createinstall.com

What is CreateInstall?

CreateInstall is a Windows installer builder for people who want to define exactly what happens during setup and uninstall, rather than accept a fixed wizard. Its site describes the installation process as a sequence of commands: you can use built-in commands or add your own operations, and write scripts in the Gentee programming language. That approach gives you step-by-step control and room to extend the package when requirements change.

The same site also mentions CreateInstall Assistant, a companion application with a simple interface for creating installations without studying the main program. So the product effectively covers two audiences:

• Developers and advanced packagers who need custom logic, modified dialog boxes, added resources or graphics, and control over both install and uninstall.
• Users who want a quicker route to a working installer through the Assistant.

Other practical details from the page: installations created with it are stated to work on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, and the compression component offers two basic algorithms — one aimed at the best compression rate, the other at fast decompression — which can be mixed across different file groups in one package.

Next step: if you are deciding whether it fits, list the non-standard steps your installer must perform (custom checks, file operations, UI changes). If that list is long or likely to grow, CreateInstall's command-and-script model is the relevant strength; if you only need a standard next-next-finish setup, the Assistant is the part to try first.

How does CreateInstall differ from other Windows installer software?

CreateInstall differs from most Windows installer tools by treating an installation as a sequence of commands you assemble and edit, rather than a fixed wizard you configure. Its stated design principles are complete control over the install process and unlimited scalability, and the page presents the whole installation as a command sequence: you can use built-in commands and add your own operations. Scripting uses the Gentee language, which is where the "unlimited" claim comes from — anything the built-in commands do not cover can be written as a script step. The page also mentions roughly 100 KB of source code for installation packages, plus custom dialog interfaces, resources and graphics.

That puts it at a different point on the spectrum from typical Windows installer builders. A wizard-driven tool is faster for a standard app: you point it at files, set a shortcut and a registry key, and you are done. CreateInstall asks you to think about what happens at each step, which is more work up front but lets you express non-standard behavior — conditional file placement, custom uninstall logic, or dialogs that match your product rather than the tool's defaults.

A second practical difference is the bundled CreateInstall Assistant, described as a simple-interface application for creating installations without studying the program. So the product covers both ends: Assistant for quick jobs, the full installer when you need step-level control. Compression is also selectable per group of files — one algorithm favoring the smallest output, another favoring fast decompression — which matters if your package mixes many small files with a few large ones.

Choose CreateInstall if your installation logic is the hard part: you need specific operations at specific times, custom dialogs, or behavior that other installers do not expose. If you are shipping a conventional app and want the shortest path to a working setup, a wizard-first tool will get you there sooner. A useful next step is to write down the three or four steps your current installer cannot do, then check whether each maps to a built-in command or a Gentee script — that tells you quickly whether the added control is worth the added authoring.

Windows XP through Windows 10 are the supported systems for both the tool and the installations it produces, so verify your target OS range before committing.

Can I try CreateInstall before purchasing?

Yes. CreateInstall is offered as freeware alongside a trial, so you can download it and evaluate it before buying. The page presents two paths: a free edition and a purchasable version, with "Download" and "Purchase" as separate options.

What the trial lets you evaluate

The core of CreateInstall is the idea that the installation process is a sequence of commands you control. A trial is most useful for testing exactly that:

• Whether you can express your setup steps as an ordered command list.
• Whether the included commands cover your routine tasks, and how easily you can add operations they don't cover.
• Whether scripting in the Gentee language fits your team's skills.
• Custom dialog interfaces, your own resources and graphic items.
• The two compression algorithms and their per-file-group settings.

A practical way to test it

Build one small but real package during the trial: an app with a couple of file groups, a custom dialog, a registry or shortcut step, and a working uninstaller. If that package installs and uninstalls cleanly on a target Windows machine, the trial has told you more than any feature list. Note that packages you create are described as running on Windows XP through Windows 10, so check your target systems early.

