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The software is automatically installed. Automatic installation of programs online and free of charge: myth or reality. Let's figure it out. Creating a universal base

This article is intended for administrators and shows how to automate the process of installing programs in Windows without using global domain policies (where computers with the same software configuration are used) and without using a ready-made image with software.

I have used this approach for computers in the classroom, where each training required the same set of programs to be installed in the original configuration.

Also, this method can be useful in any other cases when you need to prepare a typical software configuration. For example, user workstations.

MSI Automatic Installation Features

The method is based on the MSI installation capabilities - programs supplied as an MSI file can be installed using the MSIEXEC program from the command line without waiting for user actions, such as clicking the button multiple times Further, that is, you can organize automatic installation – unattended installation.

Forfiles /m *.msi /c "cmd /c msiexec /qb /i @file"

You can just as easily delete these programs in a loop forfiles:

Forfiles /m *.msi /c "cmd /c msiexec /qb /x @file"

This installation method is great for computers that are not members of an AD domain, i.e. when it is not possible to automatically install programs through global policies (GPO).

To install a whole list of programs, you can prepare a folder with frequently used programs (Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash Player, and so on) in the form of MSI files and with a batch file for installation, upon launching which all programs will be installed automatically without requiring confirmation from the user .

Installation files can be prepared on flash drives or posted online.

Features of automatic installation of some programs

.msi installation file for Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Flash Player MSI can be downloaded directly from the Adobe website: Adobe Flash Player Distribution from the Download MSI Installer link. Adobe Flash Player automatic installation command:

Msiexec /qb /i install_flash_player_18_active_x.msi

MSI installation file for Adobe Acrobat Reader

For some reason, there is no direct download of the MSI installer for Acrobat Reader on the Adobe website, but it is not difficult to get it: from the Adobe Reader for Windows page, download the installer from the link Adobe Reader 11.0 - Multilingual (MUI) installer , which is a ZIP file, and it contains , including AcroRead.msi. Copy the files ABCPY.INI, AcroRead.msi, Data1.cab and the Transforms folder to the same USB flash drive.

After that, Acrobat Reader 11 is installed from MSI in the standard way, namely by the command:

Msiexec /qb /i AcroRead.msi

AutoCAD DWG TrueView 2016

Automatic installation of AutoCAD DWG TrueView 2016 is not performed through the msi file, but is set by the keys to setup.exe (the parameters are the same as for msiexec), for example:

Setup.exe /w /t /l /qb setup.ini

However, the AutoCAD DWG TrueView 2016 installer requires DirectX RunTime. Download the directx_Jun2010_redist.exe file from the Microsoft website on the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) page and perform automatic installation with the command (or add the command to the program list installation batch file):

Directx_Jun2010_redist.exe /Q /T:%temp%

Programs that use Inno Setup

The Inno Setup installer provides the /SILENT and /VERYSILENT options for automatic installation, so to install programs that use it, use the installer call with these options:

nhsms-setup.exe /silent

- installation without the installation wizard, but with progress display

nhsms-setup.exe /verysilent

- installation without displaying any windows

Comparison with other methods

As a result, the capabilities of msiexec allow you to organize automatic installation of programs on a Windows computer:

  • you need to prepare a flash drive with installation files and a bat installation file or put these files on a network share
  • install Windows or restore from the image the same configuration for all computers
  • run bat file unattend on all computers

At the same time, compared to other options for installing a set of programs - applying domain policies or restoring from an image, this method is more versatile and flexible:

  • for the bat file to work, it is not required that the computers be in the AD domain - unlike the option with domain policies
  • you can quickly, literally in a minute, change the list of installed programs by simply adding or removing the msi file from the folder or changing the contents - unlike the option with a ready-made image, where all programs are already installed
  • you can make different sets of programs by simply preparing a few bat files

Automatic software installation

About installing the Windows 10 operating system. Everything worked out for us there, we updated the drivers, it remains only to install the necessary applications. But the question is: where can I get them if there is no disk at hand?

