Setting an Application’s Disk Usage

InstallShield 2024

Windows Installer uses a process called file costing to determine the total disk space a current installation requires. This encompasses costs for files that will be installed or removed, registry entries, shortcuts, and other components of an installation.

File Costing

File costing takes into account the fact that some files are overwritten by newer versions, which decreases the file cost. These values are dependent on the volume to which each file is to be installed or removed, and they are recalculated when a component’s directory association is changed.

File costs are determined for each component, depending on whether it is installed locally, installed to run from the source media, such as a CD, or removed.

With InstallShield, you can set your application’s disk usage. This allows you to control file costing by choosing to run your application from the source media, from the local machine, or to install it when required. Note that running your application from the source enhances application resiliency and conserves space on an end user’s system.

Application Resiliency

If Windows Installer cannot provide a component, the Windows Installer technology enables applications to try to repair the component or to reinstall the component if the corresponding file is corrupted or the current file is older than the available version.

Source Resiliency

In addition to supporting application resiliency, the Windows Installer supports source resiliency through the Source List, which can include network locations, URLs, or compact discs from which applications are installed on-demand. Administrators can use the Group Policy Editor to disable this functionality.