I am working with installers at the moment, and the first thing I thought of was to put a .zip file on a server and then having it download that and extract. However, I've seen installers run without an internet connection (which wouldn't work for mine), and they say "extracting files", not downloading.
Is there some way to store files in an installer, and is there anything wrong with me having an installer like I currently do?
The overview of a Windows Installer setup is that files are typically in a CAB file as an embedded resource, and the rest of the setup is a database that contains info about the files, and items I'm going to mention here:
What you not have mentioned about your installer is files that need to go into separate locations (GAC, Common Files, User's Application Data, ProgramFiles etc); data such as registry entries, service install/stop/start, COM registration; how to maintain and upgrade the installed files (the standard is that higher versions override lower versions, updated data files don't get overwritten). Of course there are more things I haven't mentioned (Add/Remove Programs?).
So if you have only a bunch of files (and nothing else) that all go to the same location, and you're not worried about updating it (having no rules about replacing the older files) then your plan might be sufficient for your needs.
There are many types of installers, all supporting the extraction of files in the manner you speak of.
The current installation standard is MSI (Windows Installer). Here is an answer with information about Windows Installer and also other types of installers (see link on top - Non-MSI installer tools) How to create windows installer.
There is also ClickOnce - which is not my expertise, and Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 Installer Projects - a very limited form of MSI tool. Not recommended.
Inno Setup and NSIS seem to be popular, free non-MSI installers. Advanced Installer also has some free features in their mainstream tool.
Wrap C# application in .msi installer
Related
I am sorry if this is a repeat but I cannot find what I am looking for by way of the Google (mostly because I don't know what to ask).
tl;dr - Is there a way to make my C# VS Installer project ignore any versioning errors or missing files of previous installs during updated version installs?
Long Version: I have created a C# application that includes 6 files (3 programs, 2 services, and a DLL). I am using a MSI deployment project in VS to create and distribute these files, register the DLL, and install the services. The problem starts when an anti-virus or malware app removes my files (and/or reg keys, services, etc.) from the system. In order to get a new version of my app installed, the MSI must be able to uninstall the old. At this point the install fails because the files or services have been altered and the original MSI package is required. Finding the original can be tricky as my clients typically do not keep them. There were also instances, when I did not know better, when a client needed a custom change to an executable. I would simply change the file and copy it to the users install folder. This further angers the MSI Gods because the file versions are now different than the ones that were put there by the installer. What can I do to easily remove old versions of my application and install the new? I am planning a Major revision and am expecting many headaches over a hundred or so installs otherwise. What else could/should I consider in the future to avoid these issues? What have I failed to comprehend?
Scope: Now that was a lot of questions at once. Firstly, how large is your distribution? How many machines are we talking about?
FixIt: You can try this FixIt tool from Microsoft as a "quick fix", but running that on many computers manually is cumbersome to say the least. Not sure if it can be automated. Never tried.
MSI Uninstall: An MSI does not normally need the original source to uninstall, unless it erroneously calls the ResolveSource standard action or a custom action does something strange. This old answer explains in more detail: Why does MSI require the original .msi file to proceed with an uninstall?
Major Upgrade Uninstall: It could be that during a major upgrade there is some source resolution going on - frankly I am not sure. Did you try to invoke uninstall by its own, manually? In other words run an uninstall command only, and not install the new version on top of the old one and do a major upgrade uninstall? I will run a test when I get a chance.
Section 3 here: Uninstalling an MSI file from the command line without using msiexec
How can I find the product GUID of an installed MSI setup?
Fresh Installation Location: As a workaround you could install your new version in a different place than your old version and de-couple it from the past versions. There could be conflicts in terms of COM servers and other global registrations, but if there isn't you can just leave the old version in place (potentially removing its shortcuts) and leave it there. Emergency "solution".
Self-Repair / Resiliency: MSI "knows" what you installed. It tries to actively maintain that installation state as explained here: Why does the MSI installer reconfigure if I delete a file?. Don't fight MSI - it fights back. Try to follow the paradigm - or you get a ride with the windmill :-).
Virustotal.com: One measure against malware inclusions or false-positive detection and file quarantine is to use an online service which scans your binaries with many malware scanners. Virustotal.com is such a service. Upload your finished setup and maybe also binaries there to see what different tools do to your binaries. Sorry if this is obvious, adding as a tip for whoever else reads this.
Bogdan Mitrache: https://www.advancedinstaller.com/antivirus-whitelisting.html
Section 7 in this answer: How do I avoid triggering MSI self-repair with my WiX / MSI package?