After all, you must admit that downloading each program separately from the Web is not very convenient, and in terms of time, such a procedure is very costly. But there is a way out, it's automatic software installation online. Although many users still do not believe in such free services, believing that a huge number of viruses breed there.

There are more than 700 programs themselves. Moreover, according to the developers, their versions are constantly updated, so that the general database is always kept up to date. But there is an important point. If any application is paid, then you must buy the keys yourself, the service provides only clean trial versions.

Although the number of officially free programs available here also rolls over, so there is plenty to choose from in any option. And to get started, you need to download a small installer to your computer and run it.

At the top of the window, you can select a category. I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the sections "TOP-100" and " must have " . But the "quiet" installation did not work for me. Still, some programs required user interaction.

Also, let me give you a useful life hack. I strongly recommend that before automatically installing programs online, first of all install a small application Unchecky. It will uncheck various additional components such as "Yandex Elements" and "Mail.ru Search" in the background.

And for some reason, some programs are installed in English. For example, I remember exactly that for a popular antivirus, you need to additionally download a language pack. This is not very convenient.

Therefore, at this point, the review of the free InstallPack service for automatically installing programs online has come to an end. Already in the next article I will tell you about it, so, as they say, do not switch. If you have any questions, please in the comments. And now, as always, a useful video.

Recently, interesting disks with software began to appear on the markets of Moscow. It seems that a disk is like a disk - programs, articles, links - everything is as it should be, but their distinguishing feature is that programs from a disk can be installed automatically.
What does it mean? Can you imagine the usual installer of some program? Lots of questions about installation paths, shortcuts, license agreement, and so on. But all questions can be answered with the proposed default values. As most users do. Autoinstall means to install the program with all default values. The user does not have to press buttons, set switches and checkboxes. You don’t even have to manually enter the serial number (of course, legally acquired). All this will be done automatically - the user is resting.

How are discs with such a unique feature created? We will consider two programs from Russian developers specifically designed to create such discs. These are competing programs.
LazySetupCD and MultiSet .

Now let's define our disk. What almost no modern user can do without? Without MicroSoft Office products! Now let's try to create a disk for autoinstalling MS Office 2003 using each of the programs.

LazySetupCD

Following the prompts of the program, let's create a new MS Office 2003 disk project.

Let's start compiling an automatic installation. It turns out that it is necessary to draw up a sequence of so-called actions that will be performed during the installation. Examples of actions - click the "Next" button, check the box "I agree with the license agreement", enter a text fragment (for serials). To specify the sequence of actions, there is a convenient action editor.

I was interested in the "Record" button in the action editor.
By clicking it, you can start the process of automatic recording of user actions. That is, you simply install the program in the usual way, and all your actions are accurately recorded and can be easily reproduced in the future. It is very convenient. And if you suddenly made a mistake, or pressed an extra button, then you can always
edit the installation algorithm in the action editor.

The only thing that does not lend itself to automatic recording is the input of a serial number. It must be explicitly specified in the action editor.

Having done all these steps, in the end I got the following installation algorithm of 12 steps:

Now we have a fully compiled auto-installation algorithm. Before using it, it is advisable to check its correctness. To do this, the LazySetupCD has a "Checking the installation of tasks". That is, LazySetupCD will launch the MS Office installer and apply this algorithm to it. If the installation has reached its end, then the algorithm is compiled correctly.

Now you can proceed directly to burning the disc. Click "Record", select the folder in which you want to record and
disk is ready.

A primitive autorun is supplied with the LazySetupCD program.

However, this autorun can easily be replaced with your own. You can develop a disk shell using third-party programs, and assign a special
the LazySetupCD command, which will immediately start the auto-installation process.

multiset

The principle of compiling an auto-installation is the same as in LazySetupCD - you need to install the application, and all user actions will be recorded and then played back.

As a result, the MS OFFICE 2003 installation package will be created. Unfortunately, there is no action editor in MultiSet and it is impossible to somehow correct the created algorithm. If auto-installation fails for some reason, then the author advises to remove the package and record from the beginning.
Also in MultiSet there is a slight subtlety when entering a serial number. It is required to pause the recording of actions and manually enter each text fragment of the serial.

