Whether you’re a professional programmer or a self-taught hobbyist, if you want your Windows software to be taken seriously it needs to have a proper Setup program.  It really does make the difference;  your software will look a lot more professional if the user installs it using the familiar Setup or MSI (Microsoft Installer).

Additionally, when the user wants to remove the software from their computer, an uninstall feature must be provided in the Add or Remove Programs section of the Windows Control panel.

If, as a programmer, you use Microsoft’s Visual Studio you have the option to create an MSI installation program for your software.   If you’ve never created an installer before, this can be a little tricky to get to grips with – there’s nothing to guide you through the process, or even to tell you what is required of an installer and what it does.

Users of Professional versions of Borland/CodeGear products such as Delphi and C++Builder had the relative luxury of a free copy of InstallShield Express.  This is a special, cut-down version of a wizard-driven setup program creator, which takes you through each stage of the process.  Unfortunately, since these development tools were sold off to Embarcadero, you don’t get InstallShield Express supplied.  Furthermore, if you work with the lower-cost versions of Delphi/C++ Builder, you didn’t get it anyway.

One option is to purchase products such as InstallShield, but some of these commercial products can be quite costly – especially if you’re writing software as hobby or as a means of generating additional income.

There is, however, the free alternative.  The phrase “you get what you pay for” often proves itself to be true when it comes to free software, but I am happy to report that I have found an excellent installation program creator that is not only free, but is easy to use and just works!

The software is Jordan Russell’s Inno Setup, which you can find and download for free at jrsoftware.org.

Inno Setup runs as a “wizard”, prompting you for various aspects and options that should be available within the Setup program.  Simply run the program and answer the questions.  In many cases, you can keep the defaults that the program supplies.  Once you have finished, you can compile the program and your Setup is ready for distribution.  I’ve used InstallShield Express before, which I thought was incredibly easy to use, but Inno Setup is even easier.

Inno Setup is completely free and it’s the fully working version.  It doesn’t insert advertisements in your installer or play any tricks – it’s just a decent piece of software that does exactly what you want of it.