As an IT professional, you might have come across Windows Forms (WinForms) when building applications on Windows. WinForms is a free and open source GUI class library included in the .NET Framework that has been heavily used since its release in 2002.

In the tech industry, there's often a dilemma about which technology to use for patches. Specifically, when an ISV (Independent Software Vendor) creates an MSI for the first time and updates come up, they must choose between MSP and MSI options.

Electron is an open-source framework to develop desktop GUI applications using web technologies. It combines the Chromium rendering engine and the Node.js runtime.

In this article, we want to focus on desktop shortcut creation specifically for a Windows Forms application using the WiX Toolset.

In our previous articles, we discussed How to Set Automatic MSIX Downgrades with .appinstaller and the MS-AppInstaller Web Protocol, and now we will be discussing the technicalities of the .appinstaller.

One of the main challenges IT Pros face with application packages is the unattended installation. Unattended installations ensure that the same configuration is applied to all your active systems in the infrastructure, and no human error during installation can change that configuration.

Have you encountered an .appx file and wondered what it is and what it can be used for?

As a vendor, you may often receive user complaints about the “Windows Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting" warning whenever they download your installer.

Although Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM) is still a very popular infrastructure management tool, many companies are moving to Azure and Intune.

It is well known that whenever you install a .NET application, you need to add a .NET Framework prerequisite to your installation package.

When we install a Windows program, we often have to deal with MSI and EXE files.

We are living in a digital era, and the need for trust and authenticity of digital documents, websites, and applications requires the use of a digital signature.

As IT Pros, we deal with all sorts of application installers developed by different software vendors. We also need to configure and customize each of those applications to fit our organization's needs.

22 years after its introduction, MSI is still the most widely used method of managing program installation. Microsoft released Windows Installer with Office 2000 to enable the application's administration to follow a set of common guidelines (installing, repairing, uninstalling).

When creating an installer package, you typically provide a default installation folder and allow the users to modify it if required. But what if you need to set the installation path based on a value saved in the registry?

There are multiple ways to provide an extra layer of security for your applications in order to distribute them safely and build trust with your users. One of the most reliable methods is using Signed Certificates.A Signed Certificate is a Public Key Cryptography certificate that verifies the identity of the certificate holder listed in the certificate and generates Digital Signatures.

Throughout their entire history, MSI applications have used Microsoft Windows Installer as an installation and configuration tool provided with Windows since version 2.0 for Windows XP and proceeding to version 5.0 for Windows 7, 10, and 11.

We are over the moon to announce the release of the MSI Packaging Essentials Training and Certification Program, our first educational program dedicated to young IT Professionals who want to become experts in application packaging.

IT professionals are now considering switching from App-V to MSIX technology more than ever, since main-stream support for App-V ended a few years back and extended support is due to end in a few years (April 14, 2026). However, as it happens with change, this shift comes with many challenges when converting App-V packages to MSIX.