Re: setup.msi vs setup.exe
Jun 10, 2012 11:26 AMtorpedo95LINK
Speed up filevault decryption. Thanks much for advices provided, the world hasn’t gotten any simpler and your assistance is much appreciated.
To put my posting into perspective, I’ve moved into Silverlight browser apps, but still have an old windows program that I’d like to distribute via the web. It’s an old executable, built with a circa 1995 Borland C++ compiler, if you can believe that… Still runs like a champ on modern Windows systems, but the Installshield product purchased for distribution purposes at the time is long obsolete. The package consists of an exe, some midi files, and a couple of simple web html files. That’s it. I want to install from the web, no CD distribution. I have no interest in automatic updates.
Now I really don’t want to port the Borland C++ code into VS 2010, I’d end up rewriting the thing, possibly in C#, and to be honest I’ve got better things to do. So it would seem the “one click” install technology is not an option.
So I put it together in a VS setup project, generating the setup.exe and .msi file.
Experimentation shows on a couple of systems (Vista Home, Windows 7 Home) that a web link to the .msi file will result in successful installation whether run from the web or downloaded and run from the local machine. However it would seem from your provided links that using the .msi in this way has the risk that missing dependencies could cause failure.
On the other hand, the setup.exe, when run from the web doesn’t see the .msi and fails. If it’s downloaded standalone same problem, but it will work if the .msi is downloaded and placed alongside it. And it would seem from the provided links that the setup.exe takes care of the issue of dependencies.
One of the links provided suggests that a self extractor that brings both files down, then runs setup.exe might be a good way to go. I suppose I’d need to provide code signing for each of the three files, the self extractor, the setup.exe and the .msi…
I don’t seem to have a specific question here, but your first post was very helpful so I thought I’d clarify my situation in case you have any further insights or suggestions. Bottom line is that I don't need anything very sophisticated, just a generally workable web installation method for a simple and small windows based app.
Any thoughts?
Much obliged!