MSI packages

[zetsway]

Don't know if this is the correct place to post this but, I need to make an MSI package. I have a program that doesn't have a MSI file but I want to deploy it thru GPO. Any suggestions?

 

[Markbnj]

Try grabbing Visual Studio Express free edition for VB or C#. Visual Studio has an installer project type that will get you going I think. I don't honestly recall whether it is included with the express edition, though, so you might want to check that out.

 

[Dimmu]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Try grabbing Visual Studio Express free edition for VB or C#. Visual Studio has an installer project type that will get you going I think. I don't honestly recall whether it is included with the express edition, though, so you might want to check that out.

AFAIK, it is not, unfortunately.

You should take a look at Advanced Installer (There is a free version). It has the ability to create MSI packages, although I'm not sure if it will do exactly what you need.

 

[imported_Dhaval00]

With regards to Mark's post above, the Express editions don't include the Setup project-type. Even if you have the full version of Visual Studio, the Setup project-type is the crappiest of them all - too many dependencies, can't version properly, and too tedious and convoluted (been there, done that).

You need to look at WIX - Windows Installer XML - MS's first open-source, XML-based, lean, mean, MSI-making machine. You can do crap loads of things with it: install files, version your installers, create custom GUIs + actions, control Windows services, create Website entries in IIS, create app pools in IIS, create Windows users and set permissions on folders, execute SQL scripts, install COM+ entries, install to the GAC, and launch custom actions. To give you an idea of scalability, the Microsoft Office and SQL Server installers are all created using WIX. The tutorial below even has a custom GUI which will allow you to control what gets installed (things like a Typical or a Custom setup): http://www.tramontana.co.hu/wix/

Best of all, it is free. If you have questions, join the community via Sourceforge... most newbie answers can be found in archives, so search before you ask. As a side note, the learning curve on this one is a bit steep, but in the end, it will all pay off when you'd have created your first MSI .

 

[zetsway]

Ok maybe I didn't explain myself....Here's what I'm looking for. I have an executable (.exe) I want to turned that in a .MSI
so I can you Group Policy to push it out across the network. I was looking for something like InstallRite but I think I may have found something: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Installer
At the bottom it has several MSI creators. Thanks for everyone help.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: Dhaval00
With regards to Mark's post above, the Express editions don't include the Setup project-type. Even if you have the full version of Visual Studio, the Setup project-type is the crappiest of them all - too many dependencies, can't version properly, and too tedious and convoluted (been there, done that).

You need to look at WIX - Windows Installer XML - MS's first open-source, XML-based, lean, mean, MSI-making machine. You can do crap loads of things with it: install files, version your installers, create custom GUIs + actions, control Windows services, create Website entries in IIS, create app pools in IIS, create Windows users and set permissions on folders, execute SQL scripts, install COM+ entries, install to the GAC, and launch custom actions. To give you an idea of scalability, the Microsoft Office and SQL Server installers are all created using WIX. The tutorial below even has a custom GUI which will allow you to control what gets installed (things like a Typical or a Custom setup): http://www.tramontana.co.hu/wix/

Best of all, it is free. If you have questions, join the community via Sourceforge... most newbie answers can be found in archives, so search before you ask. As a side note, the learning curve on this one is a bit steep, but in the end, it will all pay off when you'd have created your first MSI .

I haven't heard of this before but it sounds pretty great. Thanks for the info, it may come in handy for the project I'm working on.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: zetsway
Ok maybe I didn't explain myself....Here's what I'm looking for. I have an executable (.exe) I want to turned that in a .MSI
so I can you Group Policy to push it out across the network. I was looking for something like InstallRite but I think I may have found something: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Installer
At the bottom it has several MSI creators. Thanks for everyone help.

You can just install 7-ZIP and it will do it.

Right-click on the EXE, choose "extract here..." and viola, done. I just had to do this yesterday to get to a MSI package that wasn't there.

You can edit MSI packages too by the way using Orca. You'll have to google for a link..