Visible and hidden uninstallers

InstallMate automatically includes an uninstaller in all installation packages (in fact, it uses a single Setup.exe executable for both installation and uninstallation). However, you can control whether or not this uninstaller is registered on the target system, and to which extent it is visible to the user and to other programs.

Uninstaller registration is done by entering a number of predefined strings under the under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\<UninstallKey> registry key on the target system (or under HKEY_CURRENT_USER for per-user installs). By default, <UninstallKey> resolves to <ProductCode>, which in turn resolves to the Product GUID that you enter on the Product info project page.

The Windows Add/Remove Programs control panel applet uses the uninstall strings to display information about the product to the user, and to allow uninstallation or modification of the product. However, other programs can also access the same information for their own purposes.

Most of the uninstall information is derived from the fields on the Product info project page, but some of it is either generated automatically (for example, the location of the Setup.exe installer/uninstaller) or under other program control. In particular, the uninstaller registration itself is controlled by the Uninstaller attribute on the Installer options project page. This attribute supports the following values.

Uninstaller Description
Don't register Don't register the uninstaller. This is NOT recommended, because it makes it difficult for the user to remove your product.
Hidden uninstaller Register only a hidden uninstaller, using the QuietUninstallString value. The uninstaller will not appear in the Windows Add/Remove Programs control panel, but can still be uninstalled during an upgrade or as part of an Add-on installation.
Normal uninstaller

Register both a normal and a hidden uninstaller through UninstallString and QuietUninstallString values. The uninstaller will appear in the Windows Add/Remove Programs control panel, but can also be automatically uninstalled during an upgrade or as part of an Add-on installation.

This is the recommended option for most products, including add-on installers.