Prerequisites
The Prerequisites page allows you to define prerequisite handlers that take care of pre-installation product requirements. Prerequisites differ from regular system requirements in that prerequisites are used for items that can be installed if missing, whereas general system requirements are treated as a yes/no proposition that prevent installation if not satisfied.
The prerequisites page contains a tree of predefined prerequisites handlers on the left, and one of two lists on the right.
- The tree displays all currently available prerequisite handlers. You can include a handler in your installer by checking its selection box in the tree. You can also add new prerequisite handlers of your own design.
- The first list that is displayed on the right shows the same prerequisite handlers as the tree. You can select handlers in this list as well.
- As soon as you select a prerequisite handler in the tree, the list on the right displays its contents: the list of actions to perform if the handler is executed. You can add, modify, and delete actions in this list just as you would in an action sequence.
For more information, see Prerequisite Handlers.
Predefined prerequisite handlers
InstallMate comes with the following prerequisite handlers predefined.
| Prerequisite | Description |
|---|---|
| .Net x.y.z runtime | Installs the corresponding .Net runtime support on applicable platforms. Each prerequisite will automatically download and install the required .Net redistributable (x86, x64, or IA64) if the chosen version is not already present on the target system. For some early versions the MSI runtime will also be installed first, if not yet present. |
| .Net Core x.y.z runtime | Installs the corresponding .Net Core runtime support on applicable platforms. Each prerequisite will automatically download and install the indicated .Net Core redistributable (x86 or x64) if the chosen version is not already present on the target system. Note: Each .Net Desktop runtime (see below) also includes the corresponding .Net Core runtime, so you only need to include the .Net Core prerequisite if you do not use the .Net Desktop prerequisite. |
| .Net Desktop x.y.z runtime | Installs the corresponding .Net Desktop runtime support on applicable platforms. Each prerequisite will automatically download and install the indicated .Net Desktop redistributable (x86 or x64) if the chosen version is not already present on the target system. Note: Each .Net Desktop runtime also includes the corresponding .Net Core runtime. The ASP.NET Core runtime is separate. |
| ASP.Net Core x.y.z runtime | Installs the corresponding ASP.Net Core runtime support on applicable platforms. Each prerequisite will automatically download and install the indicated ASP.Net Core redistributable (x86 or x64) if the chosen version is not already present on the target system. |
| Java RE 7 (32-bit edition) | Installs the 32-bit edition of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 7 on applicable platforms, which include Windows XP and later. The prerequisite will automatically download and install the required JRE 7 redistributable if JRE 7 is not already present on the target system. If necessary, MSI is preinstalled first (see MSI runtime descriptions). Note: This prerequisite will not update an existing JRE 7 installation to the latest version; it will only download and install JRE 7 if no JRE 7.x is present yet on the target system. |
| Java RE 7 (x64 edition) | Installs the x64 edition of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 7 on applicable platforms, which include x64 editions of Windows XP and later (IA64 editions are not supported). This prerequisite is ignored on all 32-bit versions of Windows. The prerequisite will automatically download and install the required JRE 7 redistributable if JRE 7 is not already present on the target system. If necessary, MSI is preinstalled first (see MSI runtime descriptions). Note 1: This prerequisite will not update an existing JRE 7 installation to the latest version; it will only download and install JRE 7 if no JRE 7.x is present yet on the target system. Note 2: The x64 JRE 7 version is required for x64 Windows systems that use a 64-bit browser. For x64 systems that only use a 32-bit browser, the 32-bit edition of JRE 7 suffices. If you need to support both 32-bit and 64-bit browsers, then you must include both the 32-bit and the x64 JRE 7 prerequisites in your InstallMate project. |
| Java SE 6 (32-bit edition) | Installs the 32-bit edition of the latest Java SE 6 Runtime Environment on applicable platforms, which include Windows 2000 and later. The prerequisite will automatically download and install the required JRE6 redistributable if Java SE 6 is not already present on the target system. If necessary, MSI is preinstalled first (see MSI runtime descriptions). Note: This prerequisite will not update an existing Java SE 6 installation to the latest version; it will only download and install Java SE 6 if no Java SE 6.x is present yet on the target system. |
