InstallShield 2008

Posted on 4:54 AM by Alive Asif
New Features

InstallShield includes the following new features.

Ability to Target Windows Server “Longhorn” Systems


InstallShield enables you to specify that your installation requires Windows Server “Longhorn”. It also lets you build Windows Server “Longhorn”–related conditions for features and components.

Note that Windows Vista and Windows Server “Longhorn” use the same major and minor version numbers. Therefore, if you want to use InstallScript to distinguish between Windows Server “Longhorn” and Windows Vista, check whether SYSINFO.nOSProductType = VER_NT_WORKSTATION; for Windows Vista, this is TRUE; for Windows Server “Longhorn”, it is FALSE. For more information, see SYSINFO.

New Microsoft .NET Prerequisites Available


InstallShield now includes many new .NET-related setup prerequisites that you can add to Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects:
    NET Framework 2.0 (x64)
    NET Framework 2.0 (x64) Language Packs
    NET Framework 2.0 (IA64)
    NET Framework 2.0 (IA64) Language Packs
    NET Framework 3.0 (x64)

For more information, see Adding .NET Framework Redistributables to Projects.

Updated Microsoft .NET Object for InstallScript Projects


An updated Microsoft .NET object is available in InstallShield. This object includes support for versions 1.0 (SP3), 1.1 (SP1), 2.0, and 3.0 of the .NET Framework, including 32-bit, 64-bit x64, and 64-bit Itanium versions. The object also includes all supported language packs, and the latest service packs of 1.0 and 1.1.

In addition, the object launches and completes the .NET Framework installation as the feature containing the .NET object installs. This allows the .NET Framework to be available as early as possible, in case it is needed to install or configure files that are subsequently installed during the installation.

For more information, see Microsoft .NET Object Wizard.

Updated Windows Installer Object for InstallScript Projects


The Windows Installer 3.x Engine object for InstallScript projects now supports 64-bit versions of Windows Installer 3.1. In addition, the object launches and completes the Windows Installer installation when the feature that contains the Windows Installer object is installed. This allows the Windows Installer engine to be available as early as possible, in case it is needed to install or configure files that are subsequently installed during the installation.

For more information, see Windows Installer 3.x Engine Object Wizard.

Support for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 and SSL


InstallShield now includes support for IIS 7.

In addition, InstallShield lets you include an SSL certificate for a Web site in your installation. Including an SSL server certificate enables users to authenticate the Web server, check the validity of the Web content, and establish a secure connection.

For more information, see:




  • Internet Information Services View



  • Specifying the SSL Certificate for a Web Site



  • Determining Whether a Target System with IIS 7 Has the IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility Feature



  • Version-Specific Information for IIS Support in InstallShield

Windows Embedded CE 6.x Support


InstallShield now enables you to specifically target installations for Windows Embedded CE 6.x. This applies to Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and Smart Device projects.

In addition, the Windows Mobile Wizard now enables you to specify configuration XML files for any Windows Mobile device installations. Previously, only Smartphone device installations could include configuration XML files.