Here are some answers to common questions about Setup Factory 8…

What’s New in Setup Factory 8?

Setup Factory 8 includes hundreds of improvements since v7.0 was released. There are dozens of little productivity boosting gems and tons of enhancements that make this major new version better than any other.

Who needs Setup Factory?

If you are creating software applications that need to be installed on your customer’s computers, you definitely need Setup Factory. But, it’s is not just for software developers. Anyone distributing files or data can benefit from using a professional installation builder. It makes it easy to deploy your data, ensure it arrives intact, create start menu and desktop icons, or any other system configurations you require.

What Can I do with Setup Factory?

With Setup Factory you can create professional, secure, full-featured installers. Setups created with Setup Factory are 100% self-contained; i.e. the setups do not require any external technologies to be installed. As well, because published setups are self-contained executable files, they are perfect for web downloads or CD/DVD distribution. You can use Setup Factory 8.0 to package up your software for distribution, or to securely package up internal documents to distribute to your sales-force. The possibilities are limitless.

Does Setup Factory 8 support Windows 7, Vista and XP?

Yes! Setup Factory 8 officially supports Windows 7, Vista and XP. In fact, installs created with Setup Factory can be used on any version of windows, from Windows 95 through Windows 7 and Server 2008. We work hard to ensure your installer is compatible with the widest range of Windows operating systems possible.

How easy is it to learn?

Setup Factory boasts an easy-to-use, task based visual design environment. When creating a new project for the first time, you will be presented with the New Project wizard, allowing you to create a fully functional setup in just minutes. Once you have a wizard-created project, it’s a snap to add new screens from the screen gallery, as well as customize existing ones. Adding additional files and folders to your project is just as easy through the intuitive drag-and-drop interface. And with hundreds of high-level actions available through the user-friendly action wizard, adding complex functionality has never been easier!

Do I have to be a programmer to use Setup Factory?

Absolutely not! Using the Project Wizard, even beginners can create a fully functional setup in just minutes. And with an intuitive user interface, customization is accomplished in the same point-and-click fashion.

Can I patch my software with Setup Factory?

Setup Factory was designed to package up a complete version of your software and install it on a user’s system. While this can certainly update a system to the latest release, it is not as efficient as using a dedicated patch builder. Our Visual Patch product is more suited for creating software patches.

Can I secure my installs with serial numbers?

Absolutely! Setup Factory has built-in support for serial number lists. You can generate random serial numbers within Setup Factory based on a structure you specify, or you can import a list of serial numbers from a text file. Then, simply add a pre-made or custom serial number screen to your setup, ensuring that it will not function without a valid serial number.

Can my setup check with my server to see if a serial number is valid?

Yes! Setup Factory includes various actions for interacting with a web server. Integrating your setups with a web-verification system has never been easier! Simply have your setup submit the given serial number to a web server, and choose how to continue based on the returned result.

Can I make my setups expire?

Yes! Setup Factory has built-in support for setup expiry. You can configure your setup to expire after it has been run a certain amount of times, after a specific date has passed, or both.

Can I make a setup that spans multiple disks?

Yes! Setup Factory can automatically split your setup file into either pre-determined or custom sized segments, perfect for distribution on media of any size.

Does Setup Factory require Windows Installer MSI services?

No. Setup Factory creates stand-alone, bullet proof setups that run on any PC using Windows 95B or higher. Setups created with Setup Factory are self-contained; they do not require any external technologies to run. With that in mind, Setup Factory can run any file supported by your user’s system, including Windows Installer MSI files — it just does not need or create them. If you would like to create MSI installers, please consider our MSI Factory product.

Does Setup Factory support installation components (packages)?

Yes! Thanks to the built-in support for packages, your setups can have as many (or as few) packages as you like. Create one setup that contains both required and optional components, and allow your user to choose which components are installed and which ones are not.

Can my setup download files from the web?

