One of the most asked questions in the industry is related to CAB files and what embedding options these have within the WiX Toolset.

In this post, we will address installer updates with a focus on the most common scenarios you may encounter when performing a small, minor, or major upgrade.

We have a list of Wix-related articles meant to help developers navigate through the tool in a seamless way. From implementing upgrades with WiX to embedding CAB options in MSI - you can find a lot of helpful materials on our main WiX page.

Do you need your installer to keep its current build version? In this article, will go through all the steps you need to set your WiX installer version to the current build version.

An important characteristic that we've highlighted in our series of posts about Windows Installer XML Toolset (WiX) is that it doesn't have a GUI. It builds the Windows Installer package with the information defined in the WiX source file (XML based).

Many of us are aware of the importance of securing our applications and how digital signatures are a solid way to avoid security breaches. For those looking into MSIX, you must know that Microsoft enforces digital signature for all packages within this technology. There is no exception.

Your application's installer is the very first direct interaction of users with your product. And, a positive first impression is essential for the success of any software.

The method to replace an existing configuration file varies depending on the application installer's format. For example, whether it's a vendor MSI from an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) or an EXE.

Self-healing, also known as self-repair, is one of the major benefits of the Windows Installer technology. In simple words, it ensures packages are secure and resilient by automatically checking and fixing them.

Many applications keep settings or configurations in files that later get stored in per-user based locations, such as %appdata% or %localappdata% folders.

In this article, we will explore what happens during a Windows Installer registration and what are the repercussions that appear if you don't register your MSI during installation.

Applications often require different types of permissions to operate smoothly - so adding permissions to files, folders, and registry keys is a standard practice in MSI.

Did you package Notepad++ as an MSIX, and need to add extra plugins to it?

With the experience of unfortunate security breaches in recent years, the focus of making safe and reliable applications has increased in the software industry. This is why adding a digital signature to your application has become a must -- and for MSIX applications it is mandatory.

As we've emphasized before, we're big fans of MSIX technology here at Advanced Installer. It has brought more control to developers when it comes to their packages -- as it includes options for repackaging, rolling back updates and even downgrade scenarios.

In my experience, CustomActions can be difficult to add and set up, especially in MSI, often requiring reviewing lengthy documentation or dealing with unexpected failures or bugs. If you started your career prior to the App-V and MSIX era, you have probably come across various applications installers that required reverse engineering work.

In this article, you will learn how to configure and build an Advanced Installer Visual Studio Project(AIPROJ) from an Azure DevOps pipeline.

As software packagers, we know the struggle that comes with new technologies. And there's no need to sugarcoat it -- is downright stressful.

In a previous article we had a look on how Environment Variables work with MSIX. We now know that in MSIX, Environment Variables are redefined as AppExecutionAlias.

Up until 2020, Windows Services were not supported in MSIX -- which represented a blocker for organizations looking to transition their applications (that used Windows Services) to MSIX technology.