I have to create an installation file for ActiveX components. This ActiveX components will be downloaded as an *.exe installer file, executing this installer file will install the required ActiveX components on the user's PC.
To create such an installation file I came across two installer software -
So which of the above option is preferable or any other options?
In visual studio, you can also create an installer project for your Active X which uses the windows installer.
InstallShield is superior to NSIS. However, because NSIS is free and enough for your needs, I recommend using it.
The only thing InstallShield has going for it is its IDE. And as it turns out, it works decently well for very basic installers when you don't need to write a line of code. However, when you need to create custom tasks and get into InstallShield's scripting language, it's a very clunky and unpleasant experience.
In terms of reliability, flexibility, speed, and size, NSIS is far superior to InstallShield. I know it's a bold claim. But you can read about my install system saga here and what led me to NSIS... http://swortham.blogspot.com/2008/02/nsis-another-gem-from-nullsoft.html