Question

I am using visual c# express 2010. I need an installer that will allow a person to choose where to install the application, and as well as install the .Net framework.. I also need customize what the nstaller looks like.. Are there any installers I can use that are easy to use? I am 16, so I am not that good at installers and stuff.

Answer 1

Seeing how young you are I’m guessing that this should be free or as close to free as possible. There are several options for making installers with free software though.

Wix (http://wix.sourceforge.net/) is an xml based solution which lets you quite quicly put up a simple installer and is supported (or maybe even run?) by Microsoft. I’ve tried it on a few occasions but never really tried to customize it a part from switching the logo.

I personaly prefer NSIS (http://nsis.sourceforge.net/) since it gives you a full scripting language (even though it might not look like much from the start) but it allows you to customize your installer in an excellent way. Below is a quick sample of how little is needed for a basic installer (borrowed from Wikipedia)

!include MUI.nsh
Name "My installer"
OutFile "setup.exe"
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_WELCOME
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_LICENSE "license.rtf"
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_DIRECTORY
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_COMPONENTS
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_INSTFILES
!insertmacro MUI_PAGE_FINISH
!insertmacro MUI_LANGUAGE "English"
!insertmacro MUI_LANGUAGE "German"
!insertmacro MUI_LANGUAGE "French"
Section "Extract makensis"
  SetOutPath $INSTDIR
  File ..\makensis.exe
SectionEnd

Another option I’ve been hearing a lot of good about is InnoSetup (http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php) though I haven’t tested it myself and can’t really vouch for anything about it.