Make a good first impression

First impressions count! Setup is the first thing that a user sees of your program, and this sets the expectations for your product. If the setup is bad or trouble prone, a user may not even persevere with the installation.

With the advent of Windows^® Installer^® technology, self-repairing, intelligent setup programs are a reality. A well-designed setup is a must to support advanced features such as self-repair, advertisement, and Just In Time installation. It’s no longer acceptable to leave installation and setup design to the last minute.

Remember:

• Don’t make setup an afterthought
• Make an early investment in setup authoring. Take the time to lay out your setup process early in the product development cycle.
• Involve developers in the setup authoring process. This will help uncover dependencies early on.
• Install is the user’s first contact with your product (or at least this version.)
• Install is a feature.
• What you do here positions you for later features, such as self-repair or Install on demand, etc.
• If users can’t get through setup they can’t see your product.
• Difficulty with setup is a major factor in delaying corporate installs of new products or versions.

Having made the appropriate commitment to install, the following guidelines should help you develop a great install for your application.

• Handle your dependencies
• Don’t require a reboot during installation
• Install to the correct location
• Implement component breakdown correctly
• Have associations for all files you install
• Don’t forget about security
• Configure when first run
• Support unattended setup
• Ensure your application is deployable