installaware faq

InstallAware for Windows Installer : 

InstallAware for Windows Installer

Agenda: 

Agenda Who is InstallAware? Eliminate Bloated MSI Packages One-Click Deployment of Runtimes Improve Customer Relationships Simplify and Consolidate Setup Projects Eliminate Custom Actions InstallAware 7 Feature Highlights Available Editions and Pricing

Who is InstallAware?: 

Who is InstallAware? Founded in 2003 by former InstallShield employees who sensed that InstallShield was not leading the market: Lack of innovation Hard to learn and use Thousands of outstanding work orders Copy-cat products were not innovating either

What Makes InstallAware Unique?: 

What Makes InstallAware Unique? InstallAware’s innovations save setup developers and end-users: Time Money Frustration InstallAware improves the end-user experience and the development experience.

What Makes InstallAware Unique?: 

What Makes InstallAware Unique? InstallAware provides leadership by: Making it much easier to support Microsoft standards Keeping standards from driving your processes Helping you do with your setups what was not possible before

What Makes InstallAware Unique?: 

What Makes InstallAware Unique? InstallAware makes it much easier to support Windows Installer: No proprietary database or custom action programming is required to build installations InstallAware automatically builds logo-compliant Windows Installer packages InstallAware builds setups that can be deployed unattended via Group Policy

Eliminate Bloated MSI Packages: 

Eliminate Bloated MSI Packages InstallAware reduces the size of a setup by up to 67% using the best compression available – LZMA/BCJ2. InstallAware can even re-compress files and packages that have already been compressed using other compression formats. Only InstallAware can build MSI setups with better-than-CAB compression.

Eliminate Bloated MSI Packages: 

Eliminate Bloated MSI Packages InstallAware makes it easy to download technology runtimes or optional application features only when needed/selected. InstallAware does not produce empty web based installers that force an Internet connection even to copy vital application files. Only InstallAware lets the developer choose exactly which files go online in a setup.

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes: 

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes InstallShield’s bundled runtimes can be very difficult to get working properly. Common frameworks like Microsoft .NET and SQL Server deploy very simply using InstallAware. Plus, InstallAware improves compression by as much as 67% - at no effort/cost to you.

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes: 

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes InstallAware provides one-click runtime installers for: Microsoft .NET Framework (with service packs) Microsoft SQL Server Express (custom instances) Microsoft Visual Basic VMs Microsoft Visual C++ Runtimes Crystal Reports for Microsoft .NET Framework Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) Microsoft DirectX Add your own custom runtime installers

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes: 

One-Click Deployment of Runtimes All one-click runtimes can, with one click: Add all nested dependencies to the setup project Add all necessary hardware/software requirements to the setup project Only InstallAware automatically adds the proper system checks and nested runtime dependencies.

Can I install older technologies?: 

Can I install older technologies? You can easily add any merge module or other technology installers to your setup, plus InstallAware lets you: Improve compression Run them silently Capture and display native progress Take actions based on return codes

Improve Customer Relationships: 

Improve Customer Relationships InstallAware helps you gain critical software Business Intelligence by making it much easier to: Register users online from directly within the setup dialogs Survey users when they uninstall your software Track product usage when customers check your website for updates

Improve Customer Relationships: 

Improve Customer Relationships Only InstallAware lets you handle Digital Rights Management tasks such as: Authenticating users online before they can install the product (full sample project included) Authenticating users before they download and install updates Defining application features on-the-fly, based on results of live authentication

Consolidate Setup Projects: 

Consolidate Setup Projects Do you maintain separate installers for similar products or product editions? Do you use complex automation interfaces to emit setup projects? Wish you had an easier way to manage your releases? Consolidate your projects with InstallAware.

Consolidate Setup Projects: 

Consolidate Setup Projects Only InstallAware lets you: Conditionally exclude/include files, registry keys, and other setup actions at build time Inject and customize text at build time Build multiple flavors and editions of your product from a single setup project Save yourself the complexity and overhead of managing multiple redundant setup projects

Eliminate Custom Actions: 

Eliminate Custom Actions Custom action authoring is an inherently error prone process Developing custom action DLLs requires programming skills Unforeseen scheduling errors with custom actions can lead to unexpected, hard to reproduce setup errors

Eliminate Custom Actions: 

