System requirements (InstallMate 9.0-9.4)
System requirements changed in InstallMate 9.5. Specifically, support for Windows versions prior to Windows XP/2003 was removed. The current topic describes the system requirements as they applied to InstallMate 9.0 to 9.4.
Documentation for InstallMate 9.5 and later system requirements is available separately.
InstallMate 9 has the following system requirements:
- InstallMate installation packages
- InstallMate packages run on Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7, 8, 2012, and later, including x64 and IA64 editions.
- Development environment
- The InstallMate development environment requires Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, 7, 8, 2012, or later, including x64 and IA64 editions. A display size of 1024 x 768 or larger is strongly recommended.
Installation packages
Please note the following when using the InstallMate installation packages on various Windows platforms.
| Platform | Notes |
|---|---|
| Windows 95 | Operates as intended on this Windows platform, but with some loss of functionality on earlier versions due to missing features in the operating system. We recommend using OSR2 or later. |
| Windows 98 | Operates as intended on both the original and the Second Edition of this Windows platform. |
| Windows Me | Operates as intended on this Windows platform. |
| Windows NT4 | Operates as intended on SP3 or later; we recommend using SP6a (the final one available for this platform). |
| Windows 2000 | Operates as intended. We recommend using SP4 plus security roll-up. |
| Windows XP | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2003 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions; IA64 versions have not been tested. |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions; IA64 versions have not been tested. |
| Windows Vista | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2008 | Operates as intended on x86 and x64 versions of this Windows platform; IA64 versions have not been tested. The Core version of this platform is subject to some limitations. |
| Windows 7 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Operates as intended on the x64 version of this Windows platform; the IA64 version has not been tested and Microsoft no longer supplies an x86 version of this platform. The Core version of this platform is subject to some limitations. |
| Windows 8 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2012 | Operates as intended on the x64 version of this Windows platform; Microsoft no longer supplies other versions (x86 or IA64) of this platform. The Core version of this platform is subject to some limitations. |
Limitations of Windows Server Core
Installers created with InstallMate Builder will operate as intended on the Core versions of all supported Windows Server platforms. However, because the Core versions do not include all Windows components (notably, only limited Windows Shell functionality is present on those systems), you might notice the following limitations or fallback behavior in the installers:
- InstallMate installers can run in interactive (GUI) mode on this platform and they will do so by default. To run them in non-interactive mode, use the /q command line option or add the /q option to the Default args field of the installation package.
- Shortcuts and other functionality that requires the Windows shell (for example, file type associations) will be installed as intended, but are not functional because Core installations do not have a Windows Desktop, Start menu, or Windows Explorer installed.
- The Open and Save As dialog boxes of the Standard Dialog action appear in their old style because Core installations do not support the new style.
- The ShellExecute variation of the Set Window State action may not function as intended, because Core installations typically do not have the required handlers installed (for example, no Wordpad.exe to handle RichText).
- For the same reason, hyperlink StaticText controls may not function as intended.
Development environment
Please note the following when using the InstallMate Builder development environment on various Windows platforms.
| Platform | Notes |
|---|---|
| Windows 95, 98, Me | No longer supported. |
| Windows NT4 | No longer supported. |
| Windows 2000 | Operates as intended. We recommend using SP4 plus security roll-up. |
| Windows XP | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2003 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions; IA64 versions have not been tested. |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions; IA64 versions have not been tested. |
| Windows Vista | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2008 | Operates as intended on x86 and x64 versions of this Windows platform; IA64 versions have not been tested. Core version: InstallMate Builder can be installed on the Server Core version of this platform, but lacks some functionality. This configuration is therefore not currently recommended or supported. |
| Windows 7 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Operates as intended on the x64 version of this Windows platform; the IA64 version has not been tested and Microsoft no longer supplies an x86 version of this platform. Core version: InstallMate Builder can be installed on the Server Core version of this platform, but lacks some functionality. This configuration is therefore not currently recommended or supported. |
| Windows 8 | Operates as intended on both x86 and x64 versions. We recommend using the latest Microsoft Service Pack and updates. |
| Windows Server 2012 | Operates as intended on the x64 version of this Windows platform; Microsoft no longer supplies x86 or IA64 versions of this platform. Core version: InstallMate Builder can be installed on the Server Core version of this platform, but lacks some functionality. This configuration is therefore not currently recommended or supported. |