As a result, it will be possible to burn a disc with MS OFFICE autoinstallation.

In MultiSet, as well as in LazySetupCD, you can start autoinstallation using a special command, which allows you to use it in autoruns of your own design.

Thus, we have auto-installation disks created by LazySetupCD and MultiSet. In field tests, it was determined that MultiSet performs actions faster, but at the same time completely intercepts mouse and keyboard control, without allowing anything to the user.

Comparative characteristics of programs

  • Supports loading ready-made scripts - ie. you do not need to install the program to create an installation algorithm
  • Supports installer auto-installation keys
  • The action editor makes the process of compiling autoinstallation algorithms transparent
  • Classic user interface
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Faster autoinstall speed

Both programs can create discs with automatic software installation, saving the user from routine actions. Thanks to them, you will always have a unique disk at hand, from which you can always quickly and efficiently install the necessary program.

Free automatic installer of any set of programs on your computer.

Attention! Some antiviruses (for example, AVG) report that there is a Trojan in the program. In fact, this is not the case (tested by other reputable antiviruses).

It's just that the automatic installation functions of programs for especially corrosive antiviruses may look like the action of a Trojan program.

If your antivirus does not allow you to install Easy AutoInstaller Free, it is better to look for some other program for your tasks.

You have probably already encountered the need to reinstall the operating system more than once. But this is not the main problem - the main thing is to install all the necessary programs later and not forget anything!

From my own experience, I know that installing software sometimes takes twice as long as installing Windows itself. Recently, many special disks have appeared with automatic installation of the necessary applications.

Is it possible to create such a disk yourself? Of course! There are many special utilities for this. But they are either paid or not very stable.

However, among a bunch of similar programs, you can find pretty decent freeware projects. An example of this is Easy Autoinstaller FREE.

This program is intended for non-commercial home use and allows you to easily create startup disks with a set of software we need! It can remember, and then play back an unlimited number of times all the actions that the user performs when installing the necessary software.

Unlike the paid version, the free edition cannot create discs containing operating system files, but the functionality of Easy Autoinstaller Free is enough:

Comparison of the free version of Easy Autoinstaller FREE with the paid version of Easy Autoinstaller PRO

As you can see, in addition to the restriction on creating a startup disk with the operating system, the free version blocks the ability to change the design of the autoinstallation menu, as well as writing a script in "real time".

The latter means that to write the next desired action to the script, you will have to press one of the function keys (left Shift or Ctrl). But more on that later, but for now let's install the program.

Installing Easy Autoinstaller FREE

The program installer, although in English, is built in a standard way, therefore, by running it, we will need to press “Next” all the time and agree with all the proposals. At the end of the installation, the program window will appear in front of us:

You can start working, but I would advise you to first create a folder somewhere in which we will move the software distributions and drivers we need. This will make it easier for us to create our own auto-installation disk in the future.

Create an autoinstall script

Now let's proceed directly to creating autoinstallation scripts. First, click on the "Add Script" button.

A window will appear in front of us, where we should enter the name of the program that we are going to install. After confirming the input ("Ok" button), another window will appear in which you will need to specify the version of the application to be installed. In principle, you can enter anything in both boxes, but for our convenience, we will indicate what is asked :).

After entering the version of the program, a window will open for selecting the installer of the desired program (remember, we threw them into a separate folder;)).

We mark the required executable file (.exe and .msi files are supported) and click the "Open" button. We will see a script recording window:

In the lower part, in the "Program Description" section, you can enter short information about the program being installed, in order to later remember what the utility is actually needed for. Pay attention to the "Parameters" box (third from the top).

Here you can set the type of future installation of the program: the usual "silent" (silent, / s) installation, "silent" with progress display (and without) or completely hidden mode. It is possible not to select any additional parameters and then you will always have access to manual control of the installation.

When all the settings are made, press the "Record" button and proceed to the "demonstrative" installation of the selected program :).

You will learn about the activation of the script writing process by the tooltip in the tray, as well as by the information window that appears in the upper left corner.

In this window you can see the current coordinates of the mouse cursor, the object on which the cursor is directed, the current operation, etc. Important: try not to move the installer window unnecessarily, as this may affect the correct operation of the script!

