Wise for Windows Installer

Wise for Windows Installer makes it easy to produce a professional setup program within minutes of installing the program, and yet retains the flexibility for more advanced users to make the most out of Windows Installer.

The main area for creating your setup program is the 'Installation Expert'. The tasks you need to perform are split into 6 steps, making it easy to step your way through the whole process without any confusion.

The first stage allows you to specify the components that make up your installation. This makes it possible for the user to perform a custom installation if he or she wants, and also offers more flexibility over the whole installation. You can specify the default state for the component (ie Installed, Run from Server, Run from CD, Not Installed), and can even specify conditions to hide a component depending on the target PC's configuration. Even this first step is far more flexible than the Visual Studio Installer which does not allow you to set components at all.

The next step is to specify the files for each component and their location when installed. This is not quite as easy as it should be, as it is not immediately obvious where you should put the files, and a slightly non-standard directory browsing (ie no My Documents) for which you cannot choose a folder by typing the path or get it to automatically go to a default path makes the process harder than it should be, but it does not present any major draw back.

The next few stages allow you to specify shortcuts to be added, registry entries, ini files to be edited, and even services and ODBC connections to be added, again highlighting areas that the Visual Studio Installer lacks. The configuration section allows you to give installation conditions by specifying a supported OS's, screen resolutions and colour depths.