Building 64-Bit Setup Launcher
InstallShield lets you specify whether you want your installation to include a 64-bit Setup.exe setup launcher. A 64-Bit Setup.exe setup launcher is required only if the installation is targeting 64-bit system. By default, InstallShield builds the 32-bit setup launcher, which can execute in a 32-bit system as well in WoW64 on 64-bit system. Some 64-bit target systems-such as Windows Server Core systems-may not have 32-bit Windows-on-Windows (WoW64) support. These 64-bit target systems cannot run 32-bit setup launcher.
The General tab in the Releases view is where you specify information to build 64-Bit Setup launcher.
Building 64-bit Setup launcher does not build the corresponding 64-bit MSI package by default. In order to build the 64-bit MSI package, need to configure the Template Summary with the appropriate 64-bit value (x64 or Intel64). The Express edition of InstallShield configures the Template Summary property automatically. Pure 64-bit MSI package cannot copy 32-bit product files or execute 32-bit custom action during installation, because 32-bit binaries cannot be loaded on 64-bit target systems without WOW64 support.
For more information on Building 64-bit MSI package, see Challenges of Supporting Both 32-Bit and 64-Bit Target Operating Systems.
Building 32-bit MSI Package with 64-bit Setup Launcher
InstallShield throws the following warning message if the MSI package is configured to build 32-bit package with the 64-bit setup launcher option:
ISEXP: warning -7372: Setup Launcher is configured to build 64-Bit, but Template Summary is not configured to build 64-Bit MSI package.
This warning is received because the 64-bit setup launcher fails to execute in a pure 32-bit system, and the 32-bit MSI package fail to install in pure 64-bit system. This failure can be fixed by not opting the 64-bit setup launcher if the installer needs to target pure 32-bit system and WoW64 on 64-bit system. Alternatively, the MSI package can be configured to generate 64-bit MSI package to target pure 64-bit system.
InstallShield Prerequisites and 64-bit Setup Launcher
In general, projects that include InstallShield prerequisites require Setup.exe because Setup.exe checks to see if the target system meets the InstallShield prerequisite conditions. If the conditions are met, Setup.exe installs the InstallShield prerequisites.
If you configure to build the projects that include InstallShield prerequisites with 64-bit setup launcher, ensure the prerequisite installer is a 64-bit, which can install in pure x64 system and configure the prerequisite conditions to check the 64-bit location either in the registry or folder location.
In some cases, if you want to build the 32-bit prerequisite installer with 64-bit setup launcher, configure the conditions to check the 32-bit location. Most of the registry conditions in the prerequisites are configured to check the default location, which is 32-bit location for the 32-bit set up launcher and 64-bit location for the 64-bit setup launcher. But, the 32bit prerequisite installer creates the registry key under the 32-bit registry hives. To rectify this, you need to modify the registry location to check the 32-bit location explicitly.