InstallShield 2016

Release Notes

originally released August 2016; updated to include SP2, released May, 2017

Introduction

InstallShield is the industry standard for authoring high quality Windows Installer– and InstallScript–based installations, as well as Microsoft App–V packages. InstallShield 2016 introduces support for the Desktop Bridge (Project Centennial), enabling you to create Universal Windows Platform app packages and Windows Server App packages.

InstallShield 2016 offers new features and enhancements that make it easy to use the latest technologies.

For the latest information about InstallShield 2016, including updates to these release notes, see the online version of the InstallShield 2016 release notes.

Changes in SP2

Integration with FlexNet Code Aware

InstallShield now includes integration with FlexNet Code Aware, an automated open source risk assessment and package discovery solution that enables you to quickly scan your products for security and intellectual property (IP) compliance risk.

The current release of FlexNet Code Aware supports analysis of the following files:

Java Packages
Node Packages
Nuget Packages
RPM Packages
Ruby Packages
EXE & DLL Files

Security vulnerabilities are looked up against the National Vulnerability Database (NVD).

Running FlexNet Code Aware

FlexNet Code requires a separate license from InstallShield. There is also trial/evaluation version. For more information, refer to the FlexNet Code Aware product page of the Flexera Software website.

To run FlexNet Code Aware from within InstallShield, click Scan Project using FlexNet Code Aware from the InstallShield Project menu. This menu option is disabled out if you are not currently in an open InstallShield project. A FlexNet Code Aware icon is also available on the InstallShield standard toolbar.

When FlexNet Code Aware completes the scan of your project, a summary displays showing the number of files scanned, and the number of open-source packages and vulnerabilities found. A View report button is provided if you have a fully licensed version of FlexNet Code Aware. For more information about the details provided in this report, refer to Reading the FlexNet Code Aware Report.

Reading the FlexNet Code Aware Report

Note • The FlexNet Code Aware Report is not available in trial/evaluation mode. A fully licensed version of FlexNet Code Aware is required.

To view the FlexNet Code Aware Report, click View report on the summary dialog that appears after FlexNet Code Aware has scanned your project.

The FlexNet Code Aware report consists of several sections:

The initial Summary View presents the user with a Scan Summary, Operational Risk assessment, Security Vulnerability Exposure, and License Exposure.
The Scan Summary section provides details regarding the codebase that was scanned, including a breakdown of file types, percent of files analyzed, and number of findings.
The Operational Risk section provides a composite risk rating based on the combination of packages with Intellectual Property (IP) issues and packages with Security Vulnerabilities.
The Security Vulnerability Exposure and License Exposure sections provide a breakdown of the types and categories of identified issues.
The Package Inventory View, available by clicking view full package inventory in the Scan Summary section, provides a complete list of discovered open source and third-party packages with associated licenses, security vulnerabilities, dependencies, and detected copyright statements.

The Package Inventory View provides filters that you can use to execute targeted queries to refine the list to various package types of interest.

The following figures show the initial Summary View of a sample FlexNet Code Aware Report.

FlexNet Code Aware Initial Summary View

The following figures show the Package Inventory View of a sample FlexNet Code Aware Report.

FlexNet Code Aware Package Inventory View

Viewing Package Details

Click a vulnerability count listed in the Vulnerabilities column of the Package Inventory report page for each package you want to review:

The Vulnerabilities detail page appears, covering a portion of the Package Inventory report:

Resolved Issues in SP2

For descriptions of resolved issues in InstallShield 2016 SP1, refer to InstallShield 2016 SP2.

Changes in SP1

Support for Microsoft Visual Studio 2017

InstallShield includes support for Visual Studio 2017. You can create InstallShield projects from within this version of Visual Studio.

Resolved Issues in SP1

For descriptions of resolved issues in InstallShield 2016 SP1, refer to InstallShield 2016 SP1.

New Features

InstallShield 2016 includes the following new features:

Support for the Latest Releases of Windows Operating Systems
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Support
Support for Creating UWP App Packages
SQL Support Added to Suites
Tile Configurations
New InstallShield Prerequisites for Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, .NET Framework 4.6, and More
Predefined System Searches for Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office and the .NET Framework

Support for the Latest Releases of Windows Operating Systems

InstallShield 2016 supports the latest releases of the Windows operating system:

Windows 10 Anniversary Update
Windows Server 2016

Not only can you install InstallShield on these operating systems, but you can also create installers that target these operating systems.

Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Support

Project • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 support is available in the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI

InstallShield now includes support for running SQL scripts on SQL Server 2016 database servers. In addition, InstallShield includes SQL Server 2016 in the predefined list of database servers that you can select when you are specifying in the SQL Scripts view the target database servers that your product supports.

If your installation targets SQL Server 2016, the SQLBrowse run-time dialog that is displayed when end users choose to browse for a database server can now list instances of SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2016 Express, and SQL Server 2014 Express LocalDB. In addition, the SQLBrowse run-time dialog that is displayed when end users choose to browse for a database catalog can now list catalogs on the specified SQL Server 2016 database server.

See New InstallShield Prerequisites for Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, .NET Framework 4.6, and More for a complete list of new InstallShield prerequisites added to InstallShield.

Note • Microsoft SQL Server 2016 is now 64-bit (x64) only.

Support for Creating UWP App Packages

Project • UWP app creation is available in Basic MSI projects.

Important • The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is required for installing and testing a UWP app package (.appx) with desktop extensions (Desktop Bridge, formerly known as Project Centennial). To digitally sign the UWP app package, InstallShield must be installed on a Windows 10 machine or a machine with the Windows 10 SDK installed.

The UWP app package (.appx) format is the simple and secure packaging format used to distribute and install apps on Windows 8.x and 10 and is the only format allowed for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. Benefits of UWP app packages include:

High availability, reliability, and durability, resulting in applications that operate continuously without failure for extended periods of time
A smooth installation experience through static builds that require minimal configuration and no customizable UI
The option to sell or provide the application through the Windows Store
The ability to leverage UWP functionality such as live tiles as well as the ability to utilize UWP APIs
The only package format with native support on Windows Nano Server

InstallShield now supports creating the UWP app package format (.appx) and its desktop and server extensions through an alternate build output and provides suitability testing to help you identify items unsuitable for the UWP app package format. Refer to the following subsections for details about new functionality added to InstallShield to support the creation of UWP app packages.

UWP App Settings in the Releases View
UWP App Logo Customization in the Shortcuts View
UWP App Suitability Testing
New UWP Condition Checks added to Suites

UWP App Settings in the Releases View

When you select a release in the Releases view, a new per-release tab titled Windows App has been added that includes settings to create a UWP app package. Here, various core settings can be specified that impact the UWP app package build process. In particular, the Distribution Method and Include Desktop Extensions or Include Server Extensions options will affect what warnings or errors are encountered for certain kinds of installer project data.

For complete information on these new settings, refer to the “Windows App Tab for a Release” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

UWP App Logo Customization in the Shortcuts View

In addition to the new UWP app settings added to the Releases view, there are new settings to configure the tiles created in an UWP app package. These settings are located in the new UWP App Package Tile Overrides area of the Shortcuts view.

For complete information on these new settings, refer to the “Shortcut Settings” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

UWP App Suitability Testing

InstallShield has added the new InstallShield UWP App Suitability Suite that scans an .msi package for signs of items that are unsuitable for the UWP app package format. To access it, on the Build menu, point to Validation, and then click InstallShield UWP App Suitability Suite.

The InstallShield UWP App Suitability Suite provides a report in the Releases view that indicates all tests that found issues and for each issue, an associated column in the report indicates applicability to the known UWP app variants. For traditional CUBs, these columns are not populated. You can view this report by navigating to the Releases view and selecting the Validations folder under your release. For complete information, including descriptions of the new ISUWP validations included, refer to the “InstallShield UWP App Suitability Suite” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

New UWP Condition Checks added to Suites

When you are building a conditional statement for an exit, detection, eligibility, feature, or wizard interface condition in an Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI project, or for an action condition in a Suite/Advanced UI project, you can select from a number of different types of checks that you want to be evaluated on target systems. The following condition checks have been added to Suites.

UWP App Package Eligible—Check target systems for the run time dependencies of the UWP app package to prevent any attempts to install a UWP app package onto a version of Windows or Windows Server that does not support it.

Note • This condition is available only for the eligibility condition of a UWP app package. If it is used in any other package type, it will not function correctly.

UWP Type Present—Check target systems for the presence of UWP functionality. For example, to create a conditional statement that checks for the presence of the Desktop Bridge, check for the type Windows.ApplicationModel.FullTrustProcessLauncher. This can be used to conditionally block installation, or to choose between installing .msi and UWP app package (.appx).

