Windows Installer XML Training

Monday, October 6, 2014 by Rainer Stropek

This week I will do another one of my Windows Installer XML (WiX) trainings in Germany organized by our friends from IT-Visions. In this blog article I summarize the prerequisites that participants need in order to follow along the samples.

Microsoft Visual Studio

During the training we will use Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 to author installable programs and installers. Therefore, attendees will need Visual Studio on their laptops. If you do not have Visual Studio already, here are some links where to get it:

  • You can download Visual Studio 2013 full versions (if you have a license) as well as Express Edition (free) from MSDN.
  • If you cannot or don't want to install Visual Studio 2013 on your production laptop, you can also use Microsoft Azure pre-built Virtual Machine images with Visual Studio already installed. Here you find more information about this offering.

Note that you can use free offerings in Azure if you are using it for the first time or if you have an MSDN subscription. Please check if you can use RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) from the training network if you want to use Azure during the training.

Windows Installer XML (WiX)

Please install the latest version if WiX. You can download it from http://wixtoolset.org/.

MSI Tools from Microsoft Windows SDK (Optional)

As WiX is based on Windows Installer technology, we will use MSI-related (MSI = Microsoft Installer) tools during the training. You can get them free in the Windows Dev Center.

Windows 8.x

If you have Windows 8 and pick the Windows 8 SDK, select MSI Tools during installation:

Windows 7

If you have Windows 7 and pick the Windows 7 SDK, select Tools during installation:

Install Orca

After that, you should find an OrcaXXX.msi installer in %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v[VERSION]\Bin (Windows 7) or C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.1\bin\x86 (Windows 8). Please install it for the training.

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Rainer Stropek

Rainer Stropek

Co-founder, architect, developer

Bio

I am co-founder and CEO of the company software architects and have been serving this role since 2008. At software architects my team and I are developing the award-winning SaaS solution time cockpit. Previously, I founded and led IT consulting firms that worked in the area of developing software solutions based on the Microsoft technology stack.

In my work I focus on .NET development and software architecture. I have written some books and articles on C#, database development, Windows Azure, Windows 8 development, WPF, and Silverlight. Regularly I speak at conferences, do workshops and conduct trainings in Europe and the US. Since 2010 I have been MVP for Windows Azure.

I graduated the Higher Technical School Leonding (AT) for MIS with honors and hold a BSc (Hons) Computer Studies of the University of Derby (UK).

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