Identifying Setup Launcher and Package Types

	Setup Launcher Version 1.2

Help & User Guide

Identifying Setup Launcher and Package Types

As described under Setup Package Types, up to three (3) setup package types may be available for the same product and version. This leads to the problem of how to identify the setup packages, if you happen to have one or more unknown, or all three, on your computer or network. This page provides suggestions on how to avoid and resolve this problem.

Because the prerequisites for a successful installation differ significantly from setup package type to setup package type, it may be necessary to know exactly which setup package type you're using or intend to use. For example, if you attempt to install the product by means of the web/Internet version of the Setup Launcher and you don't have an Internet connection or cannot establish a connection to our server, the installation attempt is more than likely to fail ^*1. Such a situation can easily arise when the setup package at your disposal was obtained from a source that did not adequately set apart and/or document the individual setup packages. As we cannot prevent the redistribution (authorized or not) of our installation packages, this is not an unlikely scenario.

The following information and suggestions assume that we have made all deployment methods that are supported by the Setup Launcher available, and all of them install an imaginary product named SSTExampleApp. The product has just been released, so it's only available in a single version (1.0).

Avoiding the Problem As identifying a setup package once it has gotten mixed up with others, may prove difficult, or at least tedious, we recommend not to rename the Setup Launcher files, after having downloaded them.
In the event that you must rename them (as may prove necessary when creating/burning certain types of compact disks ^*2), we recommend that you create a copy of the original file (or files) and rename the copy (or copies). You can then identify the originally downloaded files (and thereby the original names) by the date and time they were last modified and/or on which they were created.
An additional safeguard is to store the different Setup Lanuncher and package files in different folders. For example:
•	The web Setup Launcher under	`C:\Users\Public\AppSetupPackages\SST\ExampleApp\1.0\Web\`
•	The self-extracting Setup Launcher under	`C:\Users\Public\AppSetupPackages\SST\ExampleApp\1.0\Self-Extract\`
•	The disk Setup Launcher under	`C:\Users\Public\AppSetupPackages\SST\ExampleApp\1.0\Disk\`
We also recommend, that when downloading a Setup Launcher/package under an operating system and an Internet browser that support printing/converting the contents of a Hyper Text Markup Langage (HTML) page to a portable document format (.pdf) file, that the page from which setup package is downloaded is printed and saved (as a .pdf file), together with the setup package file(s). Under operating system versions and browsers that lack this feature, an alternative is to save the page as a HTML file. Although this is possible under most browsers, the downside is frequently, that the saved file (or group of files) will not be displayed correctly under other browsers and even later versions of the browser under which the file (or group of files) was created.
Nonetheless, we would like to point out, that the Download Details pages of our products, generally contain all necessary information to identify the setup package's file(s), even if renamed. It is therefore a prudent, precautionary measure to somehow save this information together with a downloaded Setup Launcher and/or the entire setup package.

By Means of the Setup Launcher's File Name

The prefix SST for our company. This prefix is always the first part of the name of all Setup Launcher executables. It is also always the first part of the name of the deployed Microsoft Installer components.

The product name without the prefix SST. In our example this would be ExampleApp.

Should the product be available in more than one edition, the edition of the product. In most cases this part of the file name will be abbreviated, e.g. Std for Standard, Edu for Education, Pro for Professional, etc..

The two letter language code of the (major) language the product and setup package were authored for. Unless the Setup Launcher and the product installed by it are authored for multiple/all languages, this part is always present in the name.

The major and minor version of the product and edition, in the form XPtY. In our example this part would read 1Pt0. This part may also contain the prefix Ver or V to help identify it as the version number. It is always present in the file name.

In very rare cases, special Setup Launcher and/or product versions may be available (on special customer demand) for specific, otherwise unsupported Windows versions. In such cases, this part will be the abbreviated minimum and/or maximum Windows version, e.g. Win2000 (or Win2K), WinXP+, etc.. This part (i.e. the Windows version for which the product and Setup Launcher were developed) is normally omitted.

The last three parts of the name are the most significant in identifying the Setup Launcher and package type.

The first of the last three parts always identifies the setup package type. When we release a Setup Launcher one of the following words or acronyms is always included its name. Depending on for which deployment method the Setup Launcher was adapted, this is either:

Web:	The Microsoft Installer components reside and remain on our Internet server until they are either explicitly or automatically downloaded to the target computer by the Setup Launcher.
SE:	SE being herein the abbreviation for self-extracting, all necessary Microsoft Installer components are integrated into the Setup Launcher file. They are extracted automatically when this type of Setup Launcher is run, but can also be extracted on user request.
Disk:	The Setup Launcher and all necessary Microsoft Installer components are stored as separate files on a removable storage medium, such as a compact disk, flash drive, etc.. Alternatively, these files may also be stored in a file that bundles the contents of the folders and files that otherwise would be on such storage media, e.g. a .iso, disk image file.

The second to last part of the name specifies what the setup package installs. It can be one of the following

Setup:	The package is (and has to be) used to perform the initial/basic installation of the product.
Fix:	The package installs a bug fix.
Patch:	The package installs a patch.
Update:	The package installs an update.
SP:	The package installs a service pack (i.e. a comprehensive update).

The final part of the file name defines the processor architecture for which the product and Setup Launcher were built. However, this part may be omitted if only one setup package for both 32- and 64-bit Intel/AMD processor architectures is available.

10.

The file suffix .exe, for executable.

