Powerful and easy to use Windows Installer authoring tool

Advanced Installer

Advanced Installer

  -  295 MB  -  Freeware
  • Latest Version

    Advanced Installer 22.2 LATEST

  • Review by

    Daniel Leblanc

  • Operating System

    Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 / Windows 11

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    Caphyon Ltd / External Link

  • Filename

    advinst.msi

  • MD5 Checksum

    b995b6683211adf14d58872e6bbb3643

Advanced Installer is a Windows Installer authoring tool which enables developers and system administrators to easily build reliable MSI packages that meet the latest Microsoft Windows logo certification requirements and follow the recommended Windows Installer best practices. Enjoy!

Advanced Installer is released under a very flexible licensing model. The core application is 100% free to use for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Features and Highlights

Save on training costs
User friendly, completely GUI driven, with no scripts to learn, no databases to edit and no XML to write

Save time to market
Develop with wizards, import existing IDE projects, integrate into automated build tools and source control systems.

Save on development costs
Hundreds of powerful features ready to use with just a few mouse clicks. Tons of functionality configurable for your installers.

Reduce your support costs
A fewer number of incidents due to improper installers. Enjoy reliable installers crafted with an obsessive attention to detail.

Save on additional tool purchases
Included updater, launcher, bootstrapper, trialware, serial validation, dialog editor, additional languages, and countless others.

Increase customer satisfaction
Robust installers based on standard Windows Installer technology offering rollbacks, patches, auto-updates, etc.

Save on consulting
Advanced Installer's fanatical support team stands ready to help you with any installer questions you may have.

Save on migration tools
Leverage existing investments. Repackage older installers, import MSIs, WiX projects. Use open formats, avoid proprietary traps.

Note: This is a unified package containing the complete AdvancedInstaller application, which includes Freeware, Professional, For Java, Enterprise, and Architect features. Freeware features can be accessed at any time by creating a project of type "Simple".

  • Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshot 1
  • Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshot 2
  • Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshot 3
  • Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshot 4
  • Advanced Installer 22.2 Screenshot 5

What's new in this version:

Advanced Installer 22.2
New:
- Create a nested context menu for File Associations from an MSI, using Sparse Packages
- Nested Context Menu for MSIX Packages on Windows 10
- Redesigned CustomActions View using WinUI

Enhanced:
- Ability to conditionally use the "Extract Archive" support
- Ribbon improvements for Project Summary
- Modernized information window pop-up with WinUI
- Update .NET prerequisites and Windows App Runtime to the latest version (6.0.35 & 8.0.10 & 1.6.1)
- Update SQL Server and VC++ prerequisites to the latest versions

Fixed:
- The prerequisite progress bar didn’t work for multilingual packages on non-English OS display languages
- The Prerequisite feature was not correctly determining installation conditions
- Custom Action Properties reset when adding another Custom Action of the same type
- Windows Firewall rules were not correctly imported into the MSM packages
- The "Mark component as 64-bit" option was not preserved when copying registry values
- Invalid MSI identifier string error when using MSI QuickEdit
- QuickEditing an MSI caused changes in UI-related tables
- Crash when deleting a service from a project containing only MSIX builds
- Infinite prompts for the "Select PowerShell script file source" dialog when previously canceled
- Fixed folder duplication during the preserve operation if the folder name contained a version number
- The builds parameter did not work for the /NewPrerequisite and /UpdatePrerequisite commands
- The project was not marked as modified when pasting a registry key
- EnhancedUI.exe was packaged unsigned in our advinst.msi setup
- Fixed the Close button misalignment when using Custom frame with the Graphite theme
- Custom Action return code was ignored when added to Init Events of the WelcomeDlg dialog
- SVG images could not be loaded from folders located on the C:\ drive
- Crash on WinUI when closing the application and using Azure Key Vault (only on Windows 10)


Advanced Installer 22.1
New features:
- Predefined custom action to copy Current User registry values to all users during installation