Links:
How to build MSI package on a linux server?
How do I avoid distributing sensitive information in my MSI by accident?
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/setup/resolving-prompts-for-source/
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/setup/resolvesource-requires-source/
I am trying to create an installation for my project. I am using MS Access DataBase and for it to work Access DataBase Engine is required. If i download that engine https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54920 from here and install it, program works.
How can i add that installation to my installation?
I am using Visual Studio 2015, C# and OLEDb.
Short Version: In essence you will need a deployment tool. List view of major deployment tools. Maybe that list view is the easiest overview? (a sense of scope). Much more detail below (and too many links too).
Details: There is some prerequisite functionality available in Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 Installer Projects, but I am unfamiliar with the details. I find this project type inadequate for real deployment work for a lot of reasons (lacking features and some odd implementations). More on this here - a few concrete problems to consider.
Several commercial tools will do this for you with special features to help make it quick(er). I verified that Advanced Installer can do it (and here is a great gateway to all things Advanced Installer. Some free features available). I assume Installshield can do it as well (certainly for other runtimes, didn't verify this particular one). Generally it will be handled by a setup.exe bootstrapper / chainer embedding all runtimes along with your own MSI file(s).
In other tools, you will have to do it yourself, by figuring out command lines and how to handle error conditions. There are some hints here (not tested by me - a google sweep will give you more): https://www.itninja.com/software/microsoft/access-runtime/2016-1
Get more command line info by going accessruntime_4288-1001_x64_en-us.exe /?:
WiX is free and open source - with a relatively hefty learning curve if you don't know MSI, and contains a bootstrapper feature called "Burn". Here is the documentation for: How To: Install the .NET Framework Using Burn (first read the "Building Installation Package Bundles" instructions in "Step 1"). A real-world Burn sample. And some sample source markup.
Some developers recommend the dotnetinstaller bootstrapper. Not something I know much about. It is just a bootstrapper. Runs things in sequence for you.
If you are doing in-house or ad-hoc deployment, even a batch file could do the job I suppose, but if you do that for a real product for large-scale and generalized deployment I would be very worried indeed. If there is one thing we hate as deployment specialists, I'd say it is batch files embedded in packages. Batch files (and scripts) are system administrator tools, not general deployment tools.
Some Older Links:
Executable files to MSI installer
How do Installation Software Programs Extract Files?
Create MSI or setup project with Visual Studio 2012
How to make an installer that automatically install all the prerequisite programs for the application
Windows service NOT shown in add remove programs under control panel
How to make an installer that automatically install all the prerequisite programs for the application
Wix - How to run/install application without UI
Visual Studio setup projects have a Prerequisites choice in the project's properties. This allows you to choose from a list of standard prerequisites and generate a setup.exe that will install the prerequisites and then install your MSI. The Access Runtime doesn't appear in later versions of setup projects because (I assume) Access 2013 ended mainstream support in 2018. The way to add your own prerequisites to this mechanism was with the Bootstrap Manifest Generator, which is perhaps still available but not well documented:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165429.aspx
Apart from that I'd recommend that you learn how to build a WiX Burn bootstrapper executable that will install the Access Runtime and then install your MSI (which you still build with Visual Studio if you need to). If you do a search for that you'll find this kind of thing:
WiX - Install Prerequisites and 3rd party applications
https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/cb88b2/installing-prerequisites-using-wix-bootstrapper-project-and/
These will explain how to build the Xml to check whether the Access Runtime is installed and the command to use to install it. This is a much better choice than the Bootstrap Manifest Generator.
I have a windows form c-sharp application developed for windows 10. When I am trying to make installer, I cannot find "microsoft database engine 2010" (important for my app) under the "prerequisite" as shown below:
I do not want my customer to separately download it and install it. So is there a way I can generate an installer that will install complete software along with microsoft database engine 2010 ( if it is not already installed on the system) ?
I have never used this runtime, but did you do a Google search? It looks like the runtime is available: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13255. I am sure you did. Perhaps it is the wrong one? Or a format you can't use I guess.
The downloads are x86 and 64-bit versions in EXE format. The EXE files have embedded MSI files (Windows Installer) that you can extract, or you should be able to just run the EXE in silent mode (probably safest). Do a AccessDatabaseEngine_X64.exe /? to get a list of parameters.
