Question:

I’ve got a very open question that has resulted in information overload for me with trying to find the best solution and I’m on a deadline.  I wanted to ask the Experts for advice and opinions to help me find the best to solution to my situation.  Keep in mind I’m working with XP and Vista machines.

What I need to do is find the right utility that I can focus on learning to use to automate installations.  There are hundreds of programs available to help (Inno Setup, NSIS, Install Creator Pro, & AutoIT just to name a few) but I’m not sure which would best suit my needs.  I will be training the person who will be responsible for making these files and typically it will be done by someone who has a minimal background in programming (like an intern) and needs something simple and almost GUI preferred to get them going.  They usually understand some simple batch scripting but nothing fancy.  Hence, I want throw a few scenarios your way and see what you’d recommend for my approach.

Scenario #1: I want one installer to download/install custom MSI applications developed in-house, but check for other important applications we need such as Adobe Reader, .NET 2.0 SP1, and .NET 3.5 SP1.  If the Adobe Reader is not installed or outdated, I would like to download a redistributable version from a server and install automatically.  The same would apply to the .NET files as well.  The key here is I don’t want a huge msi or exe file as most of our work is done remotely and computers tend to have one program, but not the other so I’d like a small installer that I can download and will check for what the client needs, then download it from my server to save me time.

Scenario #2:  I build a new PC and need to install AV, Updates, change some Windows settings, and install utilities that one might use to clean up PCs like CCleaner.  I’m thinking AutoIT here but not 100% here.

Scenario #3:  I need to install some custom and non-custom software and adjust the application settings once installed.  One thing it must also do is create an empty folder for the custom software to dump files into that will be grabbed by the app for uploading.  This program requires .NET 2.0 SP 1 so I need to make sure it gets installed first if it’s not already installed or the incorrect version.  Again, I’d like it to download the necessary files from my server.

These are just 3 examples of what I might need installers for.  Again, remember I am usually needing Scenario 1 and 3 while doing a remote support session so the lighter the download better.  I just want to know what program can encompass most of this so I can teach it to another or just assign it to them outright.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.  The software that I find the best for my needs will be awarded the points on a first come basis.  Assisted points may also be awarded.

Thanks Experts!

Solution: