How can I create an MSI setup

Question

I ve created setups for all my Delphi tools with Inno Setup for years  Now some users rather want an MSI installation package  so they can deploy the setups from a central server to all workstations   How do I create one  Do I have to buy Visual Studio or some other product

User · Answer

In my opinion you should use Wix   which nicely hides most of the complexity of building an MSI installation pacakge    It allows you to perform all possible kinds of customization using a more easier language compared to WiX

User · Answer

You can use Visual Studio - that s paid   You can use https   www advancedinstaller com  - that has a free edition   You can use http   nsis sourceforge net Main Page - for example Winamp uses this installer  - and is very configurable and is Open Source

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You can use Wix  which is free  to create an MSI installation package   WiX Tutorial - Creating an Installer MSI with Wix

User · Answer

Look for Windows Installer XML  WiX

User · Answer

You can purchase InstallShield  the market leader for creating installation packages   It offers many features beyond what you get with freeware solutions   Warning   InstallShield is insanely expensive

User · Answer

You can use  Visual studio installer project  and its free     This is very easy to create installer and has GUI  Most of the freeware MSI creation tool does not have a GUI part   You will find many tutorials to create an installer easily on the internet  To install  just search Visual Studio Installer Project in your Visual Studio  Visual Studio-  Tools-  Extensions amp updates - search Visual Studio Installer Project  Download it and enjoy

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Google  Freeware MSI installer    e g  https   www advancedinstaller com   Several options here   http   rbytes net software development c install-and-setup s   Though being Windows  most are  shareware  rather than truly free and open source

User · Answer

If you don t understand Windows Installer then I highly recommend The Definitive Guide to Windows Installer  You can t really use WiX without understanding MSI  Also worth downloading is the Windows Installer 4 5 SDK   If you don t want to learn the Windows Installer fundamentals  then you ll need some wizard type package to hide all the nitty gritty details and hold your hand  There are plenty of options  some more expensive than others    InstallShield Advanced Installer MSI Factory etc     However still I d suggest picking up the above book and taking some time to understand what s going on  under the hood   it ll really help you figure out what s going wrong when customers start complaining that something is broken with the setup

[installation] How can I create an MSI setup?

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