Enhancements:
- PowerShell automation support to add "Copy File/Folder" custom action
- Modernized About dialog, MessageBox dialog, and SolutionContent dialog using WinUI
- Added info tip to clarify custom action runs on all stages when “Last Stage” is unchecked
- Improved IIS WWW Root path when the IIS feature was not enabled
- New command line option for /GenerateAssets to support relative and absolute paths
- Option to evaluate custom launch conditions during development
- Updated SQLite and zlib to their latest versions
- Added message prompts for empty Repository Manager pages
- Enhanced property creation by preventing the automatic formatting of references
- Updated Italian dictionary
- Updated .NET Prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.33, 8.0.8)
- Added Net Framework 4.8.1 Launch Conditions

Fixed:
- Fixed an issue in User Interface Themes where the Preview was not updating for Dialog or Banner bitmaps in version 22.0
- The CopyToUserProfile functionality was copying existing disk information to all user profiles, instead of limiting the operation to installer-defined data only
- The "Call function from standard DLL" action didn’t invoke the specified function
- "Digitally sign the script" option was wrongfully enabled for "Script from disk" PowerShell custom actions
- Custom Language Code in Summary Info was reset during build
- Fixed crash when attempting to remove a registry entry after repackaging
- 64-bit decimal registry (REG_QWORD) was created as a binary registry type (REG_BINARY) when the "Mark component as 64-bit" option was used
- Fixed crash when copy-pasting, and changing sequence on SQL connection
- Crash occurred during Test Installation with an empty Advanced CAB layout
- "UpdatePrerequisite" command failed to work as expected
- Patch was not applied when the Target MSI had Embedded UI enabled
- Fixed download link for Microsoft WebView2 predefined prerequisite
- MSIX Bundle Import failed to map resources correctly according to sub-builds
- Rebuild command ignored the -buildslist parameter
- Property fields for "Call method from .NET Assembly" custom action were corrupted when using separators
- Prerequisite progress bar didn't function for non-English language packages
- AppV5 changes are not saved after closing and reopening the project
- App Installer theme crashes on some Windows 10 versions when pressing the "About" image button


Advanced Installer 22.0
New features:
- New WinUI theme for the Auto-Updater
- Gallery with ready-to-use sample projects and tutorials

Enhanced:
- Predefined custom action: Copy File to User Profile
- Predefined custom action: Exit Early
- New environment variable for accessing the latest advancedinstaller.com path
- Added the -locid parameter to the SetProperty command, allowing you to specify a custom localization identifier
- Predefined launch condition for SQL Server Express 2022
- Added new options to NewPrerequisite and UpdatePrerequisite commands
- UI improvements in Organization view
- Update .NET Prerequisites to the latest version
- Update Java prerequisites to the latest versions

Fixed:
- Feature size is not displayed when using MSI Embedded UI
- The icon for the EXE patch file cannot be configured in Patch projects
- Languages for the missing localization identifiers are displayed twice when building a mixed 32/64-bit package
- The prerequisite command line is set before the MSI process starts during a silent or basic UI installation
- Translated string changes are not reflected until you change the view
- Stack trace after capturing App-V build with Repackager
- New project/Return to project shortcut (CTRL + N) leads to a blank page
- The "Source file not found" error is displayed when a prerequisite performs a machine reboot
- Fixed issue where install-only custom actions incorrectly execute during uninstall
- No notification should be displayed when opening a template project
- Additional space set for a component is reset if higher than 2048 MB
- The default command line for the custom Sign Tool is invalid in patch projects
- Fixed the "Vector too long" error for MSIX build when the Logo image is renamed/removed from the disk
- Universal Windows views are not shown in the Left Pane when needed
- Typing Chinese characters does not work in the latest versions
- Prerequisites created with a newer version are incorrectly loaded from the repository
- Fixed the error: The digital signature of the object did not verify on the merge module build when verifying the digital signature
- Fixed Surface themes translation issues
- Already installed prerequisites are checked for installation on PrerequisitesDlg when using WinUI
- URL-based prerequisites fail to be installed when they are scheduled silently after the main package
- Random Stack Trace occurs when resizing the Behavior panel on the Dialogs page
- File Association is triggering repair for .AIP extension
- “Go to Table Editor” option from Issue List and Search Results doesn't work
- Project Summary won't load after importing Repackaging Results
- Addressed issue with prerequisites extraction folder names being too long
- Selecting an external file that's currently in use results in an error during installation
- The installation window silently crashes when trying to open AboutDlg from ProgressPrereqDlg


