Is it feasible/sensible to wrap an Inno Setup installer inside an MSI for easier distribution via AD?

Question

Our installer is written with Inno Setup and we are actually quite happy with it. Yet some customers keep asking for an MSI installer which they could more easily distribute

Answer 1

Its pretty easy to make a wrapper kit that automatically installs INNOSETUPper from MSI. For basic functionality (install/uninstall) this is enough. Most setuppers do not implement repair anyway.

1. create silent.inf script for INNO Setup (optional)

2. create install.bat that calls

   myinnosetup.exe /silent /NOCANCEL /norestart /Components="xxx"

   you can use /verysilent
   you can load settings from silent.inf with /LOADINF="silent.inf"

3. create MSI setup file that calls install.bat ( with parameters if necessary)

4. deliver all 4 files to your customer and they can deploy your Inno setupper with SMS or ActiveDirectory and everyone is happy :)

Answer 2

although the last comment is feasible and workable, moving to MSI is the best way to handle this.

almost all large organisations stipulate MSI only, there are multitudes of reasons why.

1) first is ease of deployment 2) more important to some is application sociability 3) self healing

inno setup and other such tools not implementing Windows Installer simply cannot offer application sociability in the same ways as windows installer.

you have to understand Inno setup is software designed to deploy a single application.

Windows Installer is an entire framework to deal with sociability, user impersonation, user elevation, self healing, user profile fix up.

They two are not even remotely close in functionality, inno setup in my mind is completely and utterly way off course in terms of comparing with windows installer.

Can it create successful installers ? yes Is it easy to use ? yes Does it create good single installers ? yes Is it the best choice for enterprise ? no

The earliest tools developed by microsoft "SMS Installer" was innosetup 10 years ago. Things have changed drastically in the install world and inno setup simply hasnt kept up with the pace of that change.

Answer 3

It makes no sense mixing install technologies.

If you are mixing you getting the first problem with the uninstall stuff. without changes you get 2 uninstallers of your program.

there are some articles starting with windows installer in the "entwickler magazine"

• Entwickler Magazin (Ausgabe: 03.09/15.04.2009) Artikel: MSI-Pakete mit Open-Souce-Software erzeugen Teil 4
• Entwickler Magazin (Ausgabe: 02.09/12.02.2009) Artikel: MSI-Pakete mit Open-Souce-Software erzeugen Teil 3
• Entwickler Magazin (Ausgabe: 01.09/10.12.2008) Artikel: MSI-Pakete mit Open-Souce-Software erzeugen Teil 2
• Entwickler Magazin (Ausgabe: 06.08/15.10.2008) Artikel: MSI-Pakete mit Open-Souce-Software erzeugen

http://entwickler-magazin.de/

windows installer should be the only technology for your installations. its future proof and its stable!

Answer 4

I need to input a custome value on the silent.inf (not a stablished inno setup setting value) dosent look like LOADINF allows for that.

Note:If you use makemsi you do not have to include a bat as you can use $WrapInstall.