Note • This always evaluates as false on operating systems before Windows 10. Use of the Type Name subsetting Windows.ApplicationModel.FullTrustProcessLauncher requires Windows 10 Anniversary Update or newer.

SQL Support Added to Suites

Project • This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI projects.

Edition • The Suite/Advanced UI project type is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield.

SQL servers are integral to many applications, especially those that benefit from the multiple package support provided by InstallShield Suite installations. Previously, InstallShield SQL support was limited to Basic MSI, InstallScript, and InstallScript MSI projects. Now, SQL support has been added to Suite/Advanced UI projects, giving you the ability to:

Add a New SQLLogin Predefined Wizard Page
Execute SQL Statements Directly from Suites

To learn more, see the following topics in the InstallShield Help Library:

Adding a SQLLogin Predefined Wizard Page in a Suite/Advanced UI Project 
Configuring an Action for an Element in the Wizard Interface 
Predefined Task Pages Panel 

Add a New SQLLogin Predefined Wizard Page

InstallShield adds SQL support to Suite/Advanced UI projects by providing a new SQLLogin predefined wizard page that can be added to your Suite/Advanced UI project. Previously, if you added an .msi package containing SQL support to a Suite/Advanced UI project, the Advanced UI or Suite/Advanced UI setup launcher automatically suppressed the user interface of Windows Installer. You were required to manually create a custom SQLLogin wizard page for your Suite/Advanced UI project installation.

When adding a new predefined page to your project, select the Enter login information for a database server task page and complete the panels in the wizard as needed. The SQLLogin predefined wizard page is then added to your project. This SQLLogin wizard page lets end users enter database server login information (database server name, authentication credentials, database catalog name, etc.) in order to establish a connection to the database server that is targeted by one or more .msi packages in the suite.

Adding a SQLLogin wizard page to your project allows you to:

Specify properties that identify the SQL login settings in the Suite project and then select the .msi package that receives these properties
Specify the properties that identify the SQL login settings in the .msi package
Choose the database technology (Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows Azure, MySQL, or Oracle) and select the ODBC driver to be targeted

Execute SQL Statements Directly from Suites

Suite/Advanced UI projects now support directly executing SQL statements on SQL database servers from the user interface, which helps allow SQL database servers to be examined before proceeding with the installation.

The SQL query result can then be accessed in a Suite property. To provide this support, a Run a SQL String option is now available in the New Action menu of UI events. The SQL statement is executed using properties and database metadata specified by additional new options available in the New Action menu of UI events: Configure Database Metadata and Override SQL Login Properties.

Tile Configurations

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and InstallScript project types.

Windows 8 introduced a grid of application tiles to the Start screen, replacing the usual list of shortcuts, and also presented tiles in place of shortcuts. InstallShield supports customizing the appearance of a desktop app’s tile on the Start screen. The following tile configuration settings are available:

A toggle between light or dark text when including the app name on medium-sized (150x150) tiles
Choice of tile background color
Option to use custom tile images (small: 70x70 and medium:150x150)
Preference to show or hide the app name on medium-sized tiles

The Tile Configurations node appears in the main Shortcuts view and in each component’s Shortcuts subview. Any applicable tile configurations are listed.

To learn more, see the following topics in the InstallShield Help Library:

Configuring the Appearance of a Desktop App’s Tile on the Start Screen 
Tile Configuration Settings 

New InstallShield Prerequisites for Microsoft Visual C++ 2015, .NET Framework 4.6, and More

Project • InstallShield prerequisites can be added to Advanced UI, Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, and Suite/Advanced UI projects.

InstallShield includes the following new InstallShield prerequisites:

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 Full
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 Web
Microsoft ReportViewer 2015
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express System CLR Types (x86)
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express RTM (x64)
Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Express RTM LocalDB (x64)
Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Update 3 Redistributable Package (x86)
Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Update 3 Redistributable Package (x64)
Windows Management Framework 4.0 for Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64)
Windows Management Framework 4.0 for Windows Server 2012 (x64)
Windows Management Framework 5.0 for Windows 7 SP1 (x86)
Windows Management Framework 5.0 for Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2 SP1 (x64)
Windows Management Framework 5.0 for Windows 8.1 (x86)
Windows Management Framework 5.0 for Windows 8.1 and Server 2012 R2 (x64)
Windows Management Framework 5.0 for Windows Server 2012 (x64)

These prerequisites install the appropriate technologies on supported target systems.

Note • The Web prerequisite for the .NET Framework requires an Internet connection. This prerequisite downloads the required redistributable files if appropriate. The Full prerequisite for the .NET Framework is a stand-alone installation that does not require an Internet connection.

Predefined System Searches for Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office and the .NET Framework

Project • Predefined System Searches apply to Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects.

InstallShield has new predefined system searches:

Adobe Reader 11
Adobe Reader DC
Microsoft Office 2013
Microsoft Office 2016
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.2
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1

If your installation requires one or both of these, you can use the System Search view or the Installation Requirements page in the Project Assistant to add these system searches to your project. When end users launch your installation, Windows Installer checks the target system to see if the requirements are met; if they are not met, the installation displays the error message that is defined for the system search.

Enhancements

InstallShield 2016 includes the following new enhancements:

Direct Editor View Enhancements
Suite UI Enhancements
Kill Process Custom Action Enhanced
Ability to Set the Default Value Used for Component Attributes
Ability to Filter Items by Features in Additional Views
Digital Signature Updates

Direct Editor View Enhancements

Project • The Direct Editor is available in the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
QuickPatch
Transform

InstallShield now adds several Direct Editor enhancements that provide visual insights into tables, schema information, and validation errors designed to boost the productivity of setup authors or packagers who use the Direct Editor for troubleshooting to identify and resolve advanced problems. These enhancements are described in the following sections:

Directory Table Displays Resolved Target Directory Path
Column Header Schema Information Tooltips
Table Record Reference Tracking
Broken References Indicator

For complete information, refer to the “Direct Editor” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

Directory Table Displays Resolved Target Directory Path

When showing the Directory table, InstallShield shows a read-only, grayed out column that displays the resolved path of each row’s directory location. This column is not actually stored in the project file. You can sort by its visible text, but you cannot insert, update, or delete its values.

Column Header Schema Information Tooltips

InstallShield now provides tooltips added to column headers that display the following schema information to indicate the column data type allowed:

nullable—The column can be left empty.
required—The column must contain a non-empty value.
char(nn)—Character string with fixed-length nn.
small integer—Integer numerical (no decimal), containing a value from -32767 to +32767.
long integer—Integer numerical (no decimal), containing a value from -2147483647 to +2147483647.
localizable—This column contains a string that can be translated. Columns without this marker are not localized.
stream—Binary stream, such as the contents of a file.

Tip • The Directory, Binary, and CustomAction Direct Editor tables display several of these column types.

Table Record Reference Tracking

The Direct Editor now includes a Reference Tracking pane that lets you easily visualize relationships between table records. A Show Reference Tracking button is added to at the top of the Direct Editor that provides a show/hide toggle of the pane.

Each record may reference one or more other records or be referenced by one or more other records. When a record is highlighted that refers to other records or is referred from other records, the Reference Tracking pane is populated with a Reference Tables section showing the tables in which the references reside and an additional section that displays the actual record references. The record references section includes arrow icons that indicate the direction of the reference, where:

A green arrow pointing to the right indicates that the record that is selected in the Direct Editor table references the record displayed in the Reference Tracking pane.
A blue arrow pointing to the left indicates that the record selected in the Direct Editor table is referenced by the record displayed in the Reference Tracking pane.
Two arrows in both directions (a green arrow pointing right and a blue arrow pointing left) that indicate the record selected in the Direct Editor table references and is referenced by the record displayed in the Reference Tracking pane.

Note • When multiple Direct Editor records are selected, only the “focused” record's references are shown. In addition, if multiple tables appear in the Reference Tables section, this indicates that the record selected in the Direct Editor table references or is referenced by records in multiple tables. You can click any table in the Reference Tables section to view the associated records references.

Tip • In the Reference Tracking pane, you can quickly jump between record references by double-clicking within a cell.

Broken References Indicator

There are instances where a Direct Editor table record might reference a foreign key record that no longer exists. InstallShield now displays the cells of such broken references with a red fill color to call attention to the broken reference.

For example, if the Directory_ column in the in the Component table references a directory name that is not found in the Directory table, then the Directory_ column is filled in red.

