1 reply to this topic

[kaiduan]

Hi, all,

My quesiton is, how to package a windows program into an .exe file so that the end user can download from the website and run it to install on his own computer. I have read through the Windows Installer example and know how to write a .msi file. But I cannot find the information on how to package the executable binary file and the .msi file together into an .exe file for download and install.

I found the the information on http://msdn.microsof...ion_example.asp, but it is a little complicated. ( I need to put a lot of files to the webserver, e.g., Setup.exe, MySetup.msi, Cab1.cab,.. ) How to pack all the necessary information into a file, like http://brands.xten.n...FWD_Install.exe?

Thanks very much. Please donot laugh at this naive problem.

kaiduan

[Glytzhkof]

Setup creation tools such as Installshield Developer will create a bootstrapper setup.exe for you that your users can use to install the application.

If you don't want to buy such a tool you may be able to create a self-extracting archive from a zip file and then tweak it so it runs automatically when the user double clicks it.

I would strongly recommend getting Installshield developer to do the job. There is also a free, non windows installer setup development software called Inno. Google it and you will find it.