Eliminate Custom Actions MSIcode eliminates custom actions: Only available with InstallAware, MSIcode is a human readable, linear setup script No programming skills are required to develop MSIcode scripts All common setup tasks are available as drag-drop script commands in MSIcode InstallAware converts your MSIcode script to a Windows Installer MSI database automatically at build time Let InstallAware worry about generating an MSI package that gets the job done right

What’s New with Version 7?: 

What’s New with Version 7? InstallAware supported .NET 3 and SQL Server 2005 SP2 before anyone else – just 48 hours after they shipped! These were free updates for all users. Now InstallAware is first to market with: Automatic Vista Certified logo compliancy Multi-core build engine for faster builds Ribbon toolbars and Vista Aero Glass

64 Bit Support in InstallAware 7: 

64 Bit Support in InstallAware 7 Target all 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows with one setup, one wizard. Support includes: x64 processors ia64 processors EM64T processors Windows 95 Gold through Windows Vista

Virtualization Support in InstallAware 7: 

Virtualization Support in InstallAware 7 Check to see if the setup is running on a virtualized operating system Detect if VMware or Virtual PC is hosting the OS Optionally disable setups from running when a virtual machine is detected Take specific actions when your software is being installed virtualized

Driver Installations with InstallAware 7: 

Driver Installations with InstallAware 7 Install drivers on x86, x64, and ia64 platforms Check for the presence of a device Manage signature warnings Suppress ARP applet entries Complete sample project included Based on DIFx 2.01

Windows Vista and InstallAware 7: 

Windows Vista and InstallAware 7 No matter how you author your setups – InstallAware’s output MSI is always Vista Certified logo compliant, automatically. Forget about validation suites and authoring requirements! InstallAware is the only installer to support Vista’s new Aero user interface. Create custom Aero Glass regions in your setup wizards, and don’t forget to add interactive Flash billboards!

Web Updates with InstallAware 7: 

Web Updates with InstallAware 7 Build updates from an integrated view Configure update schedules Deploy an update client that integrates with the Windows Task Scheduler Minimize updates to the system tray Deliver a completely standard user experience modeled after Windows Update No stand-alone browsers or HTML pages are launched at any time Fully customizable update user interface and logic Serve patches, full blown new version installers, or other types of applications as updates

Web Update Costs: 

Web Update Costs InstallAware Web Updates do not cost extra. In Version 6 Web Updates are included with every product version, from Express to Studio Admin editions InstallShield has removed the Update Service Starter edition, requiring their users to pay for web updates

What Else Can InstallAware Do?: 

What Else Can InstallAware Do? Run SQL Scripts on Microsoft, Oracle, or MySQL database servers Create new IIS websites, virtual folders, application pools Register assemblies, call .NET installer classes Install ODBC drivers and DSNs Install services, register file types, environment variables Share folders, set access control lists on a variety of system objects Call any custom DLL or EXE file Extend the IDE directly with custom plug-ins that participate in the build process

Express vs. Developer Edition: 

Express vs. Developer Edition Express provides point-and-click simplicity Express does not include MSIcode scripting capabilities Developer provides full scripting capabilities with advanced project samples Express uses the same project format with other InstallAware editions for instant migration

Developer vs. Studio Edition: 

Developer vs. Studio Edition Developer offers MSIcode scripting, with easy-to-learn drag-drop authoring Developer lets you fully customize the setup logic and actions Studio includes a dialog designer for your setup wizards, and a MSIcode debugger Studio offers Compiler Variables, letting you build multiple setup releases from a single source project without complex automation

Studio vs. Studio Admin Edition: 

Studio vs. Studio Admin Edition Studio Admin allows you to import and customize MSI and MSM databases Studio Admin lets you perform setup capture on existing installations to convert them into InstallAware packages The automation interface allows you to emit complete setup projects programmatically, without access to the InstallAware IDE

Pricing: 

Pricing

Licensing Options: 

Licensing Options One license is required for each developer using the IDE Floating licenses are available for non-simultaneous usage by more than one developer (+50%) No additional licenses are required for build machines with the purchase of a Studio or Studio Admin edition

Competitive Upgrades: 

Competitive Upgrades Users of any version of InstallShield, Wise, and ZeroG products are eligible Competitive upgrades qualify you for an instant 30% discount Just provide your competitive product serial number to qualify

Upgrades and Maintenance Packs: 

Upgrades and Maintenance Packs Minor version upgrades are free for life Major version upgrades are free within 3 months of your original order date Upgrades may be ordered any time at 50% of new product cost Maintenance packs are available for 1 or 2 year terms, at 45% and 80% surcharges respectively