a CD, DVD or even a flash drive, and a set of necessary programs with automatic installation will always be at your fingertips!
findings
Easy Autoinstaller FREE, of course, is a little inferior in terms of convenience and functionality to commercial products, but it copes with its main task, if not with a "5", then certainly with a solid "four" for sure.
In any case, I advise you to familiarize yourself with this program and, just in case, create a disk with the necessary drivers and software. Who knows, maybe one day this disc will help you out a lot;).
P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.
Clickteam produces simple and friendly products for developers: for example, Clickteam Fusion, The Games Factory, Multimedia Fusion. In the same row is the Install Creator program. The main advantage of the product is the quick creation of a distribution using a step-by-step wizard.
The settings sections are arranged in such a strict sequence in the form of tabs. First, the data (Files), the text content of the dialogs (Wizard Text), the window format (Window), additional settings (Options), the uninstaller settings (Uninstaller), the size of the distribution kit (Build) are specified. After clicking on Build, the compilation of the installer starts, all that remains is to specify the location of its location.
The installer takes up 65 KB, including the uninstaller, this is 105 KB. In addition to this, Install Creator uses one of two compression algorithms (zipper / differentiator), the optimal variant is determined automatically. If necessary, the data can be placed in a package separately from the installer.
The functionality of Clickteam Install Creator is unified, some important options are missing. So, multilingualism is not supported, the Russian language is not in the list of localizations at all. Integration with third-party solutions is not provided, so working with large projects (implying many connections in the system) will be inconvenient. The program does not allow you to create updates, patches. However, in the latter case, you can use - the development of Clickteam.
The unregistered version of Install Creator contains ads. The professional version, in addition to removing this limit, allows you to include several editions in the distribution kit, set a license limit for the installer user.
Summary. Install Creator features will be in demand when working with simple projects. The resulting installers contain a basic set of user options, among which there is no choice of languages or installation profile. Definitely, this is the simplest solution among all the installation complexes mentioned in the review.
Actual Installer
Actual Installer is a program for creating fairly complex Windows Installers without the use of scripts. The basic set of features includes multilingualism, effective compression, detailed interface customization, command line and other functions listed below.
A step-by-step wizard is not supposed to be used, but the options window for the new project is available. After defining the basic product information, you can go to the main program window. Options are located in 5 sections - "General", "Installation", "Dialogues", "System" and "Registry".
In the General section, information about the project is indicated, and the appearance of the installation wizard is also configured here. During the process, the installer can check system requirements (such as OS version, user privileges) and dependencies (Microsoft .NET Framework, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader, Java, SQL Server, and others). If these components are missing, the installer will require the user to download and install them.
In Installation ("Installation") - the location of files and folders, the location of the executable file, the settings for the installation, update and uninstallation processes. Both processes can run silently without requiring user intervention. In addition to the installer, it can be used (Actual Updater).
Dialogs ("Dialogs") provide access to the "stuffing" sections, including the text of the license agreement, readme file, including in RTF format. Here - the choice of localization languages, and the Russian language is on the list. Unnecessary sections of the installer are easy to disable.
System (“System”) - setting up system changes made during installation: shortcuts, registry keys, variables and user commands.
Register ("Registry") - setting file associations, environment variables, libraries.
After setting the necessary options, just click on the Build Project button - the installer is ready to run. If an important option was missed when creating the installer, Actual Installer will let you know about it during compilation and indicate an error.
Summary. Actual Installer includes almost all standard options and project options. This is an "intermediate" option between very simple ones (like Clickteam Install Creator) and more heavy-weight solutions, which will also be discussed.
CreateInstall
CreateInstall is a toolkit for creating installers. It is based on two features - control over the installation process and unlimited extensibility. Both features are implemented thanks to the scripting tool.
The CreateInstall interface is divided into 3 tabs - "Project", "Installation script" and "Uninstallation script". The first section allows you to set general installer settings: product information, supported languages, paths, appearance. Additionally, the installer can be digitally signed and a password can be set.
"Project" is not an equivalent replacement for the next two sections, i.e. to create a distribution, you need to carefully configure the installation and uninstallation scripts. Relevant parameters are displayed as groups, you can display them in a single list.
An add-on for CreateInstall is the Quick CreateInstall utility. It greatly simplifies the creation of an installer, providing only basic project settings. From Quick CreateInstall, the project can later be imported into CreateInstall.
The project code is not intended for independent editing, transfer to the IDE environment, export. Although the Gentee language has great potential: at a minimum, these are variables and functions, conditional expressions and syntax based on C, C ++ and Java.
There are 3 editions of the program - full, light (simple) and free. The list of differences between them is published. For the most part, the missing features of the free edition of the program are visible when navigating through groups of script settings.
The interface and help are available in Russian.