Advanced Installer 21.9
New:
- Nested Context Menus for File Associations in MSIX

Enhanced:
- Move/Copy operation now completes after Reboot when file is in use
- Add reboot option for NewPrerequisite and UpdatePrerequisite command line
- Add translations for default strings
- Add support for remembering the last used build
- Add BrowseDlg dialog support in the AppInstaller theme
- Refactoring the build log for improved clarity and efficiency
- Add support for Java 19, 20, 21, and 22 versions for Java products and Launch Condition

Fixed:
- Fix EXE icon issue in non-English language projects
- Fix bug where the description field fails to set MSI name in UAC using trusted signing
- Resolve the issue with the "Install side-by-side" option not always being preserved on upgrades
- Fix the error causing files to be digitally signed twice in an MSIX build
- Correct reboot prompt behavior during uninstallation
- Address the logo overlapping with dialog elements on PrepareDlg for Surface theme variations that use two colors
- Crash on builds view when editing an App-V package
- The installer hangs when the "Display error message" Custom Action is used on a dialog
- Size doubles in the Control Panel after “Modify a package” that uses custom ARP
- The file can not be removed from the project after version sync and unsync
- Rendering issues with SetupTypeDlg dialog icons on the Serene theme
- Resolved an issue where the system did not prompt for the certificate password when the entered password was incorrect
- Fix scheduled task that failed if it was scheduled to run at task creation
- Uninstall certificate CA does not work if the thumbprint contains uppercase letters
- Per build default file path is not updated if changing the source


Advanced Installer 21.8.2
- The Visual Studio extension failed loading new projects


Advanced Installer 21.8.1
- Embedded UI installations hang instead of displaying Files in Use dialog


Advanced Installer 21.7.1
- Trial users may encounter errors when building their projects


Advanced Installer 21.7
New:
- Azure Trusted Signing support in Visual Studio Extension
- PowerShell support for Trusted Signing

Enhancements:
- Updated Korean localization
- Each setup package now extracts temporary files into its unique folder
- Updated the source for downloading the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
- Updated Python prerequisite to the latest version 3.12.3
- Updated .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.29, 7.0.18, 8.0.4)

Fixed:
- The Convert Paths wizard now successfully resolves the SignTool Custom Path field
- "Refresh the current dialog" now works with MSI Embedded UI
- Fixed validation errors for mandatory fields in the Digital Signature section when signing is disabled
- Fixed the PrerequisiteSelector dialog issue that incorrectly checked prerequisites scheduled to be skipped
- Fixed prerequisite skipping on non-English machines
- Corrected the "MSI from EXE" wizard to use the "Same as main package" option for UI Level
- Fixed an invalid command line error for a prerequisite set to Silent Install when the main package is installed using the /qb! Parameter
- Product and company names are now fully displayed in dialogs
- Text on the Dark AppInstaller theme is now visible
- The second repair no longer triggers the "Cab file not found error"
- Fixed appxbundle installation issues
- Files are now displayed in the Files and Folders view when editing specific MSI in Advanced Installer
- View Readme and Launch application options are now displayed on the ExitDialog during Maintenance
- Controls on new dialogs are now working as expected when the "User Interface" project segment is checked
- Added validation for the shortcut name in the Icon Table


Advanced Installer 21.6.1
- Digitally sign your files using Azure Trusted Signing


Advanced Installer 21.6
New:
- Custom context menu for file associations installed via MSIX

Improved:
- Predefined Prerequisite for .NET on ARM machines
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.28, 7.0.17, 8.0.3)
- Java Launcher DPI awareness
- Build log warning for untranslated strings in multi-language projects
- Suppress toast notifications for uninstalling older versions
- Updated hyperlink control on publish event
- Support the latest OpenJDK bundles for macOS builds
- Updated MSIX schema for 23H2

