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Setup Project

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  • L Lost User

    I currently use Visual Studio Installer to create my setup projects and needless to say...it's crap. I have a complex solution and I have to recreate my setup project ever few weeks due to it becoming corrupted. I don't want to drop the 600.00+ for express Install Shield, so I was wondering if anybody knows of any free solutions for .net deployment. Thanks in advanced for your input.

    M Offline
    M Offline
    Mark_Wallace
    wrote on last edited by
    #2

    For installation on Windows, I haven't found anything that beats Inno Setup[^]

    I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

    C 1 Reply Last reply
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    • M Mark_Wallace

      For installation on Windows, I haven't found anything that beats Inno Setup[^]

      I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

      C Offline
      C Offline
      Chris Meech
      wrote on last edited by
      #3

      :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

      Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra] posting about Crystal Reports here is like discussing gay marriage on a catholic church’s website.[Nishant Sivakumar]

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      • L Lost User

        I currently use Visual Studio Installer to create my setup projects and needless to say...it's crap. I have a complex solution and I have to recreate my setup project ever few weeks due to it becoming corrupted. I don't want to drop the 600.00+ for express Install Shield, so I was wondering if anybody knows of any free solutions for .net deployment. Thanks in advanced for your input.

        P Offline
        P Offline
        Pete OHanlon
        wrote on last edited by
        #4

        I quite like WiX[^]. It's fairly easy to use.

        *pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington

        "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

        CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

        S B 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • L Lost User

          I currently use Visual Studio Installer to create my setup projects and needless to say...it's crap. I have a complex solution and I have to recreate my setup project ever few weeks due to it becoming corrupted. I don't want to drop the 600.00+ for express Install Shield, so I was wondering if anybody knows of any free solutions for .net deployment. Thanks in advanced for your input.

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #5

          And there is NSIS, http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page[^]

          Why is common sense not common? Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level where they are an expert. Sometimes it takes a lot of work to be lazy Please stand in front of my pistol, smile and wait for the flash - JSOP 2012

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          • L Lost User

            I currently use Visual Studio Installer to create my setup projects and needless to say...it's crap. I have a complex solution and I have to recreate my setup project ever few weeks due to it becoming corrupted. I don't want to drop the 600.00+ for express Install Shield, so I was wondering if anybody knows of any free solutions for .net deployment. Thanks in advanced for your input.

            K Offline
            K Offline
            Karl Sanford
            wrote on last edited by
            #6

            I never found anything that I liked that was both free and less of a pain than visual studio setup projects, especially when you get into more complex deployment scenarios. So if some of these other tools that have been suggested don't work out for you, here are some links to help you with the VS setup projects. Custom Actions to facilitate more complex installation tasks/scenarios: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d9k65z2d(v=vs.100).aspx[^] Another thing that really helps in understanding the MSI's and fix any lingering issues is a tool delivered with the Microsoft SDK called Orca. This tool lets you view and manipulate MSI databases (helpful when you get into x86 and x64 mixing in the same setup): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255905[^] Also, if you have dependencies that need to be checked/installed prior to setup, you'll need to create a bootstrap manifest with this tool: http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/bmg[^] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165429.aspx[^]

            Be The Noise

            N 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • P Pete OHanlon

              I quite like WiX[^]. It's fairly easy to use.

              *pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington

              "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

              CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

              S Offline
              S Offline
              Steve Maier
              wrote on last edited by
              #7

              I have switched to WiX as well from the Visual Studio setup projects and I enjoy it.

              Steve Maier

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • P Pete OHanlon

                I quite like WiX[^]. It's fairly easy to use.

                *pre-emptive celebratory nipple tassle jiggle* - Sean Ewington

                "Mind bleach! Send me mind bleach!" - Nagy Vilmos

                CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

                B Offline
                B Offline
                Brisingr Aerowing
                wrote on last edited by
                #8

                :thumbsup: WiX 3.6 is the most useful version I have used, as it has a bootstrapper built in. Actually building a UI for it is a little convoluted, but after a while it gets easier.

                I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image. Stephen Hawking

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • K Karl Sanford

                  I never found anything that I liked that was both free and less of a pain than visual studio setup projects, especially when you get into more complex deployment scenarios. So if some of these other tools that have been suggested don't work out for you, here are some links to help you with the VS setup projects. Custom Actions to facilitate more complex installation tasks/scenarios: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d9k65z2d(v=vs.100).aspx[^] Another thing that really helps in understanding the MSI's and fix any lingering issues is a tool delivered with the Microsoft SDK called Orca. This tool lets you view and manipulate MSI databases (helpful when you get into x86 and x64 mixing in the same setup): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255905[^] Also, if you have dependencies that need to be checked/installed prior to setup, you'll need to create a bootstrap manifest with this tool: http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/bmg[^] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165429.aspx[^]

                  Be The Noise

                  N Offline
                  N Offline
                  NormDroid
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #9

                  Bear in mind Setup projects have been removed from Visual Studio 2012.

                  Software Kinetics - Dependable Software news

                  K B 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • N NormDroid

                    Bear in mind Setup projects have been removed from Visual Studio 2012.

                    Software Kinetics - Dependable Software news

                    K Offline
                    K Offline
                    Karl Sanford
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #10

                    :wtf: :doh: I completely missed that memo...

                    Be The Noise

                    N 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • L Lost User

                      I currently use Visual Studio Installer to create my setup projects and needless to say...it's crap. I have a complex solution and I have to recreate my setup project ever few weeks due to it becoming corrupted. I don't want to drop the 600.00+ for express Install Shield, so I was wondering if anybody knows of any free solutions for .net deployment. Thanks in advanced for your input.

                      RaviBeeR Offline
                      RaviBeeR Offline
                      RaviBee
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #11

                      I use the free version of Advanced Installer[^] for my free apps.  The Pro version goes for $300. /ravi

                      My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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                      • N NormDroid

                        Bear in mind Setup projects have been removed from Visual Studio 2012.

                        Software Kinetics - Dependable Software news

                        B Offline
                        B Offline
                        Brisingr Aerowing
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #12

                        That is why I use WiX. (Well, it is one of the reasons!)

                        I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image. Stephen Hawking

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                        • K Karl Sanford

                          :wtf: :doh: I completely missed that memo...

                          Be The Noise

                          N Offline
                          N Offline
                          NormDroid
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #13

                          I was developing a Service App in VS2012 can you create a service installer and found Microsoft are no longer supporting setup project in VS2012. Thanks a bunch Microsoft.

                          Software Kinetics - Dependable Software news

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