How to make a software from .exe become .msi?

[mazin]

WinINSTALL LE is a great application but is this a "stable" solution? Does each program created with WinInstall LE work for 100%? What`s your experiences?

Well!

First, WinINSTALL LE (free edition) is no longer available or supported on

the owners' site (www.ondemandsoftware.com).

Second, I'm not sure if the link in Post #28 is for the free edition.

Third, yes, WinInstall LE creates stable MSIs.

As long as you clean the MSI immediately before compressing it,

you should get a reliable package.

Even with commercial applications like WISE or InstallShield,

you still need to clean the created MSI.

This is because when you create a snapshot, some files not related

to your package are added.

Not only foreign files are added, but also some foreign reg keys and such.

Fourth, the main purpose I've used WinInstall LE for is editing MSIs

rather than creating them.

[embe]

Third, yes, WinInstall LE creates stable MSIs.

As long as you clean the MSI immediately before compressing it,

you should get a reliable package.

Everything sound like you`re satisfied with it. The question is "cleaning" of MSI. I found WinInstall LE creates not only MSI file but also some other folders and registry stuff which is normal. The question is how I recognize what to delete (clean) and how to do so? Just simply by deleting?

[svgusta]

I am not sure of what you mean, but you may use wininstall to remove the unwanted "things" , eg. registry settings and temp files or other. Open the package with wininstall and remove what you want.

When you uninstall with the same msi , the unwanted settings will also be removed

[RogueSpear]

Repacking applications is not an exact science. At least this cleaning up part that we're now talking about. I've been doing this for over three years now and it's largly the experience of doing it hundreds of times that leads to success. Not all applications follow the same guidelines either. Repacking something like Crap Cleaner is basically "Repacking 101" whereas repacking something along the lines of Wireshark is a bit more advanced.

So how do you know what belongs and what doesn't? There is no hard and fast answer to that. Generally anything you see that would be considered a temporary file or a file that would be a unique seed file (like CryptNetCache) are good candidates. Registry entries can be far trickier. You will need to aquire an intimate knowledge of the registry and how it works, but it's similar in that you want to often remove registry entries that are clearly OS related but at the same time not related to your application. For instance entries relating to Most Recently Used (MRU) lists, DHCP, certificates, etc.

[mazin]

Yes! And when the app you are packaging requires a restart, the cleanup process gets worse. But it's worth doing it when a MSI is the best choice for you.