Fixed:
- Fixed translation issue when using the "Refresh the current dialog" event
- EditBox control with password attribute now properly hides text when disabled
- LeftMenu keeps the selection unchanged when the right view has invalid data
- Fixed crash when closing projects with unselected Custom Frame on Windows 10
- Left menu item was not selected when opening a project in a view from the Custom Behavior group
- The "Edit Property's Value Source" window allows resizing to a smaller size
- "Could not read server response" error when using Azure Key Vault signing
- Prerequisite installation fails when using the "Store Feature-based prerequisites in MSI database" option for EXE packages
- Incorrect prerequisite status displayed during uninstallation with the "Allow uninstall" option enabled


Advanced Installer 21.5.1
Fixed:
- Opening a project from Start Page triggers an error on Windows 10
- Import or Edit operations sometimes fail for MSIX Bundles
- Stack trace error when creating Repackager installation or session monitoring
- Prerequisites after main package not being installed for Professional projects
- MSIX Editor "Save As" triggers an error when changing package name
- Rare app-freeze because of registry data corruption or invalid property sheet values for dialogs


Advanced Installer 21.5
Enhanced:
- PowerShell commands for EULA and Readme integration
- Merge-friendly AIP format for side-by-side project management
- Updated default “Track Disk Space“ attribute from “InstallDlg“ dialog on the Surface theme
- AppCompat configurations support case-insensitive file name patterns
- Professional project includes “Select All“ and “Deselect All“ options for FileAssociationsDlg for streamlined file association management
- Support for Web Installer deployment from network locations
- Organization Page enhancements: Expanded search by resource and file types for improved navigation
- CTRL+A shortcut now enables the selection of all dialog events for efficient editing
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.27 & 7.0.16 & 8.0.2)

Fixed:
- The build process for the Windows 11 context menu option now works correctly in both Professional and Enterprise editions
- Fixed Stack Trace errors on closing projects with deselected custom frames in Windows 10
- Table Editor no longer crashes when selecting prerequisites for systems with Vista/Windows 2008 in WinNTVersions/WinNT64Versions
- The “Fast Installation“ option no longer suppresses dialogs
- Prerequisite folder field no longer auto-fills with blank spaces for certain prerequisites
- SQL script name validation is now correctly enforced for file imports, aligning with inline script standards
- ErrorMessage custom actions can now precede Paths Resolution in the workflow
- Removing synchronization now resets all stored rows in other tables
- Installation of framework prerequisites can now be canceled
- The "Do not save files into the project" option now works when synchronization is on
- Components no longer disappear when a prerequisite feature is deleted
- The “Reset“ button now correctly maintains disk space values for the Graphite theme
- Fixed various issues when using the Tab Host control
- The themes view is no longer enabled when the MSIX build is selected at load


Advanced Installer 21.4
New features:
- MSIX Deployment Streamlined: Introducing MSIX External Application Shortcuts
- Support for OpenSSH Server/Client Windows features during installation

- Enhanced:
- Encrypt all Azure Key Vault signing parameters in the AIP setup project for heightened security
- WinUI Start Page revamp for Repackager
- Toast notifications for real-time update status
- Command-line support for revoking and removing floating licenses
- Upcoming VBScript deprecation notification
- Support file and folder operation on TARGETDIR
- Update .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.26, 7.0.15, 8.0.1)

