Root Windows install query

On Windows, I see that Root can be installed either via a standard .MSI installer, or via a tarball (using Cygwin). I am interested in the former.

I am trying to prepare a Windows installer for my own open-source program, and have been having problems related to the Microsoft VC++ Runtime .DLL-s.

First: How do you create that .MSI package? We have been trialing a program called "Advanced Installer" which creates it, but are not completely happy with it (too many rather artificial limitations).

Second: how do you expect users to know enough to obtain the VC++ runtime .DLL-s? I see they are available on the "Root Download" webpage, but in my experience many Windows users won't be able to figure out what's wrong (MS doesn't help, giving users no clue why the program won't run). In my tests on 6 different Windows systems, 4 already had them but 2 did not.

I am trying to use Microsoft's install program for the re-distributable VC++ Runtime .DLL-s (vcredist_x86.exe), but it failed without error message on one of my test machines (so my program just failed, without explanation -- I could figure out what went wrong, but most users would not). Remarkably, running it again succeeded....

Any help or suggestions on building a Windows installer would be appreciated.

Tom Roberts Received on Sun Feb 04 2007 - 21:51:08 CET