Now a few words about the method of creating an autoinstallation script. To write a command, you must press the left CTRL or SHIFT.

It happens something like this: we bring the mouse cursor to the desired button or menu item and press one of the above keys.

At the same time, SHIFT remembers only mouse clicks, and CRTL can record keystrokes, dots, checkmarks, passwords, paths and the same mouse clicks, so in most cases we press CRTL without thinking. As soon as the button is pressed, your action will be remembered, and you will not need to press the mouse buttons.

If you need to change the path or enter the serial number of the program, for example, then proceed as follows. We enter the necessary data in a text line, move the mouse over this line, press SHIFT, and then CTRL.

When the installation comes to an end, you will need to stop recording the script. To do this, right-click on the Easy Autoinstaller icon in the tray and select the appropriate item.

Script optimization and saving

Now let's check our script for empty entries to optimize it:

If there are none, we can click the "Save script" button. If you need to delete any script item, just double-click on it and confirm the deletion.

Now you can check if the autoinstall script works correctly. To do this, remove the installed program, mark it with a checkmark in the list of Easy Autoinstaller scripts and click the "Start" button.

After that, the installation process should start automatically, and above the program icon in the tray you will see a report on the current installation step:

If the installation was successful, then we did everything right. Otherwise, you will either have to edit the finished script (the "Change script" button), or even rewrite it again.

When all the scripts are checked, you can (and even need to) save the resulting project. To do this, click the button of the same name in the main window of the program.

Create an installation disc

And now comes the most culminating moment - creating your own disk with software! :) To do this, click the "Tools" menu in the main window of Easy Autoinstaller and select the only item "Disc Creation Wizard":

If you followed all the tips described above, then you will only have to specify the path to the folder in which all the files of scripts, distributions and the project are located, and then click the "Create" button.

In the specified folder, several files will be created that will be responsible for loading the menu of our installation disk:

The main one of these files is AutoInstall.exe. By running it, you can see how the menu of our disk will look like:

In fact, everything here is simple and tasteful :). The installation disc window is a list of programs that can be marked for installation and the "Start" button, which initiates the installation.

Admire? :) Now all that's left is to burn all the contents of the folder directly to CD, DVD or even to a flash drive, and you will always have a set of necessary programs with automatic installation at your fingertips!

conclusions

Easy Autoinstaller FREE, of course, is a little inferior in terms of convenience and functionality to commercial products, but it copes with its main task, if not with a "5", then certainly with a solid "four" for sure.

In any case, I advise you to familiarize yourself with this program and, just in case, create a disk with the necessary drivers and software. Who knows, maybe one day this disc will help you out a lot;).

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

Buying a brand new laptop or computer is always a great joy, but this event necessarily involves the hassle of installing the necessary software. They cannot be avoided even with a complete reinstallation of the system, which sooner or later each of us has to face. Those who reinstall the system frequently often have their own disks with manually created installers for automatic installation. By running such an installer, after a while you can get not only a working operating system, but also all the necessary programs. But this approach has its downside: many programs are updated frequently, so disks become obsolete at an incredible rate.

In order not to waste time searching for the latest versions of programs on official websites, you can use web services to automatically install applications. Their idea is that an astounding majority of users need the same applications: browser, IM client, media player, archiver, email client, and so on. That is why on such services you can find most of the necessary programs without wasting time visiting software directories or home pages. Fresh versions of programs are added to such services almost immediately after the release, so you don’t have to worry about relevance.

In addition to the possibility of convenient download and installation, the web services that will be discussed in this article offer some additional bonuses: automatic disabling of adware during installation, fast download of updates for already installed programs, compiling your own lists of applications, synchronizing programs between multiple computers, managing autoload via browser, etc.

⇡ Ninite

Ninite is the most famous web service for automatic application installation, and its fame is not accidental. Unlike many other applications for finding and installing software updates, Ninite allows you to install and update programs in a completely automatic mode. All you need to do is on the main page of the service, check the boxes in the checkboxes opposite those applications that you want to add to the system or update, and then download the installer generated by the service. After that, you can lean back in your chair or go to drink tea.