Note • The Direct Editor broken reference indicator is unrelated to the Maintain referential integrity check box on the Preferences tab of the Options dialog box. While the Maintain referential integrity setting is designed to update the foreign keys when you modify a primary key, the purpose of the broken reference indicator is to display broken references to help you easily identify orphaned records. Therefore, broken references are displayed regardless of the selection of the Maintain referential integrity setting.

Suite UI Enhancements

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI

Edition • The Advanced UI project type is available in the Professional edition of InstallShield. The Suite/Advanced UI project type is available in the Premier edition of InstallShield. For information about the differences between these two project types, see the “Advanced UI Projects vs. Suite/Advanced UI Projects” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

To better support various use cases, InstallShield has added the following functionality to Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI projects:

New Close Window and Stop Event UI Actions
Suite Loading Splash Screen Added

New Close Window and Stop Event UI Actions

InstallShield includes the following new UI actions:

Close Window
Stop Event

To learn more, see the “Configuring an Action for an Element in the Wizard Interface” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

Close Window

This type of action closes a main wizard page or secondary window, or in some cases, provides conditional closing of a secondary window.

Close Window accepts parameters corresponding to the following predefined Return Code IDs: IDOK, IDCANCEL, IDABORT, IDRETRY, IDIGNORE, IDYES, IDNO, and IDCLOSE.

The behavior of the Close Window action differs slightly on wizard pages and secondary windows:

For wizard pages, the Close Window action prompts the end user to cancel if its Return Code parameter is set to IDCANCEL (and then interrupts the wizard if the end user specifies Yes). For all other Return Code IDs, the wizard immediately closes.
For secondary windows, the Close Window action closes the secondary window and in special cases such as with the ISRMFilesInUse and ISRMFileInUse secondary windows, the specified Return Code value is returned.

InstallShield currently provides the following secondary windows that contain customized behavior that is dependent upon the specified Return Code ID:

ISDownloadProgress
ISPromptForSourceMedia
ISFilesInUse
ISRMFilesInUse
ISUpgradeParcel

Stop Event

This type of action allows you to conditionally stop further actions from being processed. For example, this action can be used to prevent the default behavior of a button from occurring.

Suite Loading Splash Screen Added

During a suite installation where the loading process takes more than half a second, InstallShield will now display a splash screen to indicate that the program has launched and that a loading process needs to complete before the Install Welcome dialog appears. For the splash screen, InstallShield utilizes the largest provided version of the setup.exe icon and includes a progress bar on it.

This feature resolves issue: IOJ-1729167.

Kill Process Custom Action Enhanced

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI

A new Processes setting has been added to the Kill-Process Custom Action settings that lets you directly enter executable file names or PIDs of the processes that you want to terminate without having to create a property using the Property Manager and format its value correctly for the action to work.

To learn more, see the “Calling a Kill-Process Custom Action” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

Tip • The value of the Processes setting may be written to the ISTerminateProcesses property. If you have additional kill-process custom actions that do not specify a value in the Processes setting, such as those migrated from InstallShield 2015 or earlier, shared use of the ISTerminateProcesses property may result in undesired behavior.

Ability to Set the Default Value Used for Component Attributes

Support for a new property has been added to the InstallShield table that lets you set the default value used for component attributes. If a property of MsiComponentAttributes exists in the InstallShield table, its value overrides the default Attributes column value in the Component table from 8 to whatever is specified.

For example, to make new components 64-bit, add 256 to the MsiComponentAttributes value. You can specify 264 (for 64-bit shared) or optionally enter 256 (for 64-bit unshared). In doing so, the 64-Bit Component setting and Shared settings (shown on the in the General area of the Components view) will be updated to Yes or No accordingly.

For more information about the bit values used in calculating the Attributes column of the Component table, refer to the Component Table page in the MSDN Library.

Note • To set the default value used for component attributes, the MsiComponentAttributes property must be updated manually in the InstallShield table in the Direct Editor of each project. The Template Summary setting for a product configuration is ignored for this use case.

Ability to Filter Items by Features in Additional Views

The following views now contain a View Filter that lets you filter the view list by any feature in your project:

Environment Variables View—You can use the View Filter list at the top of this view to show and hide environmental variables that are associated to a particular feature in your project. You can also select a feature from the View List in order to associate only that feature with a subsequent event (e.g., the creation, modification, or removal of an environmental variable). Lastly, to see all of the environmental variables that are in your project, select the All Application Data option in the View Filter list. For more information, refer to the “Environment Variables View” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.
Text File Changes View—You can use the View Filter list at the top of this view to show and hide text file change sets that are associated to a particular feature in your project. You can select a feature from the View List in order to associate only that feature with a subsequent event (e.g., the creation, modification, ordering, or removal of change sets). The resulting modification takes place at run time on the target system when the feature is installed. Lastly, to see all of the text file change sets that are in your project, select the All Application Data option in the View Filter list. For more information, refer to the “Text File Changes View” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.
INI File Changes View—You can use the View Filter list at the top of this view to show and hide initialization (.ini) files that are associated to a particular feature in your project. You can select a feature from the View List in order to associate only that feature with a subsequent event (e.g., the creation, importing, modification, or removal of .ini files). The resulting modification takes place at run time on the target system when the feature is installed. Lastly, to see all of the .ini files that are in your project, select the All Application Data option in the View Filter list. For more information, refer to the “INI File Changes View” topic in the InstallShield Help Library.

Digital Signature Updates

Beginning with InstallShield 2015, support was added to enable you to use digital certificates that use the SHA-256 hashing algorithm for signing your installations and files at build time.

In InstallShield 2016, support for SHA-256 digital certificates has been enhanced for Windows Installer and InstallScript projects to:

Give you the ability to specify a digest type using the new Signature Digest drop-down on the Certificate Selection Dialog Box
RFC3161 timestamping is now supported and can be specified in settings.xml, noting that:
DigitalSignature/@Timestamp can be an Authenticode or RFC3161 server for .msi, .exe, and .dll files
DigitalSignature/@TimestampRFC3161 used for UWP app package files must be an RFC3161 server
Handle similarly-named certificates in the Certificate Store

Important • Any new signatures created or timestamped after Jan 1, 2016 must be SHA-256-based signatures. Any files signed with an SHA-1 certificate need to have a timestamp showing a date and time prior to Jan 1, 2016 in order to continue to be supported. Those files will still be allowed through the 'Mark-of-the-web" system until Jan 14, 2020, when all SHA-1 support will stop in all current versions of Windows.

Important Information

Evaluating InstallShield

If you have not purchased a license for InstallShield, you can install it and use it for a limited number of days without activating it or connecting it to a license server. When you use InstallShield before activating it or connecting it to a license server, it operates in evaluation mode, and some of its functionality is not available. For details, see KB article Q200900. Note that the evaluation limitations are removed when you activate InstallShield or when you connect it to a license server and check out a license for it.

Obtaining the Installations for InstallShield, InstallShield Add-Ons, and the Redistributable Files

The following installations are available for download from the Flexera Software Product and License Center as documented in the InstallShield download and licensing instructions:

InstallShield
Redistributable files (for example, InstallShield prerequisites and InstallScript objects)
Add-ons (if you are entitled to them) such as the Standalone Build, InstallShield Collaboration, and the InstallShield MSI Tools
FlexNet Licensing Server software (if you purchased concurrent licenses and you need to set up your organization's license server)
Skin Customization Kit
InstallScript Object templates
InstallShield service packs (if available)

Installing More than One Edition of InstallShield

Only one edition of InstallShield 2016—Premier, Professional, or Express—can be installed on a system at a time. In addition, the InstallShield 2015 DIM Editor cannot be installed on the same machine with any edition of InstallShield 2016.

Microsoft Visual Studio can be integrated with only one version of InstallShield at a time. The last version of InstallShield that is installed or repaired on a system is the one that is used for Visual Studio integration.

Installing More than One Version of InstallShield

InstallShield 2016 can coexist on the same machine with other versions of InstallShield.

The InstallShield 2016 Standalone Build can coexist on the same machine with other versions of the Standalone Build. In most cases, the Standalone Build is not installed on the same machine where InstallShield is installed. If you do install both on the same machine and you want to use the automation interface, review the "Installing the Standalone Build and InstallShield on the Same Machine" topic in the InstallShield Help Library to learn about special registration and uninstallation considerations.

Project Upgrade Alerts

The following information describes possible upgrade issues that may occur when you upgrade projects that were created with InstallShield 2015 and earlier to InstallShield 2016. It also alerts you to possible changes in behavior that you may notice between new InstallShield 2016 projects and projects that are upgraded from InstallShield 2015 or earlier to InstallShield 2016.