Merge Modules
Normally you can use a merge module to add a runtime component to your own MSI at compile time, but this runtime may not be available in this format. Instead you can use a bootstrapper of some kind to run your own MSI installer and this prerequisite database engine runtime MSI / EXE in sequence (or even just a batch file - see towards the bottom).
Bootstrappers
The WiX toolkit (which is a better way to make MSI files than Visual Studio Installer Projects - see the link for some details) features a bootstrapper called Burn - it can install both EXE and MSI files in sequence. There are also other bootstrappers available, but I haven't tried them. Here is a description of some bootstrappers from earlier: Wix - How to run/install application without UI.
As you will see in the link immediately above, there is a sample of the WiX bootstrapper Burn in use here: https://github.com/frederiksen/Classic-WiX-Burn-Theme (it even shows a WiX MSI package as well). WiX and Burn does have a learning curve.
There may be simpler options available using Visual Studio Installer Projects that I am not aware of, but I think you need a bootstrapper to install several MSI files in sequence. As far as I can see these Installer Projects support only the listed prerequisites that you show in your screenshot to download and install on demand, and they seem to allow the addition of (any) standard merge module. It is very strange that you can't tell the Installer Project's setup.exe to kick off the install of any MSI as a prerequisite considering that the whole feature is made to install prerequisites in the first place. PhilDW will surely be able to tell you with certainty.
Commercial tools such as Advanced Installer or Installshield also have features to allow you to bundle setups, in various formats, together for installation in sequence. It might be a feature in the Premium or most expensive edition in Installshield's case. Not sure for Advanced Installer. Bogdan Mitrache will be able to tell us - they may do it better. I don't want to claim something I am not sure of - things like these change as new versions are released (may obviously also be the case for Installshield).
Batch File, PowerShell Script
In closing I should add that you can obviously use a batch file to install files in sequence (or a PowerShell script - which would depend on .NET though). For example wrapped in a self-extracting archive. You can quickly try the built in iexpress.exe self-extracting tool in Windows: Hold down Windows Key and tap R, enter iexpress and press Enter. Click through the options. Be very aware of the security vulnerabilities iexpress suffers from!
Not sure how well well these wrappers clean up their temporary files (particularly if there are errors during installation) - which could be ugly and annoying, but it should work. A bootstrapper can do a lot more though - such as provide a real GUI for your users and handle error conditions among other things.
Security problems with deployment solutions is a pet peeve of mine, so I want to add a link to this: Prevent DLL Hijacking Burn with Clean Room. A WiX Burn issue fixed in the latest version of WiX (as of Jan.2018). As you can see, the allure and simplicity of iexpress.exe generally does not make up for its security shortcomings. It is most definitely not good enough for a world-wide, large-scale, public release.
Should you want to use a batch file or PowerShell for the installation, then the following answer provides some information on using the msiexec.exe command line, and there is also a link to another answer which deals with PowerShell installation: How can I use powershell to run through an installer?
I'm developing an open source C# application. For awhile now, I've been using a basic .NET installer I coded myself. However, with a recent change, that is no longer practical for me, as I'd have to add a large number of files to the installer - and they may change with each release. A ZIP file is also not practical.
I've done some checking online, I see a lot of MSI, ClickOnce, Self-extracting ZIPs, and (imo the most promising) the NSIS system. None of them seem to exactly fit my needs, so I'm looking for advice on which system to use.
Actual installing of my program is very simple. Basically, I just need to copy the bin\Release directory (and all subdirs) to the client's computer. I've been achieving this somewhat ad-hoc, by embedding every file in my .NET installer, and maintaining a file table of what goes where.
Unfortunately, I just localized my app. I now have 30+ .resx files (Which are compiled to dlls and placed into MORE subdirectories by Visual Studio) and, obviously, it's impractical to add 30+ folders and DLLs to my installer. Hence why I'm on this search.
There's also a few other requirements:
The installer should search predefined directories for a specified .exe. (My app is designed to be a drop in replacement) If the .exe is not found, it should prompt for its location
The installer should verify that "OldApp.exe.bak" exists. If not, it should rename "OldApp.exe" to "OldApp.exe.bak"
The installer should update files. Ie, if "Culture.de.dll" hasn't changed, the installer will leave it alone.
The installer should work with all Windows versions of all .NET IDEs (VS, SharpDevelop, Mono, ect) but does not need to work on other platforms.
When I build the solution, the installer should be automatically regenerated. In other words, it should be run-able for by "Post-build" section.
The installer generation must be able to be added to a source code repo. This is so that anyone who downloads the source of my app can compile the installer as well.
