Deploying Windows Applications

Quick guide.......

1. Open .Net project
2. Right click solution in the solution explorer
3. Add - New Project
4. Select setup and Deployment from Project Types
5. Select Setup Project
6. Enter relevant name
7. Right click Setup project
8. Add - Project Output - ok (all dependencies should appear)
9. Build Setup and Project
10. MSI installer is created in the setup project folder which has been created beside the main project application.
11. Run the installer to create the MSI.


For any other prerequisites that might be needed for the application right click on the setup project in the solution explorer, click prerequisites and check the prerequisites to install and then build the setup file.

For example we had a problem trying to deploy an Windows .Net 2005 application which had crystal reports included in it. To get round this the Crystal Reports for .Net Framework 2.0 prerequisites had to be checked (following the steps above). This then created an MSI for the Crystal Reports Framework in the setup folder. Once installed on the users machine the reports worked fine.