Yes! Setup Factory comes with a variety of built-in actions to interact with a web server. Thanks to the intuitive design environment and easy-to-use scripting language, your setups can be configured to download any files from your HTTP or HTTPS server. You can create a setup that downloads only the components to be installed, saving bandwidth costs.

Can Setup Factory work with registry values and INI files?

Yes! Setup Factory comes standard with easy-to-use actions for reading from and writing to the user’s registry as well as reading from and writing to INI files. As well, there are actions to determine if the user has the appropriate permissions to read from and/or write to the registry or to INI files.

Can I open my v7.0 Projects in Setup Factory 8?

Yes! Upgrading to Setup Factory 8 is completely hassle-free. Simply open up your Setup Factory 7.0 project file and go. That’s it! 

System Requirements

In order to build installers, a developer requires:

• Windows 7, Vista, or XP
• 1 GB RAM
• 1024×768 display resolution
• 5 GB free hard drive space

In order to run the setups, an end user requires:

• Windows 95/98/ME/NT4(SP6)/2000/XP/Vista/7/Server 2003/Server 2008
• 256 MB RAM
• 640×480 display resolution
• 100 MB free hard drive space + data space

More Information:

1. Choosing Between Setup Factory and MSI Factory Setup Factory 8.0 and MSI Factory 2.0 are the two...
2. Overview of Setup Factory 8.2 Use Setup Factory to easily create professional and reliable installers...
3. Video Tutorials for Setup Factory Learn all about Setup Factory. These videos were created for...

Here are some answers to common questions about TrueUpdate 3.5…

Who needs TrueUpdate?

Any company who develops software applications or distributes data needs TrueUpdate. Any organization that needs to ensure its network is secure and updated with the latest patches needs TrueUpdate. Anyone who needs timely and secure synchronization of documents and files needs TrueUpdate. Ensuring that everyone is using the most recent point release of a particular package makes good sense. It eliminates legacy technical support calls, and corresponding user frustration. It ensures that data is current. It also serves to maintain customer satisfaction. And that’s something everyone can appreciate.

Is TrueUpdate Vista Compatible?

Yes! TrueUpdate’s design workspace and generated updates are compatible with Windows Vista, including a configurable “requested execution level” setting for the update’s manifest.

What can you do with TrueUpdate?

Software products and network clients that have been TrueUpdate enabled can quickly and efficiently determine if they are out of date. Embedding TrueUpdate into a software product makes it extremely easy to manage, control and update “in the field”. Likewise, deploying the TrueUpdate client to computer systems throughout your network gives you a fast and manageable way to ensure that each node is current with the latest patches, documents and data that your company requires.

What’s wrong with traditional update methods?

One of the most serious problems with traditional update methods is that they require the users to do most of the work. The problem with relying on an update process that demands too much user involvement is obvious; the users might decide it isn’t worth the hassle to keep their systems up to date. This results in a higher incidence of legacy support issues, more security holes and other related problems. Additionally, when users don’t update, they don’t benefit from bug fixes and product improvements. TrueUpdate helps solve all of these problems.

What is automated updating?

Automated updating is the ability of software to handle some or all of the update process so the user doesn’t have to. The update process consists of all the steps required to determine whether a newer version exists for a given piece of software, as well as all the steps required to bring an older version up to date. Automating the update process allows software to keep itself current after it has been deployed to users.

How important is automated updating?

Today’s rapid product cycles, security vulnerabilities and short turnaround times make it more important than ever to get new versions into the hands of users quickly and efficiently. The Internet has created a highly competitive market where users expect immediate results and the prize often goes to the company that reacts the most quickly to changes in user needs and perceptions. In order to streamline software deployment, it is becoming increasingly desirable for software authors to incorporate automated updating abilities into their software.

How does TrueUpdate benefit the software developer?

The easier it is for your users to update your software, the more likely it is that your users will be using the latest version. Your technical support team will have fewer legacy issues to deal with. The easier it is for you to release updates, the more often you can release them. You won’t have to hold back releases until you have made enough changes to justify the effort required to prepare updates using traditional update methods.