SST Setup Launcher Naming Scheme
Maximum Length (including the file extension): 64 characters
Prefix	Product Name	Edition	Language Code	Product Version	Special Build OS Version	Setup Package Type	What's Installed	Processor Architecture	File suffix
SST	ExampleApp	Std Pro Edu etc.	EN DE etc.	XPtY	Win2K WinXP+ etc.	Web SE Disk	Setup Fix Patch Update SP	x86 x64	.exe
Always present	Always present	Optional, only if more than one edition	Always present, unless one package for all	Always present	Optional, very rare	Always present	Always present in bug fix, patch, update, and service pack names. Otherwise, optional	Optional. In most cases omitted, if the Setup Launcher and setup package were authored for both x86 and x64 systems.	Always present

By Means of the Setup Launcher's File Size Because the Setup Launcher is adapted for each product, version, edition, language, and deployment method, its size also varies with each product, language, version, edition, and deployment method. Therefore, in the event that it is necessary to distinguish the web/internet, self-extracting, and disk versions from another, the following rules are generally applicable, but are not reliable enough to identify a Setup Launcher and/or setup package with certainty.
1.	The Setup Launcher of the self-extracting setup package is by far the largest.
2.	The version that installs the product directly from the web/Internet is probably slightly larger than the disk setup version. However, the difference in size may only be marginal (i.e. a few bytes).
3.	The Setup Launcher version for the disk setup package is the smallest.
The following expression summarizes the just stated:
SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0SESetup.exe > SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0WebSetup.exe ≥ SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0DiskSetup.exe
Unfortunately this only applies to the Setup Launcher itself and not to the entire setup package, for which these rules may be completely reversed. That is, the disk setup package, which may be bundled into an (uncompressed) .ISO disk image file is probably the largest ^*3 and the self-extracting setup package (which consists exclusively of the Setup Launcher (into which all other files have been integrated), is the smallest.
SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0DiskSetup.iso > SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0WebSetup.exe + Microsoft Installer component(s) ≥ SSTExampleAppEn1Pt0SESetup.exe

By Means of the File Type

Because, irrespective of the product and type of setup package it was adapted for, the Setup Launcher is always a Windows executable, it is not possible to distinguish the Setup Launcher of a web/Internet setup package from that of disk or self-extracting setup package by its file type.

Much the same applies to the different package types' Microsoft Installer components. In as far as they are not identical to start with, their file types are unlikely to differ from one setup package type to another.

By Means of the File Properties Dialog

The last method is also by far the most reliable. However, this involves opening the Windows Properties dialog(s) of the Setup Launcher(s) that need to be identified. Furthermore this method only permits identifying the deployment method and not the product it installs ^*4.

Text

In Windows (File) Exploer, open the folder in which the SST Setup Launcher executable file (or files) that need to be identified are located

Right click on the icon of the SST Setup Launcher file in question. This will open the Windows (File) Exploer's context menu.

In the Windows (File) Exploer's context menu, select/click the "Properties" menu item. Normally, this menu item is located at the bottom of the context menu and will open a dialog with several tab sheets, similar to the one depicted below.


Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.6	Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.7

As can be derived from Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.6 and Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.7 the required, setup package type information is available on both, the first, the "General" and the "Details" tab sheet. But, due to its length, the package type information may not be displayed in full (as can be seen in Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.6). Nonetheless, the entire text can be viewed, on both the General and the Details tab sheets.

As the information that is integrated into the Setup Launcher is displayed in an edit field/control, all you need to to on the "General" tab sheet (Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.6) is position the cursor in the line to the right of the word "Description". You can now use the arrow, "Pos1", and "End" keys on your keyboard to scroll through and/or copy the text.

On the "Details" tab sheet (Fig. 1.1.1.2.1.1.0.7) the information is displayed in a List View control (as in Windows (File) Explorer) and it is generally necessary to expand the "Value" column to view the full text. This is achieved by positioning the cursor in the row/line with the captions "Property" and "Value", and moving it over the thin, vertical line, to the right of the word "Value", until it changes from an arrow into a vertical bar with arrows pointing both left and right. Then, simply double click on the thin vertical line. This will expand the "Value" column. Now, you can use the scroll bar at the bottom of the list view control to view the entire text.

Whichever tab sheet you choose, the "Description" text will read "Launcher application for Microsoft Installer web setup packages.", for the web/Internet version of the SST Setup Launcher, "Launcher application for self-extracting Microsoft Installer setup packages.", for the self-extracting version, and "Launcher application for Microsoft Installer disk setup packages.", for the disk setup package version.

Footnotes

*1	The exeception to this rule being, that you already have the setup package's Microsoft Installer components. In this case you do not require the Setup Launcher to install the product.
*2	Some compact disk (CD) file systems impose limits on the max. length of file names and/or paths, which may be exceeded by the name of a Setup Launcher file and/or the resulting path under which it is to be stored on the CD.
*3	Typically, a complete setup package consists of at least two files, the Setup Launcher and a Microsoft Installer (e.g. a .msi or .msp) file. However, disk setup packages contain disk setup specific files that are not required and are therefore omitted, in other setup packages.
*4	Unfortunately, as of Windows Vista, Microsoft has discontinued displaying the entire information that may have been provided by the publisher of the executable on the "Details" page of an executable's "Properties Dialog".

Topic Hierarchy: Setup Launcher • Help & User Guide • Table of Contents • Identifying Setup Launcher and Package Types

See Also: Setup Package Types, Using the Setup Launcher, Appendix.