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I have tried to build a MSI package for my Windows Service with WiX for a couple of days but have big problems to get it the way I need.

The documentation is very bad and then XML structure just dont feels structured. I really don't see how they could have been doing a worse job at version 3.6.

I dont want to invest all my time in the MSI package, instead I need my time in dev of the main application.

So the questions is, what MSI builder should I use If I need:

  • Set app.config settings during installation
  • Install Windows Service
  • Start Windows Service
  • Simple install/uninstall

Thats really all I need

thekbb
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Banshee
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    I've been involved in installation and deployment for about 5 years and I feel that WiX is far superior to the other tools out there. Like Simon says below, WiX forces you to have a good understanding of how Windows Installer works, which is not a bad thing. That said, there is a ton of online documentation and resources for InstallShield, so if you think it's worth the cost you may try them. – BryanJ Dec 20 '12 at 14:14
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    Its ironic because WiX is very well thought of and in my experience is stronger than a lot of stuff out there. I have cursed VS Setup projects for years because their functional limitations. My conclusion is that there is no silver bullet - any route you choose to go will contain some cost, even if you buy a product off-the-shelf. Incidentally custom action dlls will work for you to do what you want to do, either using VS Setup or Wix, but you *still* need to invest the time writing the code! – PeteH Dec 20 '12 at 16:04
  • I'd be willing to spend an hour on a WebEx with you to give you a primer to help you get traction. I'm also available for consulting. A simple installer for a service takes me about 10 minutes. – Christopher Painter Dec 20 '12 at 18:10

2 Answers2

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WiX can do all those things fairly easily (I have applications that do that and some that I use WiX to install). Problem is you have to have a pretty good understanding of Windows Installer to use WiX, as it does not really hide any of the detail from you.

The obviously alternative is InstallShield (They have a LE version that comes with VS2012 apparently, using VS2012 but not that) and Express is relatively reasonably priced.

You also may want to check out InstallAware, but I have not had good experiences with them personally when I have looked at them.

I have also been told that Advanced Installer is usable, though I have not used it myself personally.

Samuel Neff
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Simon Bull
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    The main Problem of Wix is, that it has noe useful documentation. Instead of adding features they might spend an hour or two documenting what they have done.... – Christian Sauer Dec 20 '12 at 14:05
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    If you think that its fairly easily done you are more then welcome to help me out here : http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13967551/update-app-config-from-wix-setup – Banshee Dec 20 '12 at 15:16
  • Advanced Installer has a lot of online free tutorials and a detailed documentation that you can use. Also, a very active community can be reached on its forums: http://www.advancedinstaller.com/forums/ . Its easy to use GUI I think is also what you want, as you can create a project in no time and you don't need to spend to much time to learn using it. – Bogdan Mitrache Dec 21 '12 at 11:20
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A list and description of other installation products as well as Wix: What installation product to use? InstallShield, WiX, Wise, Advanced Installer, etc

And a link to some Wix quick-start suggestions (similar articles):

Stein Åsmul
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