Why add TrueUpdate to your software application?

In a traditional release cycle, once your application or data files are released to customers, clients or other end-users, they are static, expensive and time-consuming to alter. However, once you add TrueUpdate to your application, you’ll be able to easily update your product or data as often as you require. From the developer’s point of view, when a new software release is available – perhaps a bug has been fixed – TrueUpdate makes it trivial to publish the changes and bring all of your users up to date. The next time the user runs the application, TrueUpdate will detect that a new release is available and take steps to handle it.

How easy is it to add TrueUpdate to an application?

As a self-contained executable, the TrueUpdate client can be integrated into your application in less than a day. While the actual time required depends on the amount of integration you desire and your level of programming knowledge, most developers should be able to complete the job in just a few hours. We even include sample source code for adding a “Check for Update” menu command and tips to get you going.

Alternatively, the TrueUpdate client executable can be distributed directly, rather than being embedded within an application. This allows the TrueUpdate client to be called manually from the start menu, from a shortcut on the user’s desktop or automatically with system schedulers. This method of adding TrueUpdate to your application is as easy as installing a shortcut onto the user’s system.

How does TrueUpdate impact technical support?

TrueUpdate allows your users to benefit quickly from any new features and bug fixes you develop. Ensuring that users benefit from all the bug fixes you’ve released reduces the incidence of support calls. Keeping users up to date makes it easier to support them when incidents occur.

How will TrueUpdate impact our customers and clients?

Today’s users are savvy; they demand responsiveness from software companies and they want tools that meet their needs and make them more productive. In order to maintain customer loyalty and maximize the user’s experience with your software, you need to make updating the software as easy as possible. Making it easy for users to update your software shows that you’re committed to supporting it.

How does TrueUpdate benefit the network administrator?

Keeping a corporate, educational or government network up-to-date with the latest security patches, applications updates and operating system fixes is a time consuming ordeal. Without tools like TrueUpdate, the task is virtually impossible. By installing the TrueUpdate client onto your networked computers, you’ll be able to quickly and effectively roll out whatever software you want throughout your organization. The client software can analyze the computer system, decide what is currently installed and then take whatever actions you determine are needed to bring that system up-to-date. It’s fast, easy and automatic.

I’m not a developer…do I still need TrueUpdate?

Absolutely! You don’t need to be a software developer to benefit from TrueUpdate. As a stand-alone executable, the TrueUpdate client can be used to update all kinds of files. You could use TrueUpdate to distribute product catalogs to your sales teams, or to remotely configure system files across your corporate network. Price lists, help files, quarterly reports, internal support videos – TrueUpdate can help you keep anything up to date.

Does TrueUpdate actually install files?

With a full suite of file operations, including specialized actions to download, copy, delete, rename and even zip and unzip files, TrueUpdate may be all you need to install files onto a user’s system. For situations requiring a more manageable and compartmentalized solution to file installation and patching, we’d recommend using Indigo Rose’s TrueUpdate and Visual Patch products. Used in conjunction with TrueUpdate, these products make up a complete and robust software deployment and management solution.

System Requirements

In order to build updates, a developer requires:

• Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• 512 MB RAM
• 1024×768 display resolution
• 100 MB free hard drive space

In order to run the update client, an end user requires:

• Windows 95/98/ME/NT4(SP6)/2000/XP/Vista
• 128 MB RAM
• 640×480 display resolution
• 50 MB free hard drive space

In order to host the update server components:

• Any standard web server, including Apache and IIS
• Any operating system, including Windows, UNIX, Linux
• Any hardware platform, including Dell, HP, IBM, Sun

More Information:

1. Overview of TrueUpdate 3.5 Add a powerful and extremely flexible “check for update” feature...
2. TrueUpdate Product Features TrueUpdate 3.0 makes it easy to add a reliable "check...
3. TrueUpdate 3.5 Product Brochure Whether you’re a software developer needing to add a "Check...