Sorry for the long post, I figured it was better to post more than less.
I'd recommend SharpSetup. It combines WiX and C# for a pretty flexible implementation. Not much I've found it can't accomplish.
We use WIX extensively: http://wix.codeplex.com/
You may have to customize your installers with some exit routines to do things out of the ordinary, but there are hooks in Windows Installer framework that let you do that.
You can put these definition files (XML) in your source control, and you can configure a build to execute the installation. However, anyone that gets your source would need to have the WIX utilities installed.
I would recommend NSIS. From my experience any installer feature that I have required has been covered in NSIS documentation or community examples. I can't comment on NSIS integration with Visual Studio as I use NSIS integrated with my Jenkins build server. There appears to be a free Visual Studio Add-In called Visual & Installer which provides NSIS integration with Visual Studio. I have not personally used it but it appears to be currently actively developed so might be worth checking out.
WIX is a good one. According to Wikipedia, it is used by Microsoft to produce installers for some of their own products.
I develop application in C# with MSVC 2010 Express, with Forms/WPF/etc.
Application consist of some private assemblies (maybe DLLs) and .exe file. It uses .NET 4 features.
How I deploy this application to other computers? Of course if they have .NET 4 I just can send zip of .exe with .dlls and it work. But if they don't have .NET at all (on Win XP machine)? Or maybe they have lower version of .NET? Should I point them to install .NET from internet or package it with my app or what?
Thanks
There is click-once deploy from microsoft. It automates most of the tasks, including making sure you have the right .Net version and updating the app if a new version of your app is available.
You should create a installer package. If you are using the express versions of visual studio, you can use some free tools for this like WiX or Inno Setup. WiX is perhaps a difficult option to start with, but has a lot of flexibility. There are tutorials and example projects to modify to adapt them to your needs.
http://www.tramontana.co.hu/wix/
This tools create installers that can check if a certain version of the .NET framework is installed on the user computer, among other conditions. You can also include the .NET redistributable in your package, or point the user to download and install it.
We try to keep deployment as simple as possible, and one of the things we do is to ensure our application is just a single executable, no support files needed.
We several steps to get there:
Make sure all dependent resource files are stored in embedded resources where possible, and not on disk
Use ILmerge to link all assemblies into a single executable
Optional - obfuscate the assembly
Optional - If some parts cannot be ILMerged or obfuscated, forcing us to have multiple files, we use Xenocode's PostBuild to link all files into a single executable. Xenocode offers a virtual filesystem to do this. This also allows framework embedding so your app will run on a clean Windows install - no dependencies need to be installed :-)
Wrap the single executable into an msi installer using WiX
Wrap the single executable into click once deployment. For this we also use a little stub launcher executable which starts the main application, allowing us to reuse the same main application executable
Create a zip file of just the single file executable for manual installation.
We the following on our downloads site:
the MSI installer - we prefer people to use this one
A zip file with the Xenocoded (single file) executable
A zip file with the Xenocoded (single file) executable including the .NET Framework
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324733
Yes, you should point them to install .NET. Otherwise it won't be possible for them to run your application.
You didn't say what type of clients they are (are you making a small app for your friends to use or are they paying customers), but whatever the case may be, I'm always completely against sending a zip file with an instruction document describing what to do with it and what folder to extract it to. As Remy said, ClickOnce is not a bad idea, but I've found it to be a bit of a pain to set up (once you get it set up, though, it works just fine). On the other hand, a Deployment project is simpler and if I were you, that would be the first thing I'd explore.
Use xenocode here
http://spoon.net/Studio/
No need to install anything.
It converts your exe to Native code indirectly and you can run anywhere on windows system.
It also has some option of adding framework inside and the total exe size will be somewhere arround 10MB + Your application exe size..
Thanks
yes! you have to give some general instruction about prerequisites to run your software and in that you can mention the Framework version 3.5 or 4.0 and other utilities you require.
please refer this document for Choosing a Deployment Strategy in Visual studio 2010 may this can help you
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/e2444w33.aspx
when you package you application,you shoud include the .NET Framework
Check out Inno : http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php
It's free and pretty simple.
OTOH I've seen QTTabBar using it in its' codebase and it was literally one single text file (setup.iss). Let me see if I can find URL to their SourceForge page so you can see the source and the build ... There is it http://qttabbar.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/qttabbar/trunk/Install/ If you grab the source tree you can probably re-fit it for your app in a day.