Fixed:
- UpdatePathVariable command failed for global path variables
- IIS settings were not preserved when more packages were combined into a single one
- Group Box control was not displayed when using WinUI
- Theme image path was not refreshed when trying to move to the edge of the path
- An unidentified error appeared in Event Viewer for any EXE package created with Advanced Installer
- Serene theme: The back button was visible on PrepareDlg, TabHost on ConfigureDlg was not correctly displayed if "Use external UI" was disabled
- Invalid input error when pressing the Enter key on the Set Installer Property custom action field
- Floating license visual notifications were not working when running on Windows 11
- "Invalid Drive" was thrown when using the "Reset" button from the "SetupTypeDlg" dialog
- Modern context menu didn’t work with all certificate types
- Scheduled Tasks running under the system account were not created on the machine
- Adding new rows into an imported table resulted in a stack trace/silent crash
- Crash after the undo operation of deleting InstallTypeDlg
- The project was not rebuilt from CLI when the ProductVersion was retrieved from a file
- The "Always install prerequisite" option was ignored when the AND operator was previously used for prerequisite searches
- Set Installer Property Window from New Control Event Window was not responsive to resizing
- The extraction folder was not removed after installation when using a multilingual package on Windows Server 2022
- Removed the environment variable name length limitation
- The registry key was cleaned up at the end of installation when the setup was added as chained
- Files view search was slow and with no indication that it was in progress
- MSI Import was not working properly
- Launch application CheckBox overlapped static text control when using WinUI on the Classic theme
- Stack trace error when using indirection for ProgressBar control on Surface and Vivid theme
- Text Style didn’t work for CheckBox controls on the Air theme with WinUI
- Custom Actions view glitched when adding PowerShell inline script CA in a solution
- Packages with the Hebrew language couldn’t be installed when using WinUI
- The registry key was cleaned up at the end of installation when the setup was added as chained
- Silent installation no longer worked with the latest versions when passing properties
- Crash when selecting the MsiEmbeddedUI table


Advanced Installer 21.3.1
Fixed:
- CLI build error when Product Version is retrieved from a synchronized file
- NewUpdate CLI command exits with an error


Advanced Installer 21.3
New:
- ARM64 support for VSIX packages
- New global policies for creating and grouping components

Enhanced:
- Detect and highlight the User Account Control dialog(UAC) if another dialog is in the foreground
- Support multiple ActiveSetups with the same name
- PowerShell automation support to configure MSIX package dependencies
- Control Flow Guard enabled for EXE installers
- Validate components' GUIDs at build time
- The "Find All" function now includes script custom action content in the search result
- Improved the error message in case the Updater does not find the custom EXE
- Improved UI functionality for users to easily set any prerequisite as a Framework Prerequisite
- Enhanced global commands in the Home ribbon group to recognize and interact with the selected current build
- Updated Updater's GitHub integration to search in both per-user ("HKUD") and per-machine ("HKLM") registry hives
- Added filter option for adding a prerequisite from the repository
- Improved Repackager CLI
- Support for creating Scheduled Task folders and adding a Scheduled Task to a folder
- Predefined Prerequisite for .NET 8
- Predefined Launch Condition for .NET Core 8.0
- Predefined launch conditions for Windows 11 version 23H2
- Update .NET Framework 4.8.1 prerequisites install conditions for Windows 11
- Updated .NET prerequisites to the latest version (6.0.25 & 7.0.14)
- Updated Supported Operating Systems in the Launch Conditions view

Fixed:
- Prerequisite was searching for "UpgradeCode" instead of "ProductCode"
- Consecutive executions of .NET Core Custom Actions fail
- Malfunction in MSIX Editor when handling the APPDATA folder
- Stack Trace error when navigating to the Themes view
- License Agreement text was selected when using the Tab key with EUI enabled
- Paths to files entered directly in the manifest editor are not always resolved at build time
- FRendering issues with "PrereqProgressDlg" when the package includes Framework type prerequisites
- SQL Browse control was not populating when Enhanced UI was enabled
- "AppSearch" behaves incorrectly during EXE setup execution when Enhanced UI was enabled
- Missing right border for the "GroupBox" control in the Surface theme
- Valid licenses were overwritten by disabled ones before completing the registration process
- Issue pane was displayed empty in "Edit MSI"
- "Continue with main installation" option was ignored when a prerequisite necessitated a reboot
- Prerequisite install command lines were mistakenly transferred to uninstall during project conversion
- Reboot initiation prevented during Control Panel uninstall or change operations when EUI is enabled
- Confusing error message was displayed if a project with the same name already existed during project creation
- Sporadic issues with Arabic language support (RTLO) in WinUI
- Prerequisite Dialog was shown during pre-installation even on operating systems that are not supported
- MultipleInstancesDlg dialog was not displayed when WinUI rendering was enabled
- Scroll bar didn't work in the "Properties" pane of the "Shortcuts" view
- Maintenance actions failed if the EXE installer was renamed or moved to a different path
- EXE packages used with Windows Setup Custom Scripts were not installed with the OS