| Java SE 6 (x64 edition) | Installs the x64 edition of the latest Java SE 6 Runtime Environment on applicable platforms, which include x64 editions of Windows 2000 and later (IA64 editions are not supported). This prerequisite is ignored on all 32-bit versions of Windows. The prerequisite will automatically download and install the required JRE6 redistributable if Java SE 6 is not already present on the target system. If necessary, MSI is preinstalled first (see MSI runtime descriptions). Note 1: This prerequisite will not update an existing Java SE 6 installation to the latest version; it will only download and install Java SE 6 if no Java SE 6.x is present yet on the target system. Note 2: The x64 Java SE 6 version is required for x64 Windows systems that use a 64-bit browser. For x64 systems that only use a 32-bit browser, the 32-bit edition of Java SE 6 suffices. If you need to support both 32-bit and 64-bit browsers, then you must include both the 32-bit and the x64 Java SE 6 prerequisites in your InstallMate project. |
| MDAC 2.8/SP1 runtime | Installs the MDAC 2.8/SP1 runtime support files on Windows XP and earlier, if not already present. This prerequisite is ignored on Windows Vista and later, and on all 64-bit editions of Windows. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| MSAccess 2007/SP2 runtime | Installs the Microsoft Access 2007/SP2 runtime components on Windows XP and later, if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| MSAccess 2010 runtime | Installs the Microsoft Access 2010 runtime components on Windows XP and later, if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| MSAccess 2010 SP2 runtime | Installs the Microsoft Access 2010 SP2 runtime components on Windows XP and later, if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| MSI 2.0 runtime | Downloads and installs MSI 2.0 runtime on Windows 95, 98, Me, NT4, or 2000 (only) if MSI 2.0 or later is not already present on the target system. This is the last version of MSI that was supported on the pre-2000 platforms and has only limited support from Microsoft. The installer automatically selects the correct MSI redistributable (ANSI or Unicode) for download and installation, depending on the target platform. |
| MSI 3.1 runtime | Downloads and installs MSI 3.1 runtime on Windows 2000 and later if MSI 3.1 or later is not already present on the target system. |
| MSI 4.5 runtime | Downloads and installs MSI 4.5 runtime on Windows XP and later if MSI 4.5 or later is not already present on the target system. |
| SQL Server 2005 Express SP3 | Installs SQL Server 2005 Express SP3 (XP and later) if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| SQL Server 2008 Express | Installs SQL Server 2008 Express (XP and later) if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| SQL Server 2012 Express | Installs SQL Server 2012 Express (Vista SP2 and later) if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| SQL Server 2014 Express | Installs SQL Server 2014 Express (Windows 7 and later) if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| SQL Server 2014 LocalDB | Installs SQL Server 2014 LocalDB (Windows 7 and later) if not already present. The prerequisite will automatically download the required redistributable from the Microsoft web site. |
| VC2012 runtime Update 4 (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2012 runtime libraries, Update 4, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2012 runtime Update 4 (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 (32-bit) edition of the Visual C/C++ 2012 runtime libraries, Update 4, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2013 runtime (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2013 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2013 runtime (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 (32-bit) edition of the Visual C/C++ 2013 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2015 runtime (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2015 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2015 runtime (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2015 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. |
| VC2015-VC2022 runtime (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2022 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2022 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015, 2017, and 2019. They are NOT supported on Windows XP, so only use this prerequisite if you are installing on Windows Vista or later. For Windows XP, use a specific VC2015, VC2017, or VC2019 prerequisite. |
| VC2015-VC2022 runtime (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 (32-bit) edition of the Visual C/C++ 2017 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2022 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015, 2017, and 2019. They are NOT supported on Windows XP, so only use this prerequisite if you are installing on Windows Vista or later. For Windows XP, use a specific VC2015, VC2017, or VC2019 prerequisite. |
| VC2017 runtime (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2017 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2017 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015. |
| VC2017 runtime (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 (32-bit) edition of the Visual C/C++ 2017 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2017 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015. |
| VC2019 runtime (x86) | Downloads and installs the x86 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2019 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2019 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015 and 2017. |
| VC2019 runtime (x64) | Downloads and installs the x64 edition of the Visual C/C++ 2019 runtime libraries, if not already present on the system. Note: The VC++ 2019 runtime libraries are binary compatible with and replace the same-named files from VC++ 2015 and 2017. |