General Information about Upgrading Projects that Were Created in Earlier Versions of InstallShield

If you use InstallShield 2016 to open an project that was created with an earlier version, InstallShield 2016 displays a message box that asks you if you want to convert the project to the new version. If you reply that you do want to convert it, InstallShield creates a backup copy of the project with a file extension such as .775 (for an .ism project) or .2016 (for an .issuite project) before converting it. Delete the .775 or .2015 part from the original project's file name if you want to reopen the project in the earlier version of InstallShield. Note that you cannot open InstallShield 2016 projects in earlier versions of InstallShield.

You can upgrade projects that were created with the following versions of InstallShield to InstallShield 2016: InstallShield 2015 and earlier, InstallShield 12 and earlier, InstallShield DevStudio, InstallShield Professional 7 and earlier, and InstallShield Developer 8 and earlier. Note that projects that were created with InstallShield MultiPlatform or InstallShield Universal cannot be upgraded to InstallShield 2016

Changes to the List of Supported Versions of Windows for Target Systems

For all project types except for Suites, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems that run the installations that are created in InstallShield. For suites (Advanced UI, and Suite/Advanced UI project types), Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems.

Localized String Considerations

Changes to the handing and detection of localized strings have been introduced in InstallShield 2016. For example, localized string content that includes square brackets around invalid characters can now trigger a build time warning or error. Accordingly, the following new warning and errors might occur when you are working with your installation.

Error or Warning Number

Message

Troubleshooting Information

-7355

The %4 value for string %2 does not meet validation criteria for table %1 column %3.

This warning occurs if a localized string value does not meet validation criteria for a column in the String Editor table. To resolve this warning, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

-7354

The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3.

This error occurs if a localized string value does not contain a legitimate value in the named column of the String Editor table. To resolve this error, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

Resolved Issues

This section lists the customer issues that were resolved in the following versions of InstallShield:

InstallShield 2016 SP2
InstallShield 2016 SP1
InstallShield 2016

InstallShield 2016 SP2

The following issues have been resolved in InstallShield 2016 SP2:

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1812110

Project • This information applies to InstallScript project types.

When outputting the CMDLINE variable, the following value will no longer be included:

-IS_temp -IS_OriginalLauncher:<path_to_setup.exe>

Where <path_to_setup.exe> will resolve to the full path to the setup launcher.

This behavior was caused by a fix for a bootstrapper issue and was introduced in InstallShield 2016 SP1 (File version: 23.0.0.406).

IOJ-1812041

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Setup.exe files created by InstallScript MSI or Basic MSI projects now include support for the /clone_wait parameter so that the original setup waits for the cloned setup process to complete before exiting. Previously, when a setup.exe was created by InstallScript MSI or Basic MSI project and then added to a suite project, the suite package invoked a dialog box with the following message as a result of child processes not completing:

The installation of setup appears to have failed. Do you want to continue the installation?

IOJ-1811205

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

Setup.exe files created by InstallScript and InstallScript MSI projects now attempt to load DLL named _isuser_0x0000.dll from a SUPPORTDIR directory. Previously, if the language-specific file was not found first, the setup.exe would wind up looking for the language neutral file in the current working directory which was usually the path of the original launching EXE.

IOJ-1814315

InstallShield's signing feature now includes support for SHA-1 RFC 3161 timestamp servers. Previously, InstallShield was unable to timestamp signed files with any SHA-1 RFC 3161 timestamp server.

IOJ-1813455

InstallScript Debugger now shows breakpoints and the next statement cursor for a .rul file that is referenced by a relative path in a folder outside of the Script Files folder. Previously, when inserting or importing an additional InstallScript .rul file in a location other than the default Script Files folder and including the file using a relative path, the InstallScript Debugger ran into display issues.

IOJ-1812954

Project • This information applies to Transform project types.

Using Transform projects, you can now use right-click context menu options Undo Differences or Undo Differences for Entire Row in the Direct Editor. The menus options were accidentally removed from InstallShield 2009.

IOJ-1812919

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

Migrating to InstallShield 2016 no longer changes the behavior of the Back push button control on the ReadyToInstall dialog. Previously, a NewDialog event with a condition of "NOT Installed AND _IsSetupTypeMin <> "Custom"" was changed to show the InstallWelcome dialog when the event was configured to show a dialog other than the SetupType dialog.

IOJ-1812303

Project • This information applies to Transform project types.

When a field is changed in a transform project, the changed fields are highlighted in green in the respective Direct Editor tables. Starting with InstallShield 2015 SP1, changed fields were no longer being highlighted in green as expected.

IOJ-1812243

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

PowerShell custom actions are now executing when a PowerShell script file is installed with the product. Previously, PowerShell custom actions that were configured to use a script installed with the product were not able to locate the script file on the target system.

IOJ-1812221

The Browse for Folder dialog in the InstallScript Debugger now displays a Folder edit field that lets you enter the path to a missing rul/h/InstallScript file. Previously, this dialog box provided a selection list only.

IOJ-1810308

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI and InstallScript project types.

In a Basic MSI project and InstallScript MSI project, you can now set the Display Icon (in the General Information view) to an .ico file contained in a folder path that contains a comma. Previously, the path containing a comma was not being handled correctly, resulting, in build error -3204 ("Cannot extract icon with specified index from the file specified for the icon").

IOJ-1809878

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
 

The InstallShield .NET dependency scanner can now locate .exe dependencies. Previously, InstallShield was able to locate only .dll dependencies.

IOJ-1806480

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Outputs containing percent symbols (%) from SQL PRINT statements are now written to a Windows Installer log correctly. Previously, InstallShield did not write the output or write truncated output only before the first percent symbol into the log.

IOJ-1805815

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

InstallShield no longer crashes when building an InstallScript project containing both Microsoft Jet Database Engine 3.51 and Microsoft Jet Database Engine 4.0 merge modules.

IOJ-1804749

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Installations created by Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI projects now write error codes to a verbose log, allowing you to check a suite exit code based on whether a suite install failed an exit condition or not. Previously, the actual error code was not being written to the verbose log.

IOJ-1811355

Project • This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI project types.

Installations created by Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI projects can now run EXE actions that launch a program in a SETUPSUPPORTDIR directory. Previously, the suite actions returned error 0x80070002.

This behavior was caused by a fix for a bootstrapper issue and was introduced in InstallShield 2016 SP1 (File version: 23.0.0.406).

IOJ-1817415

Setup.exe files created by InstallScript MSI or Basic MSI projects now resume on reboot even if the setup.exe name contains spaces. Previously, extra double quotes were being written to the RunOnce registry value key, which in turn prevented the install from resuming after reboot.

This behavior was caused by a fix for a bootstrapper issue and was introduced in InstallShield 2016 SP1 (File version: 23.0.0.406).

IOJ-1815849

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Using the /clone_wait parameter and /L language parameter with a Basic MSI or InstallScript MSI setup.exe now works as expected. Previously, using this combination of command line parameters with a Basic MSI or InstallScript MSI was resulting in unexpected results with respect to what language was being displayed.

IOJ-1816527

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Uncompressed setup.exe files created by InstallScript MSI or Basic MSI projects can now be launched from the command line using a relative path. Previously, this resulted in unexpected behavior such as an inability to read the setup initialization file.

This behavior was caused by a fix for a bootstrapper issue and was introduced in InstallShield 2016 SP1 (File version: 23.0.0.406).

IOJ-1817530

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
QuickPatch
Transform
 

Holding down the down arrow key to scroll in the Control Table of the Direct Editor no longer results in the IDE crashing.

InstallShield 2016 SP1

The following issues have been resolved in InstallShield 2016 SP1:

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1802041

The Best Practices to Avoid Windows Setup Launcher Executable Issues article has been added to the Flexera Software Knowledge Base.

IOJ-1799114

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

An issue introduced into include file processing has been resolved that was previously resulting in the path to the file being lost when InstallShield stored a reference to the .rul file location. This caused an issue with error reporting in the IDE build output which resulted in the debugger prompting for the location of the .rul file. With this fix, the debugger is able to successfully locate the referenced .rul file.

IOJ-1781071

Project • This information applies to Transform projects.

When you are editing a transform (.mst file), the differences between the base package and the applied transform are highlighted in the Direct Editor using icons. In InstallShield 2016, these icons were no longer displaying correctly but the display issue has now been resolved.

IOJ-1780767

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

When the Generate Autorun.inf option on the Advanced Settings of the Release Wizard is not checked, an Autorun.inf file is not created. Previously, when building a CD-ROM release using the Project Assistant, an Autorun.inf file was being created when building a CD-ROM release even if the Generate Autorun.inf option was not checked.

