Installer Recommendation

Question

I would like to create a nice installer for a project I am working on to give the install process a little more "professionalism." (Currently, there are a number of steps a person would need to do to get the application to install.)

Can anybody make any recommendations for what tool set I should use to build my installer? I have seen Microsoft's installer packages and have heard of a few others, but I'm not really sure why I'd want to choose one over another. Can anybody provide some clarification and recommendations? (Even pointing me to a website that shows pros and cons would be good. I wasn't able to find something like that.)

Currently, the application exists only for Windows.

Thank you.

Answer 1

WiX is a great install package for Windows. It supports Windows Installer quite well, so is going to feel as professional and integrated as the large commercial packages on Windows.

Answer 2

Wikipedia has a list of installer software. NSIS is a strong candidate worth consideration.

Answer 3

I would look at WiX and NSIS. Both are popular open source alternatives that provide good community support and the ability to create professional installation packages.

Answer 4

If you want a simple and free solution, I suggest the highly-customisable NSIS tools. They're easy to learn and use, and can be made to look quite professional.

Answer 5

Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs. I have it to create the installers for several software packages.