With the release of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22567, Microsoft added a new security feature called Smart App Control (or SAC in short).

Starting with version 19.7 of Advanced Installer, you have a quicker and more efficient way to create and configure Windows Explorer context menu items for your application, when runing on Windows 11.

Manually repackaging batch applications can be time consuming, especially when you have to deploy the applications on more than one computer.

Installer testing and application testing are two completely different subjects, even though they can seem very similar.

Software packaging is the process of building an installer that includes all your applications' resources and can be used to distribute them on the end-user devices.

A ProductCode is made up of string GUIDs containing numbers and uppercase letters.

Installer Analytics' most recent release introduces a brand new feature that allows you to track any property that you define within your setup package.

Product analytics is a core part of a business’s success.

MSIX packages lack built-in support for installing a desktop shortcut. This is mainly because Microsoft recommends that user preferences are exclusively chosen by the user. So, for instance, creating a Desktop shortcut or pinning it to the Taskbar or Start Menu are not things we can control.

Depending on whether we're installing or updating an application, we need to use different types of files. For instance, we use MSI files when installing Windows applications, but if we want to make a small update, we can use an MSP file.

Continuously managing security improvements and updates, as we do at Advanced Installer, should be your top priority.

Silent installs are the preferred delivery method within an enterprise environment given that end-users don't have to worry about installing or having technical knowledge and just focus on using the software products.

Many popular Windows features like Notifications, File Explorer Context Menu or Shares cannot be used by non-(MSIX)-packaged Win32 applications.

A “Sparse” package contains an AppxManifest.xml but, unlike a regular/full package, the manifest can reference files outside its package in a predetermined 'external location’.

A toast notification is a message that your app can create and deliver to your user while they are not currently inside your app.

Beginning with version 19.5 of Advanced Installer, you can now display a toast notification whenever an update is available once the application has been launched.

We use MSI or EXE files whenever we install a Windows application, so we're pretty used to them. But, what is an MSI file, and what makes it different from an EXE file? What’s the easiest way to open and edit an MSI installer?

Code signing is one of the most reliable ways to secure and authentify that our code is trustworthy. It is achieved by signing executables and scripts using a digital certificate with a unique cryptographic hash to connect the identity of the publisher to the software. This code signed certificate includes all the information required to fully identify the publisher.

Although not as popular and widely adopted as MSI, ClickOnce has been around for some time in the application packaging industry. ClickOnce enables you to create self-updating Windows-based applications that can be installed and run with minimal user interaction.

In March 2022, we launched “The Installer Testing Guide” ebook (if you don’t have it already, grab your free copy now).