IOJ-1779971

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Entries added to the Processes setting of the kill-process custom action are correctly being retained when using the Custom Action Wizard to modify the custom action and a field for the Processes setting should exist in the Custom Action Wizard. Previously, if you created a New Kill Process custom action and then added an entry for the Processes setting, changes to the Processes setting were not being retained when the custom action was modified using the Custom Action Wizard.

IOJ-1778034

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

InstallShield 2016 now displays the same -4370 build error (“There were errors compiling InstallScript”) as previous InstallShield releases when compiling a setup.rul file with more than one .rul file and there is an error in the secondary script.

IOJ-1774410

Project • This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI projects.

After adding a SQLLogin Predefined Wizard Page in a Suite/Advanced UI Project that has been migrated from an older version of InstallShield, the SQL login wizard strings now display properly. The SQL related strings are added to the project and their values resolved and displayed on the Wizard Page. Previously, the Wizard Page was displaying string identifiers (e.g., IDS_SQLLOGIN_SERVER) instead of their the properly resolved names.

IOJ-1774403

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
 

InstallShield has improved internal processing in order to limit the issuance of error -7354 (“The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3”).

IOJ-1774042

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
MSI Database
 

The installation conditions for the following .NET framework versions created using the Project Assistant have been fixed to work correctly:

.Net Framework 4.5.1
.Net Framework 4.5.2
.Net Framework 4.6.1
.Net 4.6 Full

IOJ-1773408

A description for SS_REALSIZECONTROL has been added to the tables in the following sections of the InstallShield Help Library:

“Other Window Styles for Bitmap, Icon, and Text Area Controls” 
“Other Window Styles for Line Controls” 

IOJ-1773250

In the Direct Editor, relationships between entries in the following tables have been updated to display properly in InstallShield 2016:

AppSearch and RegLocator
IniLocator, DrLocator and CompLocator

Previously, the References Tables section of the Direct Editor was not correctly showing applicable relationships in these tables.

IOJ-1802350

In the InstallShield Help Library, the “Launching a File Open Dialog” topic has been updated to include additional steps (2n through 2p) in order to provide additional information about how to refresh an MSI property value on a dialog when using the file browse dialog.

IOJ-1807101

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
 

Localized values, such as a Shortcut's Name or a String ID, are now validated at build and can result in the following build warnings and errors:

-7355: The %4 value for string %2 does not meet validation criteria for table %1 column %3.

This warning occurs if a localized string value does not meet validation criteria for a column in the String Editor table. To resolve this warning, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

-7354: The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3.

This error occurs if a localized string value does not contain a legitimate value in the named column of the String Editor table. To resolve this error, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

Previously, these values were not validated, and bad string values could result in incorrect run time behavior with no prior warning. Projects that imported the language before these strings were in InstallShield 2016 SP1 will need to be fixed manually in the String Editor.

IOJ-1804947

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Timestamp information in Settings.xml can be used successfully for patch builds. Previously, patch build signing code was not properly reading timestamp server information from Settings.xml.

IOJ-1801041

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
 

When using Text File Changes change sets in an InstallScript MSI project to modify a text file, changes are made to the text file even if the file to be changed is in the System32 or System64 folder. Previously, text files in these folders were not being updated in InstallScript MSI projects using Text File Changes change sets.

IOJ-1799427

The supported operating systems listed in the "System Requirements for the FlexNet Licensing Server" section have been updated on page: http://resources.flexerasoftware.com/instructions/productlicensing/en/installshieldconcurrent.htm.

IOJ-1781229

The InstallShield 2016 Standalone Build setup has been updated to support only Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later. The InstallShield 2016 Standalone Build will now only install on supported versions of Microsoft Windows.

IOJ-1801258

The following note has been added to the "Getting and Setting Properties" topic and the "Windows Installer API Functions" topic in the InstallShield Help Library:

Note • It may be necessary to specify a proper buffer size if the property value exceeds 1024 characters. For an example of how to write code for this scenario, refer to “Changes in Behavior for Some MSI APIs That Are Called in InstallScript Custom Actions” in the “Upgrading Projects from InstallShield 2011 or Earlier” topic.

IOJ-1780914

A typo in SYSINFO Members SYSINFO.bIsWow64 has been updated in the Japanese version of the InstallShield Help Library.

IOJ-1780766

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Checked List Box controls on Suite dialogs have been fixed to execute an Item Changed event. Previously, properties were not always being created when an item in the checked list box was selected or toggled.

IOJ-1773398

Hyperlinks have been updated in the “Other Window Styles Dialog Box” topic in the InstallShield Help Library to link correctly to their corresponding topics. Previously, some of the hyperlinks on this page were not referencing the intended link.

IOJ-1780360

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

Previously, a call to the Import-Module cmdlet in a PowerShell script was failing in some instances with an "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" error. This has been resolved and the PowerShell scripts encountering this error now run without issue.

IOJ-1780731

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

The Open MSI/MSM Wizard is a tool that converts existing installation projects (.msi files) and merge modules (.msm files) to InstallShield installation projects (.ism files). If the original .msi file has InstallScript custom actions, they will no longer result in the following error when using the Open MSI/MSM Wizard and the rebuilt .msi file installs successfully:

Error 2721. Custom action NewCustomAction1 not found in Binary table stream

IOJ-1779170

InstallShield no longer crashes when changing a newly created property's value in the Property table. Previously, this scenario was resulting in a C++ runtime error.

IOJ-1780087

The “DISK1SETUPEXENAME” topic in the InstallShield Help Library has been updated to notate that DISK1SETUPEXENAME is intended for InstallScript project types only.

IOJ-1803062

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

The built-in Windows Server 2016 prerequisite condition has been added to the Prerequisite Editor. The following platforms have now been included on the Prerequisite Condition dialog box in the Select which platform the prerequisite should run on drop-down list:

Windows Server 2016 (Any)
Windows Server 2016 64-bit (Any)
Windows Server 2016 64-bit (x64)

IOJ-1803451

File property details for ISWiAutomation.dll have been updated. Previously, the property details displayed for this file (that are shown by right-clicking the ISWiAutomation.dll file in File Explorer in the InstallShield 2016 System folder selecting Properties and then viewing the Details tab) were incomplete.

IOJ-1777700

An issue has been fixed that was causing some projects that were built in Visual Studio to result in fatal build error -4340 (“Internal Build error).

IOJ-1774046

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
 

InstallShield now generates a verifiable string in some cases that were previously resulting in error -7354 (“The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3”).

IOJ-1777586

In the “DialogSetInfo” topic in the InstallShield Help Library, additional information has been added to the “DLG_INFO_ALTIMAGE_HIDPI” description.

IOJ-1780797

An issue with hotfix IOJ-1745445 which was causing a call to DAO.DBEngine.OpenDatabase to fail has been resolved in InstallShield 2016 SP1.

IOJ-1777822

Project • This information applies to InstallScript project types.

Shortcuts can successfully be created using InstallScript projects built with InstallShield 2015 SP1 Hotfix IOJ-1745445 or InstallShield 2016. Previously, when run on Vista or Windows Server 2008, InstallScript projects that attempted to create a shortcut resulted in an InstallScript Setup Launcher Unicode error being thrown during shortcut creation on Vista and Windows Server 2008 machines.

IOJ-1777421

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The "Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI Projects" topic in the InstallShield Help Library has been updated with the following note:

Note that Advanced UI and Suite/Advanced UI installations require Windows Vista or later or Windows Server 2008 or later.

IOJ-1777616

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

An issue with a feature’s Visible setting for a UI control in suite projects, which specifies whether the feature will be visible on the InstallationFeatures wizard page during installation, has been resolved. Previously, in InstallShield 2016, unexpected results occurred when using the Visible setting.

IOJ-1771076

Project • This information applies to InstallScript project types.

An issue has been resolved that was causing some InstallScript setups on Windows 7 machines to encounter a crash that was environment-specific.

IOJ-1771076

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

An issue has been resolved that was causing some InstallScript setups on Windows 7 machines to encounter a crash that was environment-specific.

IOJ-1753470

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

An issue has been resolved that was causing a compressed MSI package in a suite project that was attempting to install to a container to not work.

InstallShield 2016

The following issues have been resolved in InstallShield 2016:

Issue Number

Issue Summary

IOJ-1760351

The .exe files associated to the downloads of the following Microsoft SQL Server 2014 prerequisites have been updated as follows:

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express RTM (x86 & x64Wow)—Previous versions of InstallShield were downloading SQLEXPR32_x86.exe for this prerequisite but are now downloading SQLEXPR_x86.exe.
Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express RTM (x86)—Previous versions of InstallShield were downloading SQLEXPR_x86.exe for this prerequisite but are now downloading SQLEXPR32_x86.exe.