Summary. CreateInstall is a functional and easy to understand environment. The CreateInstall toolkit is not so poor and allows you to manage on your own. But the disadvantages still include the isolation of the program "in itself", meaning the functions of import and export.
Advanced Installer
Advanced Installer is based on Windows Insaller technology, allowing you to create msi-, exe- and other types of distributions. This is facilitated by a thoughtful interface and work with projects. In Advanced Installer, you can find many features that are not found in other similar complexes, as discussed below.
First of all, the variety of projects is noteworthy: this includes installers, Java installers, updates, add-ons, merge modules, and others. The Installer menu section contains commands for importing projects from Visual Studio, RAD Studio, Real Studio, Visual Basic. Here, the potential of Advanced Installer in interaction with IDEs is revealed.
A detailed configuration wizard is provided for each of the selected project types. There are common templates - Simple, Enterprise, Architect or Professional. Most of the projects are available only for certain types of license, public projects are indicated as None in the License Required column.
As already mentioned, when creating a project, you can use a step-by-step wizard, where, in particular, you can select the distribution method for the package, localization languages, customize the user interface, enter the license text, and other options. Advanced Installer allows you to choose the distribution option for the program - leave the data without compression, split into CAB archives, save to MSI, etc., add a digital signature, require a serial number, etc.
The main window of the Advanced Installer (project editor), in simple display mode (Simple), contains several sections:
- Product Information - enter product information, installation options.
- Requirements (Requirements) - an indication of hardware and system requirements, software dependencies. It is also possible to create custom conditions.
- Resources (Resources) - editor of resources (files and registry keys).
- Deployment - Select the type of product distribution. It can be MSI, EXE or web installer. For MSI, EXE resources can be placed separately from the installer.
- System Changes - environment variables.
Resource selection can include files, registry keys, environment variables, configuration ini's, drivers, databases, and translations. You can also add other resources, such as services, permissions, associations, and more, with federation modules.
To fulfill more challenging tasks it is allowed to use custom actions, EXE, DLL or scripts written in C, C++, VBS or JS. A convenient editor is provided for creating scripts.
However, it should be noted that only a small part of the sections is available in Simple mode. When working with the Advanced Installer in trial mode, it makes sense to go into the settings and switch to another mode of working with the project. After these actions, new subsections of the editor become available.
Summary. Thanks to various editions of the product (including free), import options, many templates and schemes, the project editor - Advanced Installer will be of interest to a wide audience.
BitRock InstallBuilder
InstallBuilder is a cross-platform environment for creating installers. Supported systems include: Windows ME - Windows 8, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris (Intel & Sparc), AIX, HP-UX, IRIX, Linux (Intel x86/x64, Itanium, s390 & PPC). Installers are available for both desktop and network software. The first part of the guide has already covered the IzPack product, but InstallBuilder is characterized by support for writing languages, including not only Java, but also PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, C / C ++ and .NET / Mono.
The program interface is available in Russian. A very simple graphical shell is used to work with the project. There are the following sections with settings:
- Product Details - information about the project.
- Files ("Files") - explorer interface for adding files
- Advanced ("Advanced settings") - the most interesting section, where, perhaps, the full power of BitRock Installer is revealed. To work with projects, the XML format is used (see the WiX overview in the first part), collaboration is possible, manual configuration of projects with scripting support. Built-in actions allow you to automate installation processes and combine tasks, making them available in a few clicks. In this way, you can check dependencies, add environment variables, change the registry and file system, and so on. Scripts are edited using a built-in, very simple XML editor.
- Customization - Customize the installer's user interface, environment variables, post-installation actions, platforms, permissions, and compression. ZIP/LZMA compression is used for compression. You can create a silent installer that runs in text mode.
- Packaging ("Packaging") - there is a built-in debugger for tracking errors. When building, it is easy to create a cross-platform installer. At the output, it uses the "native" OS environment (this applies to graphic Windows systems, KDE and Gnome).
Summary. BitRock InstallBuilder is recommended primarily for building cross-platform products. The script based on XML specifications is easy to use, the project is easy to import and export for editing in external environment. Thus, based on this XML script, you can quickly generate installers for all required platforms.
InstallMate
InstallMate is a toolkit for creating distributions based on the Windows Installer. Key Features: Intuitive graphical environment, Wide selection of installation items, Dependency checking, Detailed customization appearance installer, support for components, localizations and extensions. Distributions created with InstallMate are compact and fast.
The wizard for creating a new project allows you to select an existing template and specify the initial parameters - localization languages (one or more), product name.
You can import the created project or use the InstallMate editor. By the way, the import capabilities are not impressive: Tarma products and Visual Basic projects are supported.
The main window of the program contains sections with parameters, conditionally divided into three sections:
- General settings: detailed information about the project, software dependencies, system requirements, components, and installer options. In the Package sidebar, you can also specify the type of installer, compressions, download link (in the case of a web installer), installation password. You can add multiple packages to one installer.
