I've developed some nice software, and now all I need is an installer for it.
The things I need in it are in the following:
- Must be free (not free trial)
- No or minimal branding
- Ability to add licensing
- Simple to use, not a huge learning curve
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What did you use to develop the software? If it was Visual Studio, you can create your own (limited) installer.– rrirowerCommented May 5, 2015 at 12:42
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@rrirower I didn't use Visual Studio, my "software" is just a little bundle of portable software for my friends, but I need an installer for it.– UnixfyCommented May 5, 2015 at 13:40
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Why do you need an installer at all? Could you simply use a zip file to package it all? Specially for portables, an installer is just the opposite.– AlejandroCommented May 9, 2015 at 11:44
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If you only want to create Installers for Windows you could also use the WiX Toolset– MartinCommented May 11, 2015 at 18:17
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Yes, I've heard about the WiX Toolset. I've also tried it, its very good, however I'd prefer (not require) a cross-platform installer. Thank you though!– UnixfyCommented May 12, 2015 at 19:52
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3 Answers
If you would like a gratis but full fledged and easy to use installer creator you will not go far wrong with Inno Setup.
- Mature
- Support for every Windows release since 2006, including: Windows 10, Windows 10 on ARM, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista.
- Custom installation
- Script based so can be included in a make process, (.iss files).
- Unicode Support
- Custom Installer Icons & Splash Screens
- Multistage Installs
- Multi-directory installs
- Multiple Language support
- Add to start menu
- Help/Manuals install
- Prompted Installs with Advanced Settings
There is also a IDE/GUI available to get you started.
answered May 8, 2015 at 16:59
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Yeah, I know what Inno Setup is. It's a really good product that I've used before. I'll try it again soon, but it's been constantly feeding me errors for no apparent reason.– UnixfyCommented May 9, 2015 at 12:29
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@user4673279 - it would help to know what the errors were but that is more a question for stackoverflow or the mailing list. When I have had a problem that wasn't clear from the error message I found RTFM and/or starting a new simple project, testing & then adding features till it broke normally isolated the problem quickly. Commented May 9, 2015 at 12:45
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@SteveBarnes Yes I know that, I'll post it on Stackoverflow soon. But my issue is saying "Cannot compile file: File in use". Booting in safemode doesn't fix this either, so...– UnixfyCommented May 10, 2015 at 13:13
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I would suggest using process explorer to make sure the referenced file isn't in use plus turn off any antiviral software. Commented May 10, 2015 at 17:33
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If your app is written in Visual Studio there is an Inno Setup extension that allows you to write the setup directly in IDE without any editor.– SlappyCommented Aug 23, 2021 at 18:45
If you're going for maximum simplicity and ease of use, I might recommend just using WinRar to create what is known as a "Self-Extracting Archive" (SFX). This is basically a self-contained installer that will extract a bunch of files for you to a directory.
To do this, simply add the files you want to extract to a new archive and tick the "Create SFX archive" option.
You can then go in the "Advanced -> SFX Options..." menu, where you can very easily setup advanced features, like:
- Adding a custom icon and initial info text
- Adding a license agreement text
- Setup custom actions to be performed before and/or after installation
- Select the default path to which to extract the files, and set other options, like silent overwrite or fully silent installation if required
It's a very simple approach, and quite self-explanatory, you probably won't even need a tutorial to make it work. One hint that is not clear from the menu: you can use HTML in your info/license text if you want, and it will display correctly formatted.
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1There is, but it's very limited, it will only present the user with an option to chose the extraction path, but no infotext, license, etc. - On the other end, note that even SFX archives created with a "trial" version of WinRar will have full and unlimited functionality (and as is well known WinRar never really "expires", besides a nag screen when you start it up)– Master_TCommented May 8, 2015 at 9:00
WinRAR is commercial: "You can try WinRAR before buy, its trial version is available".
A similar (self-extracting packer) free-to-use tool is already installed with every Windows, but quite unknown, because not featured:
IExpress.exe
(just type it in your command line)
Here are some links with more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IExpress
How To Make An Installer With IExpress
http://lifehacker.com/384658/use-a-built-in-windows-utility-to-create-self-extracting-archives