As a result of this update, the correct platform files are now downloaded and the correct operating system conditions are now checked.

For further clarification, the following installation note provided by Microsoft states the correct file names to use on each platform.

Note • Microsoft® SQL Server® 2014 Express includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. SQLEXPR32_x86 is a smaller package that can be used to install SQL Server 2014 Express onto only 32-bit operating systems. SQLEXPR_x86 is the same product but supports installation onto both 32-bit and 64-bit (WoW) operating systems. SQLEXPR_x64 is a native 64-bit SQL Server 2014 Express and supports installation onto only 64-bit operating systems. There is no other difference between these packages. Microsoft® SQL Server® 2014 Express is not supported on IA64 systems.

IOJ-1756569

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Suite Object Expression for the format [@Feature(MyFeature).Description] now results in the localized description of MyFeature. Previously this resulted in an empty string.

IOJ-1767090

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Custom path variables which use <VSSolutionFolder> in their definition (e.g., NewCustomPathVariable=<VSSolutionFolder>\MyFolder) now resolve correctly when building the solution with the Microsoft Build engine (MSBuild). Previously these path variables resolved to the literal path including the invalid string <VSSolutionFolder>.

IOJ-1765530

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

The SQLBrowse dialog text that appears in the Browse - Database Server and Browse - Database Catalog dialogs has been updated to:

From the list of servers below, select the database server you would like to target
From the list of catalog names below, select the database catalog you would like to target

IOJ-1765511

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

The Show Details section of the Redistributables view has been updated to properly display when a merge module contains a file with an ampersand in its name. Previously in this scenario the details pane displayed only an error message.

IOJ-1759079

Project • This information applies to the Suite/Advanced UI project type.

A Suite/Advanced UI project now succeeds when installing a Windows Feature that reports that a session reload is required. Previously when this occurred the Suite/Advanced UI would report an error and refuse to install any further packages.

IOJ-1769950

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
 

The CopyToFolder description in the “ISWiRelease Object” topic of the InstallShield Help Library has been updated to remove Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and Merge Module as valid project types associated to the use of the CopyToFolder object. For Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and Merge Module projects, you can use the DistributeLoc property instead of CopyToFolder to distribute your release to a folder.

IOJ-1758249

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
 

Entries with multiple lines of input in the String Editor are now retained properly after switching the project file format from binary to XML and reloading the project.

Previously, switching the file format to XML and closing and reopening the project resulted in string entries being collapsed into single lines.

IOJ-1757539

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Localized values, such as a Shortcut's Name, are now validated at build and can result in build warnings and errors:

-7355: The %4 value for string %2 does not meet validation criteria for table %1 column %3.

This warning occurs if a localized string value does not meet validation criteria for a column in the String Editor table. To resolve this warning, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

-7354: The %4 value for string %2 does not contain a legitimate value for table %1 column %3.

This error occurs if a localized string value does not contain a legitimate value in the named column of the String Editor table. To resolve this error, update the flagged value in the String Editor.

Previously, these values were not validated, and bad string values could result in incorrect run time behavior with no prior warning.

IOJ-1756439,
IOJ-1744882

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
Transform
 

Exporting dialogs (such as the MaintenanceWelcome dialog) and components now succeeds in cases where long identifiers previously caused it to fail.

IOJ-1756316

Project • This information applies to InstallScript MSI projects.

Adding Italian as a supported language to your InstallScript MSI project now results in accurate String Editor table entries. Previously, the use of Italian in InstallScript MSI projects caused unexpected string IDs.

IOJ-1755786

InstallShield produces build warning message -1027 if a timestamp is not successfully created for a digital signature. Prior to InstallShield 2015, when a build failed to create a timestamp for the signature, build warning -1027 was issued. In InstallShield 2015 however, no warning or error appeared even if the resulting build contained no timestamp on the signature.

IOJ-1755473

Project • This information applies to Transform projects.

You can successfully add a dialog to a transform and then add an event to a control on that dialog. Previously, this scenario resulted in a crash.

IOJ-1755060

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The Prerequisite Editor supports the use of relative paths to define a path to the prerequisite in the LocalFile definition. After importing such a prerequisite into a Suite/Advanced UI or Advanced UI project, InstallShield successfully resolves the path at build time. Previously, when importing a .prq file that had been edited to include a relative path, unexpected behavior occurred. That is, in the Packages view, within Package Files, the LinkTo column showed an unexpected LocalFile path, which resulted in Suite build error -7232: Could not find file.

IOJ-1754678

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

InstallShield prohibits the value of properties contained in MsiHiddenProperties from being written to the log, including situations where the:

Properties are used as arguments for a .NET installer class.
Installation contains a feature prerequisite.

Previously, for the situations outlined in the bulleted list above, InstallShield logged values of such properties in clear text in the log.

IOJ-1754769,
IOJ-1754678

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

InstallShield prohibits the value of properties contained in MsiHiddenProperties from being written to the log, including situations where the:

Properties are used as arguments for a .NET installer class.
Installation contains a feature prerequisite.

Previously, for the situations outlined in the bulleted list above, InstallShield logged values of such properties in clear text in the log.

IOJ-1754606

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

On 64-bit systems, a standard DLL custom action which targets a 64-bit DLL executes properly in a strict 64-bit project. (Using a 32-bit version of the DLL and project worked as expected.) Previously, some 64-bit standard DLL custom actions did run correctly in strict 64-bit projects.

IOJ-1754522

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

The "Debugging an Installation on Any Computer" topic in the InstallShield Help Library has been updated to explain the potential need to install the redistributable "Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012" on a debug machine that does not have Visual Studio 2012 installed. The Visual C++ Redistributable Packages install runtime components of Visual C++ libraries that are required to run applications (such as InstallShield) that were developed using Visual Studio 2012.

IOJ-1754277,
IOJ-1754278,
IOJ-1753445

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

InstallShield no longer attempts to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x86) or Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x64) if newer versions are already installed on the target system. Previously, these packages were being added to the list of prerequisites shown in the Redistributables window even if a newer version was already installed on the machine.

Also, the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x64) prerequisite is properly being launched when the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x86) is installed on the system. Previously, the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x64) prerequisite was being skipped when the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package (x86) was already installed on the system.

IOJ-1754269

Project • This information applies to QuickPatch projects.

The Select File window in QuickPatch projects that appears when right-clicking Files to Patch can now be resized. This allows for easier viewing of information in the window. Previously, this window was not resizeable, resulting in the need for a workaround such as expanding column sizes and using the scroll bars in the fixed window in order to better view the contents of the window.

IOJ-1753850

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
Transform
 

When a new component is created, an entry is added to the CreateFolder table for the component's destination. After adding a file to the component, the CreateFolder table entry now gets removed. InstallShield 2015 introduced unexpected behavior where the associated CreateFolder table entry was no longer being removed when adding a file to a new component.

IOJ-1753265

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

When creating a new InstallScript project, if the install is run on Windows XP SP3, and the Custom option is selected on the Setup Type dialog during install, the feature selection dialog box properly displays the list of features with checkboxes available to select or deselect features. Previously if you created an InstallScript project with InstallShield 2015 SP1 and hotfix IOJ-1745445 applied, checkboxes were missing from the feature selection dialog box during custom installs.

IOJ-1753110

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
MSI Database
Transform
 

InstallShield lets you create a scheduled task when specifying the user account as SYSTEM or NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. A scheduled task is created successfully. Previously, an error caused scheduled task to not be created and the install was rolled back.

IOJ-1752427

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
 

PowerShell custom actions no longer write messages to the MSI log that can be confused for errors. Previously, a series of "Could not resolve..." statements were included in the MSI log when initializing custom actions.

IOJ-1752004

InstallShield displays files correctly in the Files and Folders view when a user chooses to include dynamically linked files (using the Include Subfolders option). In InstallShield 2015, files included in a subfolder were also being displayed in the parent folder in this scenario, resulting in the appearance of duplicate files.

Note • This was a display issue only. The resulting install package installed the correct number of files without duplicates.

IOJ-1751807

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
MSI Database
Transform
 

The Custom Action Wizard now retains sequencing information correctly in all instances. Previously, when editing a custom action through the Custom Action Wizard in the Insert into Sequence panel, if the action had been sequenced as the first action in the UI sequence, it was absent from the sequence in the Custom Action Wizard. This did not occur if the custom action was not sequenced as the first action nor did it occur if it was sequenced as the first action of the Execute sequence. If the action was not added to the UI sequence again in the wizard it was being removed from the UI sequence when the wizard completed.

