Actual Installer Free

Actual Installer Free is a lightweight application whose purpose is to help developers build installers for their software programs.

Straightforward looks

The user interface is friendly and is divided into several areas for helping you shape up the installers on the breeze, namely General, Installation, Dialogs, System, and Register.
Rookies can also take advantage of the built-in wizard for learning to set up the dedicated parameters step-by-step.

Creating a brand-new project: general parameters

Actual Installer Free allows you to generate a new installer package by providing general information (product name and verion, company name, website, support page), specifying the saving directory where the EXE file is stored, and inserting images (BMP file format) for the wizard and header.
Plus, you can pick the required OS, enable only the 64-bit version, as well as set up different permissions (administrator privileges, Internet connection, and custom running applications that need to be closed).
Additionally, you may configure software prerequisites, such as .NET framework, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader, Java, SQL Server Compact, SQL Server Express, and user-defined components.

Installation

When it comes to setting up the parameters for the new installer, you can pick the mode (standard or upgrade), install the product for all users or only the current one, automatically generate the product GUID, and uninstall the old build before triggering the process or opt for a silent uninstalling operation.
What’s more, you can choose the source folder, main executable, and destination directory, include additional files, as well as embed an uninstaller in the package.

Customizing the dialogs

You can make the program show the “Welcome” dialog, licence agreement, Readme file, destination folder, program group, and other options in the installation window, pick the desired languages and choose a default one, reveal the “I accept the agreement” check box, as well as launch a custom program, view Readme file, trigger a user-defined action, or restart the computer at the end of the installation mode.

System settings and other handy features

The utility lets you specify the group name of the program, import registry entries from REG file, and add INI files.
Last but not least, when you have finished configuring all the aforementioned parameters, you can test the new build to see if there are any errors, save the current project to a file so you can import in the future and make some adjustments, generate AutoRun files for CD/DVDs, and ODBC DNS and data files, and insert the prerequisite links needed for the new installer.

An overall efficient EXE builder

Taken into consideration the amount of dedicated parameters that are bundled in this tool for helping you create EXE installers, its intuitive looks, and fast performance, this software can become one of the first choice for rookies and professionals alike.
If you are looking for advanced features, such as custom icons, built-in updater, user information, variables, and user-defined commands, you can check out the professional version of the app, which can be found here.