Date parsed: 05/01/2008 20:42:20
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2008 04:42:20 -0800 (PST)

(Note: this was intended to be a multi-post, but google was not able
to post it also to microsoft.public.dotnet.general, so I'm cross-
posting it separately)


Hello,

I am about to write a SETUP program for a .NET Application, and I am
unsure which tool would fit best. I would be very grateful for some
help on this topic.


1) The application will need the following components:

---

1a) .NET Framework 1.1.4322
1b) MDAC 2.6
1c) Drivers for MS Access (are these included in MDAC??)
1d) Various DLLs which will reside in the program directory


2) Other needs:

---

2a) The setup and the application should at least run on Win2K, Win XP
and Vista.


2b) I would prefer an EXE file for setup.


2c) The app will be distributed via Web and via CD-ROM. For the web
version, the setup should be as small as possible. Therefore, the main
setup should only contain the core application files WITHOUT framework
and MDAC. Only if these components are not yet installed on the
client's machine, they should be downloaded in a second step.


2d) During the setup, the user should be able to select two
directories (for program and data), and after this step, some
information needs to be written either to the registry or into a XML
configuration file.


3) My Questions:

---

3a) Which tool would be the best? I am looking for a tool which is
easy to use for beginners , but yet powerful to use on the long run. I
read various articles on Installshield, WISE, InstallAware, VStudio
Setup, but I am unsure which one to use.


3b) Is there a general need to distribute multiple language versions
of the framework and MDAC, or is the english version sufficient for
all languages of Windows?


3c) Some tools seem to generate MSI setups only, no EXE, is this
right?


Many thanks in advance!


Georg Scholz