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Astrum is now freeware

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    Astrum is now freeware

    http://www.thraexsoftware.com/

    #2
    Re: Astrum is now freeware

    However, from their forum from someone asking about win 8:

    "The installations created with AIW do work in Windows 8 but there is no support for any Windows 8 specific features and unfortunately there are no plans to release any more updates to this software."

    Raymond Lyons

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      #3
      Re: Astrum is now freeware

      They still have the purchase page active and I did not see a notice of freeware, but I did see the comment Ray mentioned.

      My problem is that installing under Windows 8, the default directory for 32 bit software is no longer Program Files (x86) as it is under Windows 7. Everything defaults to Program Files.

      edit. Oops, looks like the problem was mine. I was trying to get the path from a registry key that did not exist. What would have helped is if the "emergency path" could be conditional on 32 vs. 64 bit OS.

      Bill.
      Last edited by Bill Parker; 02-27-2013, 05:13 PM.

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        #4
        Re: Astrum is now freeware

        Hi Bill:

        I had to go back to Astrum (from Wise V9 Pro) for a project recently and found all the same shortcomings ("you need to build a dll for that") that I had found before. After a lot of time and a number of kludgy solutions I was able to finish the project but have resolved to find a new installer.

        Right now my "most likely" candidate is something called "Setup Factory" from Indigo Rose Software. It looks like it has the features that I really liked about Wise, i.e. its own scripting language and the ability to look at a complete install in script form. It also has wizard setups to get you going. I haven't actually created an install with it yet. It's more pricey than I would like ($399, I think).

        I'm also looking at "Advanced Installer" but haven't got too far with that yet. It runs $299.
        Finian

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          #5
          Re: Astrum is now freeware

          I've used Wise before for an Access Runtime installation... and it was quite good. Unfortunately, Microsoft makes life unbearable for runtime installations, particularly if there may be more than one version of Access or the runtime on the target machine, so I also had to purchase a "pre-made" installation script that handled all the complexities. However, Wise with Alpha 5 would be much better, than with Access, although I chose a different route.

          I tried Astrum - even though I knew Windows 8 and forward may be an issue. I found it ok, but I had troubles getting accompanying installation routines to run, like .net. Instead of spending much time with Astrum I tried another installer, Inno Setup. I've found this installer to be really excellent... current and past Windows versions support... and a pretty good user support forum.

          I've put together a fairly complex installation with Inno Setup and I'm completely happy with it. And it's free too. So... along with everything else... check Inno out as well.

          http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

          As soon as I've tested my Inno Setup script a bit more I'm going to post it here. I think we need more posted scripts here.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Astrum is now freeware

            With your recommendation and a quick look - I rate this as a 10/10 good tip David.
            Thanks

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Astrum is now freeware

              Attached is my "iss" file. I've borrowed some ideas from Rick Gerlach and Mel Thompson. Mel posted a txt file showing some nice ideas here...

              http://msgboard.alphasoftware.com/al...ght=inno+setup

              In the attached "iss" file, the Visual C++ stuff gets run first and then the install Setup windows opens.

              I found the only tricky part to be determining the Window levels for installation... e.g. Don't install DHTMLEd for anything under the level of Windows Vista. The Script Studio, although invaluable, was really confusing to me, until I understood it. Having an example helps a lot.

              I've left a lot of commented stuff in the script... things I've tried and didn't like... or didn't work.

              The only part I haven't tested yet is the "quiet" option for installing DHMTLEd. MSIExec.exe has a bunch of switches and it's not really clear how to use multiple switches... so I still have to make sure this part is ok.

              This install creates a main folder, ASDA, like a root folder for multiple products, and then installs this particular product into it's own folder under ASDA. I put almost everything into the product folder... the runtime and database. The data files go into a sub-folder. I don't think putting the runtime and ADB etc. files together will create a problem. If I update either, the other won't get wiped out... I think.

              This install excludes all the CSS, Styles, and some other stuff, found in runtime. I also grab all the runtime files from a folder containing an installed runtime.

              For Data files, in this case DBF files, I have a sub-folder under my development folder named DAData_Install. Because I don't want to list every singe file for the install, I put just my "real" files into DAData_Install and grab the folder. My DAData folder is live and good but also contains a bunch of test files. The only danger here is making a change to a form and forgetting to copy those data files over into the DAData_Install folder before running the install compile.

              I do not have dotNet running quiet... it can... but it takes so long that the install appears hung. This dotNet install goes in without user intervention.

              I also included lots of messages about making sure UAC is off.
              Attached Files

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