An installation program or installer is a computer program that installs files, such as applications, drivers, or other software, onto a computer. Some installers are specifically made to install the files they contain; other installers are general-purpose and work by reading the contents of the software package to be installed. A software package is a special method for the distribution and installation of software on computer systems. ...

A currently popular format for Microsoft Windows is the MSI installation package, which is installed by Windows Installer. Previously, almost all installers were called setup.exe. Companies making tools for creating installers for Windows include InstallShield, SetupBuilder, Wise, ScriptLogic (Formerly MaSaI Solutions), InstallAware, BitRock, and OnDemand. Most of these tools can create MSI packages as well as their own proprietary executables. Microsoft Windows is a series of operating environments and operating systems created by Microsoft for use on personal computers and servers. ... The Windows Installer (previously known as Microsoft Installer, codename Darwin) is an engine for the installation of programs on Microsoft Windows systems. ... InstallShield is a software tool for creating installers or software packages. ... SetupBuilder is a software tool for creating installers or Software Packages. ... Wise Solutions, Inc. ... MaSaI Solutions Ltd is a New Zealand-based company that makes tools for creating installers. ... InstallAware is a software tool for creating Windows MSI installations for Windows, sometimes also called Software Packages. ... Proprietary indicates that a party exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property, usually to the exclusion of other parties. ...

Free alternatives include NSIS and InnoSetup. BitRock has a multiplatform installer that works on Windows, Max OS X, Linux and many others and is free for open source projects. To date, however, no free tools exist to create MSI packages. Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS), is an open-source (zlib/libpng license), script-driven installation system with minimal overhead being backed by Nullsoft, creators of Winamp. ...

The most popular format for Linux operating systems is the Red Hat Package Manager (or RPM). It is used by SUSE, Red Hat and Mandrake distributions, among others. The Debian Linux distribution and others based on it use DEB packages. Solaris uses the pkg format for packages; HP-UX uses software depots. Programs that manipulate these packages are called package management systems. See Linux kernel for the kernel itself. ... The RPM Logo RPM Package Manager (or RPM, originally called Red Hat Package Manager) is a package management system primarily intended for Linux. ... SUSE (properly pronounced , but often pronounced /suzi/) is a major retail Linux distribution, produced in Germany. ... Alternate meanings: See Red hat Red Hat, Inc. ... Mandrake refers to: the plant Mandrake Mandrake (pesticide), a pesticide for wheat, commercialized by Bayer. ... Debian, organized by the Debian Project, is a widely used distribution of free software developed through the collaboration of volunteers from around the world. ... deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. ... Solaris may refer to: Technology Solaris Operating Environment, an operating system from Sun Microsystems Literature & Fiction Solaris (novel), a science fiction book by Stanislaw Lem, made into a film twice. ... PKG may mean: Software package cGMP dependent protein kinase This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... HP-UX (Hewlett Packard UniX) is Hewlett-Packards proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system. ... A package management system is a collection of tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages from a computer. ...

In contrast, Gentoo uses the Portage system, and FreeBSD uses a set of ports. These are not packages, but rather a set of instructions that permit the administrator to compile each piece of software to their own specficiations, while at the same time managing upgrades and requirements. This sort of software management is unique and not common. For other uses, see: Gentoo (disambiguation) Gentoo Linux is a Linux distribution. ... Portage is an advanced package management system. ... Categories: Stub | Commercial item transport and distribution | Transportation ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Compile (software company). ...

The standard installer for Mac OS X applications is the Installer application that is bundled with the operating system. Some commercial applications use a custom installer, often Installer VISE or Stuffit InstallerMaker. However, in many cases, an installer is not strictly necessary. Applications that do not need to install additional system components can be installed simply by moving the application from the install disk or download location to the location where the user wants it to be installed; this is known as "drag-and-drop installation". Mac OS X is the operating system which is included with all shipping Apple Macintosh computers in the consumer and professional markets. ... Installer is an application included in Mac OS X which extracts and installs files out of . ... Installer VISE is an installer maker that supports Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Windows by MindVision Software. ... StuffIt is a family of software utilities for archiving and compressing files on the Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms: Macintosh users in particular utilise the software. ...

An installation program on a CD is often designed to run automatically when inserted into the optical disc drive. CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... Autorun or autoplay (sometimes spelled in CamelCase as AutoRun or AutoPlay) is the ability of many modern computer operating systems to automatically take some action upon the inserting of an optical disc such as a CD or DVD. Microsoft Windows In Microsoft Windows, autorun can be temporarily disabled by holding... In computing, sound reproduction, and video, an optical disc is flat, circular, usually polycarbonate disc whereon data is stored. ...

See also

• Installation (computer programs)
• Software distribution
• Uninstaller

what about the guy who installs all of your systems in your house that make life easier and more entertaing. Installation is the process of putting a program in a computer system such that the program works as desired. ... A software distribution is a installer of a specific software (or a collection of multiple, even a entire operating system) , already compiled and configured. ... Simply, an uninstaller is the opposite of an installer. ...