Free edition versus paid

The distinction that matters is not usually "can I try it" but "which edition do I ship with." If you only need to build installations for your own use, the freeware option may be enough. If you are distributing software commercially, or need support and documentation as part of your workflow, the paid option is the relevant one. Compare the two directly on the site rather than assuming the trial equals the free edition.

Next step: download it from CreateInstall, build the small test package above, and if it works, decide between the free and purchased editions based on whether you are shipping to customers.

How do I create a custom installation package with CreateInstall?

Build the package as a command sequence, not as a wizard-driven checklist. CreateInstall's stated design is complete control: the installation process is represented as a sequence of commands, and you can use built-in commands or add your own operations. The script language is Gentee, which is what makes the feature set effectively open-ended. You also get CreateInstall Assistant, a separate, simpler application bundled with the installer, for quickly producing installations without studying the main program.

H3 Practical path

1. Decide whether you need the main CreateInstall editor or Assistant. If you only need a conventional package, Assistant is the faster route. If you need custom behaviour at specific points in time, use the main installer so you can edit the command sequence.
2. Sketch the install as steps: what happens first, what is copied or registered, what dialogs appear, and what the uninstall must reverse. The command-sequence model means this sketch becomes the actual package logic.
3. Build the interface. Dialog boxes can be modified, and you can add your own resources and graphic items. Plan which screens are genuinely needed rather than reproducing a default wizard.
4. Choose compression per file group. Two basic algorithms are offered: one favours compression ratio, the other favours decompression speed. You can mix them in one package, so put large, rarely accessed files under the ratio-oriented algorithm and files needed early under the faster one.
5. Test install and uninstall on the target Windows versions. Packages are stated to work on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, and the tool itself lists the same range.

H3 Where the trade-off sits

The honest trade-off: this is a tool for people who want to know what their package does step by step. If you would rather not think about command order, a wizard-style installer will get you finished sooner. If your requirements keep changing, the scripted approach is what absorbs those changes.

H3 A concrete scenario

Suppose you ship a Windows desktop application that must install a service, write machine-specific configuration, and show a licence dialog only on first install. In a wizard-only tool you would be hunting for the exact feature. Here, you place each of those as commands at the point they should run, and you control the uninstall path with the same explicitness. The roughly 100 KB of source code used in installation packages gives you a starting point to modify rather than a blank page.

Next step: install CreateInstall, open Assistant first to produce a throwaway package and see the generated structure, then open the same package in the main editor and convert the parts you care about into explicit commands. For reference material and downloads, see CreateInstall.

What compression algorithms does CreateInstall use for installation packages?

CreateInstall lets you choose between two compression algorithms and mix them within a single installation package. According to the product page, one is tuned for the best compression ratio, while the other is tuned for fast decompression. You can apply different algorithms to different file groups, and the compression component exposes additional settings so you can tune the balance for your package.

CreateInstall

H3 Practical takeaway

• Use the high-ratio algorithm for large, rarely accessed payload files where download size matters most.
• Use the fast-decompression algorithm for files needed early in setup, so the installer feels responsive.
• Split your package into file groups and assign each group the algorithm that fits its role.

If you are evaluating it for a specific project, build a small test package with both settings on your largest files and compare total installer size against install time on a typical target machine.

What are the system requirements for running CreateInstall?

CreateInstall runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10. The page lists no other requirements — no processor, memory, disk space, or .NET/runtime prerequisites are stated.

The same Windows XP–10 range applies to the installers you build with it, so packages made in CreateInstall will run on those same versions. That is a relevant detail if you still need to support older machines: you are not forced to target only current Windows releases.

A practical next step is to check the download or documentation pages for any updated or more detailed requirements, since the brief statement above may not cover everything needed on your particular machine. You can start at CreateInstall.

If you are choosing between this and another installer, treat the system requirements as a minor factor here and focus on the bigger trade-off: CreateInstall's command-sequence approach and Gentee scripting give fine-grained control, but they ask more of you than a wizard-driven tool. The bundled CreateInstall Assistant is the simpler path if you want to produce a basic installer without learning the scripting model first.