IOJ-1751784

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
InstallScript MSI
 

When installing multiple packages using transaction processing so that the packages are chained together and processed as a single transaction, including actions scheduled to execute on rollback (such as xml file changes, scheduled tasks, network shares, text file changes, SQL script execution) now result in successful execution of the rollback script. Previously, a multiple package transaction was resulting in the execute on rollback script to be ignored if the other script failed in situations where the MSI files were not in the same transaction.

IOJ-1751299

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Wizard text in suite packages is displayed correctly after reboot, even when the chosen language does not match the machine's language settings. Previously, when resuming installation after rebooting, the wizard would display question marks instead of some localized strings.

IOJ-1749081

Project • This information applies to QuickPatch projects types.

If merge modules with particularly long identifiers (that exceed the length specifications of the relevant columns) are included in the base install of a QuickPatch project with the Streamline QuickPatch setting set to No, an unexpected error at run time is no longer displayed. If the merge module or modules were not included in the base install and subsequent QuickPatch project, the problem was not experienced. Previously, a runtime error was displayed when the Streamline QuickPatch setting was set to No if these types of merge modules were included in the base install.

IOJ-1748476

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

You can use double-click to open an InstallScript project that was creating with InstallShield 2014. InstallShield 2016 successfully upgrades the project, and is able to save and open it again by way of a double-click. Previously, when using InstallShield 2015 SP1, unexpected behavior was occurring when attempting to open the InstallShield 2014 .ism file with a double-click.

IOJ-1748317

Project • This information applies to Suite/Advanced UI projects.

A TextBox that uses a Style setting of ES_MULTILINE successfully stores all the lines into a specified property. Previously, only the first line of the value of a property was being displayed despite the Style setting of ES_MULTILINE specified as True.

IOJ-1748131

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The conditions that are configured for the following InstallShield prerequisite have been corrected:

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Client

As a result of this update, the prerequisite now installs on a Windows Server 2008 R2 system that does not have .NET 4.0 or higher already installed.

IOJ-1745976

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

Use of CtrlGetMLEText() successfully retrieves the contents of a multi-line edit field control in a custom dialog. Previously, using CtrlGetMLEText() to retrieve string input resulted in corrupted or missing characters being returned.

IOJ-1745656

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

SQL Script execution has been updated to work successfully. In InstallShield 2015, execution of some SQL scripts was not occurring in some instances despite the same scripts working in InstallShield 2014.

IOJ-1745647

Project • This information applies to QuickPatch projects.

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

Side-by-side registry keys can successfully be modified and accessed in a QuickPatch project. Previously, attempting to access side-by-side registry keys resulted in a crash.

IOJ-1744694

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

If you set a feature description in a suite project to a string property (ISFeatureDescription) it is now properly localized when you add multiple languages to the suite and localize the feature description for each language. Previously, the default English string for the feature description was being shown.

IOJ-1743567

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

Using an InstallScript project, you can properly set the DWORD value to an integer value, including the maximum value (0xFFFFFFFF). Previously, InstallShield was converting the registry DWORD string to an incorrect integer value.

IOJ-1743313

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
Transform
 

The Open Containing Folder destination file list control has been enabled for dynamically linked files. Previously, after dynamically linking files to a component, this option was not selectable.

IOJ-1743047

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

When migrating a suite to a new version of InstallShield, any Windows Features added to the suite are now updated to support the same operating systems that the new version of InstallShield being migrated to supports. Previously, Windows Features added to the suite were not being updated accordingly.

IOJ-1741079,
IOJ-1742968

Beginning with InstallShield 2015, support was added to enable you to use digital certificates that use the SHA-256 hashing algorithm for signing your installations and files at build time InstallShield has now been updated to:

Automatically match the hashing algorithm from the certificate.
Let you specify an algorithm for the digest in your signed file to always sign as SHA-1 or SHA-256 regardless of the certificate used.

Previously, the build could fail with signing error -1027 or the signature could not be verified on older versions of Windows.

IOJ-1742920

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Suite projects now allow you to suppress build warnings when you disable them in Settings.xml. This functionality already existed in other project types.

IOJ-1742556

InstallShield supports integration with Visual Studio 2013 Update 5. Previously, InstallShield 2015 SP1 integration with Visual Studio 2013 Update 5 was causing you not to be able to click around the solution and access different views or be able to build with Visual Studio 2013 Update 5.

IOJ-1742525

The path to local file for the following prerequisites has been updated to use the predefined search path variable <ISProductFolder>:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x86)
Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package (x64)

Previously, an improper path to the local file was resulting in build failures when using the InstallShield Standalone Build because the redistributable package files could not be found.

IOJ-1742214

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
 

The “Overriding the Default TCP/IP Network Library with a Different Protocol for a SQL Server Database” topic in the InstallShield Help Library has been updated to direct users about the new way to override the default TCP/IP network library with a different protocol for a SQL server database. This update directs users to the Property table to edit the IS_SQLSERVER_NETLIB_MS field’s default value of Network Library=DBMSSOCN in order to update DBMSSOCN to name the override module for the TCP/IP network library. Previously, InstallShield stored this value in the ISSQLDBMetaData table.

IOJ-1742125

InstallShield successfully builds in Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server or MSBuild when there are parentheses included in the solution name referred to by VSSolutionFolder. Since MSBuild escapes special characters, including parentheses, VSSolutionFolder paths that include parentheses previously resulted in a build failure.

IOJ-1742112

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Hyperlinks in Rich Text Box controls in suite project dialogs successfully open the link in a new window. Previously, hyperlinks in Rich Text Box controls in suite project dialogs were ignored.

IOJ-1742088

Project • This information applies to InstallScript MSI projects.

InstallShield has improved the performance of InstallScript MSI SQL script execution. Previously, the same SQL scripts were executing faster in Basic MSI projects than they were in InstallScript projects.

IOJ-1741435

Project • This information applies to InstallScript MSI projects.

A setup.exe created from an InstallScript MSI project which uses an InstallScript User Interface Type set to New Style now installs successfully. Previously, the New Style setting resulted in MsiExec.exe command-line parameters not being passed to the .msi, leading to Windows Installer error 1639.

IOJ-1741231

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Support for the BuildErrorCount and BuildWarningCount properties have been added to the suite ISWiSuiteRelease object and can thus now be used to determine if the build was successful or not. Previously only complex workarounds were available.

IOJ-1740777

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

MSI Database
Transform
 

In the Upgrades view within the Common tab, the Products sharing my Upgrade Code option has been disabled for MSI Database and Transform project types, preventing accidentally specifying the null GUID as the upgrade code. Previously, selecting the Products sharing my Upgrade Code option resulted in the Upgrade table containing a null GUID instead of the actual upgrade code.

IOJ-1740227

When two digital signing certificates exist in the same certificate store with similar subjects, only the selected certificate is used to sign the setup. Previously, this scenario led to inconsistent results with the incorrect certificate being used to sign in some instances.

IOJ-1740223,
IOJ-1739837

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Japanese translations have been updated in the:

Add adjacent Files and Files in Subfolders setting in the Add Files for This Package dialog box
Suite platform Detection Condition drop-down option, for the “or later” portion of the for operating systems listed (e.g., Windows 81. or later)

IOJ-1739985

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

After converting a Windows Installer (.msi) to an InstallShield project (.ism), on a machine whose language is not supported by InstallShield, you can now successfully change the Setup Languages setting in General Information. Previously this could have crashed the IDE.

IOJ-1739861

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

If you add a Rich Text Box control in a secondary window in a suite project, the secondary window will always display the rich text box text if accessed more than once during the install. Previously, there were instances of Secondary Windows not showing the Rich Text Box contents upon subsequent openings of the window.

IOJ-1739542

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

In a suite project, the Next button is automatically enabled when a user uses a mouse wheel to scroll to the bottom of the alternate license page. Previously this only worked consistently when dragging the scroll bar, using the scroll bar’s menu options, or pressing keys.

IOJ-1739345

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
Transform
 

InstallShield lets you add an SQL Server ODBC driver to a Basic MSI or Transform project and save and build the project without warnings or errors. Previously, depending on the registry settings for the particular ODBC driver, these scenarios were resulting in warnings and errors with regards to the ODBC driver.

IOJ-1739343

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
 

Using the DIM References view in Basic MSI projects, DIM references are properly included in multiple features if the Basic MSI project is configured to have the same DIM reference as a part of more than one feature. Previously in this scenario, a DIM reference was only being included in the first feature.