- Components: inclusion of elements and links in the distribution kit: these are files and folders, registry keys, ini-configs, environment variables, file associations, COM classes, services.
- Installer options: using the editor, you can edit the text of the dialogs. Flexible localization settings are provided, InstallMate supports 19 languages by default. You can create a single distribution with multiple localizations, or multiple projects with the same language. In the same section, user actions are available, as well as variables - including 250 . You can extend the functionality of the package using extensions and DLLs.
As noted, when creating an installer, you can use templates. In addition to project templates, it is possible to create packages based on components by defining groups of elements. Of the other options, it is worth noting hidden and silent installation and uninstallation, two types of compression (Deflate or LZMA).
The full list of features is presented.
Summary. A professional environment for creating installers with a really user-friendly interface and quick tools: you can quickly switch from one localization language to another when creating a distribution kit, test the project. Lacks a functional step-by-step setup wizard, import capabilities. Forte- availability of all standard functions, work with variables and actions.
software immediately before installation.
Most programs are supplied for sale and distribution in a compressed (packaged) form. For normal operation, they must be unpacked, and the necessary data correctly placed on the computer, taking into account differences between computers and user settings. During the installation process, various tests are performed to meet the specified requirements, and the computer is configured (configured) as necessary to store the files and data necessary for the correct operation of the program. Installation usually involves placing all the necessary files for the program in the appropriate places. file system as well as modifying and creating configuration files. Package managers also execute on installation dependency control, checking whether the system has the packages necessary for the operation of this program, and in case of successful installation, registering a new package in the list of available ones. Since this process is different for each program and computer, many programs (including Operating Systems) are supplied with a universal or special installer- a program that automates much of the work required to install them.
Some slang expressions
Manual installation Installation is performed without an installer or with a significant amount of manual operation by the user. Silent installation An installation during which no messages or windows are displayed. "Silent install" is not synonymous with "automatic install", although it is often erroneously used as such. Silent installation Installation that is performed without user intervention, except, of course, the process of starting it. The installation process sometimes requires the user to "accompany" it, making choices on demand: accepting EULA, setting preferences, specifying passwords, etc. In graphical environments, installers can be used that provide a so-called Installation wizards, however, they often provide parameters command line for a fully automatic installation. Self-installation Automatic installation that does not require the initial start of the process. For example, Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem, which self-installs with USB ports computer. Remote installation An installation that is performed without the use of a monitor connected to the user's computer (in particular, performed on a computer with no video output at all). This may be a controlled installation from another machine connected via LAN or through serial cable. Automatic and remote installations are common operations performed system administrators. Clean Installation Due to the complexity of a typical installation, there are many factors involved in its success. In particular, files left over from a previous installation of the same program or an unstable operating system may cause the program to install and operate incorrectly. An installation performed in the absence of such "interfering" factors, which can vary from program to program, is called a clean installation. Direct installation An installation of a program that runs from a copy of it on the hard drive (called flat copy) from the original media (usually a CD or DVD), not from the original media itself. This can be useful in situations where the target machine is unable to handle CD/DVD random access during CPU-intensive tasks, such as installing programs.Installer
An installer or installer is a computer program that installs files such as applications, drivers, or other software onto a computer. Some installers are specially made to install the files they contain; others are generic and work by reading the contents of a software bundle that needs to be installed.
Common Installers
Windows NT
The most popular OS format Windows NT is an MSI installation package that is installed via Windows Installer. Installer builder companies include InstallShield, Macrovision InstallAnywhere, Wise, SetupBuilder, Actual Installer, Smart Install Maker, and ScriptLogic Corporation (formerly MaSaI Solutions). Most of these tools can create both MSI packages and their own packages.
Free alternatives are NSIS, Clickteam, Install Creator, Inno Setup, as well as tools from WiX.
distributions of Linux-based operating systems and package management systems, with which you can install both the necessary components of the operating system and third-party software, often even if it uses its own installer, which does not provide for this.
Mac OS X also uses a package management system. Some commercial applications for Mac OS X use a separate installer, such as Installer VISE or Stuffit InstallerMaker. Applications that do not need to install additional system components can be installed by simply copying the application files to the desired location on the hard drive. Mac OS X also includes a separate application for updating software, Software Update (also known as the shells"softwareupdate"), but it only supports system software and Apple software.
Miscellaneous
BitRock has a multi-platform tool called InstallBuilder that builds installers for Windows , MacOS X , GNU/Linux and many other operating systems and is and proprietary and commercial but free for open source projects. Applications written in programming language, which allows you to create cross-platform installers.
Some archivers also allow you to create installers.
Some operating environments - for example, Windows NT(default) and Xfce 4(at the request of the user), contain the function of automatically launching a certain program located on the media when it is inserted into the reader.
As a compromise between the Windows installer and the content management systems of UNIX-like machines, there are Windows installation management systems.
