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can anybody recommend a good open source or free installer authoring package? also at the risk of sounding a hypocrite can anyone suggest simple copy protection approach? i thought of having the app write a file off somewhere first time it is run or something like that
I've been using Visual Studio own setup projects interface, so I no longer use external tools for some time. But you there's not much you can do in Windows platforms. In fact there's only two I generic installers that are free. I never heard of anything else:
Inno Setup - Free
NSIS - OpenSource
As for copy protection. Inno Setup supports password protected install and frankly you shouldn't want anything more than that. Whatever you choose, how many promises are made to you from those "ultimate" copy protection tools, how much time you spend devising your own copy protection mechanism, it is useless.
My recommendation is Inno Setup.
thanks, i was hoping to hear of a setup writer that also offers some kind of copy protect so i will try it out. it would have to update itself somehow after single use though? i need to make sure the exe only runs when the installer has been the medium to deploy also then. i realise hackers win but i only wish to deter joe user, and you mean ide can offer a packaging of project?
Setup and deployment in MSVS is quite good if you know how to get it to do more than the default 'stuff'. It can be altered to do more and there is more information on it in the help files.
Recently I've noticed several apps and games that are just using the MSVS deployment tool and are using the default dialogs. If that isn't sufficient, and for most it isn't, then do some research about the tool. It can do much more than the default dialogs provide.