IOJ-1737326

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The function name drop-down now correctly respects the preprocessor directives and preprocessor definitions. Previously functions might have been incorrectly included in or excluded from the drop down list.

IOJ-1737226

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The Product Version for a suite is now logged in the suite debug log (setup.exe/debuglog).

IOJ-1736383

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Actions shown in the Events view in a suite project are now organized alphabetically.

IOJ-1735185

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Suite properties suppressed by the command line using /PROPERTY:value are now hidden in the debuglog when they are included in ISHiddenProperties.

As background, with InstallShield 2015, support was added for suite properties passed on the command line to be hidden in the debuglog by adding the property to ISHiddenProperties. Suites allow properties to be set in two ways:

PROPERTY=value
/PROPERTY:value

Previously, those set using the PROPERTY=value were hidden in the debuglog when included in ISHiddenProperties as expected; however, those set using
/PROPERTY:value were not.

IOJ-1734782

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

In instances where two suite projects are running but one is running silently, InstallShield now suppresses the following message:

Another instance of this setup is already running. Please wait for the other instance to finish and then try again

Instead, the suite setup now returns an error code indicating it exited due to the fact that another instance of the same suite was running. The status is now logged in debuglog with code: 0x80040711.

IOJ-1732554

RFC3161 timestamping is now supported: .msi, .exe, .dll files use the original attribute, but try as either Authenticode or RFC3161 timestamps; .appx files use the new attribute always for RFC3161.

Previously, InstallShield did not provide a valid timestamp when attempting to use the RFC 3161 timestamp server.

IOJ-1732436

The following note has been added to the License Agreement to describe how to upgrade the linkage of the Print button for cases when you use a file name other than LicenseAgreement.rtf:

Note that if you want to use a file name other than ‘LicenseAgreement.rtf’ you need to update the click event link of the Print button to point to the new license agreement RTF file.

IOJ-1730924

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

The behavior of suite properties in wizard pages has been updated to handle the use of bracket [ ] characters in user input. Previously, when creating a suite project and adding a custom dialog to receive customer input, if the end user included bracket [ ] characters in the text control, unexpected behavior occurred.

IOJ-1730907

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

InstallShield successfully registers the 64-bit .Net assemblies and successfully installs

InstallShield installs 64-bit COM+ applications after registering the .Net assembly of the COM+ component. Previously, when installing 64-bit COM+ applications, InstallShield was performing a rollback in some instances and in other instances although installing successfully, the COM+ component was not being registered.

IOJ-1729167

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

During a suite installation where the loading process takes more than half a second, InstallShield will now display a splash screen to indicate that the program has launched and that a loading process needs to complete before the Install Welcome dialog appears. For the splash screen, InstallShield utilizes the largest provided version of the setup.exe icon and includes a progress bar on it

IOA-000085326

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

The MSI Debugger runs successfully for Basic MSI projects on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 machines.

Previously, some Basic MSI projects on Windows 7 (x64) machines were throwing the following error during the ExecuteAction action of the install sequence:

Error 1719. Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that it is properly registered and enabled.

IOA-000081824

The Best Practices to Avoid Windows Setup Launcher Executable Issues article has been added to the Flexera Software Knowledge Base. The associated hot fixes available for previous versions are included in this release.

IOA-000080197

Project • This information applies to InstallScript projects.

The InstallShield Help Library has been updated to provide clarification of the InstallScript FileCompare, GetFileInfo, and SetFileInfo functions. In each topic, the description was changed to say that the modify date is used. Previously, there was some confusion about whether the date used in these functions was the modify date or the created date.

IOA-000074928

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Suite/Advanced UI
 

Design enhancements have been made to the Feature Selection Tree Control on the InstallationFeatures dialog. A white background is now used and all features shown display in the same color. Previously, when enough features were included that the list scrolled vertically, the InstallationFeatures dialog was showing unexpected colors any feature was selected beyond the scroll.

IOA-000076537

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

The “Building Your Installation” topic in Tutorial section of the InstallShield Help Library has been updated to provide the following note after the “Click Build Installations” step.

Note: The build generates warning -7235. This is expected. You can continue to the next step without resolving this warning, or to resolve this warning, configure the settings in the Software Identification Tag area of the General Information view as needed. If Yes is selected for the Use Software Identification Tag setting but you have not entered values in one or more of the required identification settings (the Unique ID, Tag Creator, and Tag Creator ID settings in the General Information view), build warning -7235 occurs, once for each of the settings that are blank. For more information, refer to Including a Software Identification Tag for Your Product.

IOA-000068608

Project • This information applies to Basic MSI projects.

The “Services View Settings” topic in the InstallShield Help Library has been updated (in the Type setting). The following note has been added:

Note: The Restart Service action is not supported with .msi packages. Including this action with an .msi package will result in Windows Installer Error 1939.

IOA-000066261

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript MSI
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
Transform
Suite/Advanced UI
 

InstallShield lets you override the name of the product that is specified in the General Information view by passing command-line build parameters in an .ini file. The Product= entry under the [Project] section in an .ini file now correctly lets you override the Product name value that is specified in the General Information view. Previously, the override was not occurring in some cases.

IOC-000080520,
IOC-000067659

Project • This information applies to the following project types:

Basic MSI
DIM
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
MSI Database
MSM Database
QuickPatch
Transform
 

Support for a new property has been added to the InstallShield table that lets you set the default value used for component attributes. If a property of MsiComponentAttributes exists in the InstallShield table, its value overrides the default Attributes column value in the Component table from 8 to whatever is specified

For more information, refer to the Ability to Set the Default Value Used for Component Attributes section of these Release Notes.

System Requirements

This section contains the minimum requirements for systems that run InstallShield (the authoring environment), as well as for target systems that run the installations created with InstallShield (the run-time environment).

For Systems Running InstallShield

InstallShield runs on the latest versions of these operating systems, fully updated with the most recent patches and service packs.

Item

Description

Processor

Pentium III-class PC (500 MHz or higher recommended)

RAM

256 MB of RAM (512 MB preferred)

Hard Disk

500 MB free space

Display

Designed for XGA resolution at 1024 × 768 or higher

Operating System

Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
Windows 7
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 8
Windows Server 2012
Windows 8.1
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 10
Windows Server 2016

Privileges

Administrative privileges on the system

Mouse

Microsoft IntelliMouse or other compatible pointing device

Optional Integration with Visual Studio

The following versions of Microsoft Visual Studio can be integrated with InstallShield Premier or Professional Editions:

Visual Studio 2008
Visual Studio 2010
Visual Studio 2012
Visual Studio 2013
Visual Studio 2015
Visual Studio 2017

The following editions of these versions of Visual Studio can be integrated with InstallShield Premier or Professional Editions:

Community
Professional
Premium
Ultimate

For Target Systems

Project • For all project types except for Suites (Advanced UI, and Suite/Advanced UI project types), Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems that run the installations that are created in InstallShield. For Suites, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 are the minimum versions of Windows that are required for target systems.

Target systems must meet the following minimum operating system requirement:

Windows XP SP3
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Vista
Windows Server 2008
Windows 7
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows 8
Windows Server 2012
Windows 8.1
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 10
Windows Server 2016

Target systems must also support the SSE2 instruction set.

Known Issues

For a list of known issues, see https://flexeracommunity.force.com/customer/articles/en_US/INFO/InstallShield-2016-Known-Issues.

Legal Information

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2017 Flexera Software LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This publication contains proprietary and confidential information and creative works owned by Flexera Software LLC and its licensors, if any. Any use, copying, publication, distribution, display, modification, or transmission of such publication in whole or in part in any form or by any means without the prior express written permission of Flexera Software LLC is strictly prohibited. Except where expressly provided by Flexera Software LLC in writing, possession of this publication shall not be construed to confer any license or rights under any Flexera Software LLC intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication, or otherwise.

All copies of the technology and related information, if allowed by Flexera Software LLC, must display this notice of copyright and ownership in full.

Intellectual Property

For a list of trademarks and patents that are owned by Flexera Software, see http://www.flexerasoftware.com/intellectual-property. All other brand and product names mentioned in Flexera Software products, product documentation, and marketing materials are the trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Restricted Rights Legend

The Software is commercial computer software. If the user or licensee of the Software is an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government, the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure, or transfer of the Software, or any related documentation of any kind, including technical data and manuals, is restricted by a license agreement or by the terms of this Agreement in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 12.212 for civilian purposes and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 227.7202 for military purposes. The Software was developed fully at private expense. All other use is prohibited.