Ninite will install the programs one by one, no questions asked. The installer will choose the most suitable version of the application - 32 or 64-bit, and if there are several interface languages, it will install the program in your native language. If the installer has some additional options, for example, it is suggested to install advertising toolbars, all of them will be automatically skipped.

By the way, it was precisely because of this that CCleaner, Defraggler and other free programs from Piriform disappeared from the programs supported by Ninite at the end of last year. Software developers who make good money on installing toolbars filed claims against the creators of Ninite, and the latter had to remove popular programs from their service.

The installer generated by Ninite always downloads the latest versions of applications, so it can be used repeatedly not only to install new ones, but also to update already installed programs.

In total, the service supports more than ninety popular programs, and their list is constantly expanding. Among them are four browsers, a dozen IM and VoIP clients, a dozen media players, several applications for viewing and editing graphic files, a dozen office suites and programs for working with PDF documents, three archivers, popular codec packages and clients for services. data synchronization. The list also includes applications that are in demand by many users, such as Evernote, TeamViewer, TrueCrypt, FileZilla, ImgBurn, etc.

While auto-installation has many advantages, before using Ninite, there are some disadvantages to consider as well. Due to the fact that the user does not go through each installation step on his own, there is no way to influence the parameters. For example, you cannot change the installation folder and drive, so if you are used to installing applications on a separate drive, this is worth keeping in mind.

In addition to the free web service, Ninite also offers a $9.99 (per computer) client for automatic application updates. It works quietly in the system tray and immediately after it detects updates from one of the supported programs, it signals this.

⇡Allmyapps

Allmyapps is positioned as an independent app store for Windows. The service offers thousands of applications, most of which are free. It works through the web interface, as well as with the help of a utility for Windows, the interface of which is made in the Metro style.

As you browse the site, you can make your own lists of interesting apps. These listings are displayed in the Allmyapps app. All programs added to the list can be installed with one click.

True, there is no full automation, as on Ninite. For many applications, the installer still starts, and you need to click "Next" and select installation options, but there are also programs whose installation is really "quiet".

If the program cannot be installed automatically, then after downloading, Click to install will appear under its icon, but if user intervention is not required, the installation will start by itself. It is worth noting that Allmyapps allows you to completely disable automatic installation. In order to fully control the process, you just need to uncheck the Enable 1-click installation when available checkbox in the application settings.

On the my apps tab, you can monitor the installation progress: while some of the selected programs are still being downloaded, others are already being installed.

Application lists are convenient because they are saved even after the programs have been installed. Thus, in the event of a system reinstall, you can always quickly restore your own set of most needed applications and install them with a few clicks.

The Allmyapps application also analyzes all programs already installed on the computer and finds out if they need to be updated. The list of software that needs to be updated is displayed on the updates tab. You can see the current and newest version of the program, the size of the updates, and update all applications with one click. The progress of downloading updates and installation is displayed in real time, and once the program is updated, it disappears from the list.

Another interesting feature of Allmyapps is the synchronization of installed programs between computers. If you install the application on several PCs, then on the my devices tab, as well as in the web interface section of the same name, you can see a list of devices and applications installed on them (of course, only programs supported by the service will be shown). Allmyapps will compare the lists and offer to install the missing apps on other devices. You can also do this in batch mode by selecting the Install All command.

Allmyapps can also be used as a regular application launcher. All installed programs are displayed as large visual icons, and the list of utilities can be sorted by name, installation date and last run date.

Soluto offers a little more than just "silent" application installation. With the service you can:

  • track applications that start with the system and remove them from Startup,
  • monitor the status of hard drives and clean them up,
  • monitor the temperature of the processor and motherboard,
  • monitor the state of battery discharge on a laptop,
  • control the level of computer security,
  • change the default browser, as well as manage installed plugins and browser settings.

All this can be done directly from the web interface of the service. Soluto also shows the laptop model and motherboard name for the desktop computer, the version of the operating system and the time during which it has been running on the computer, and also calculates the power of the computer on a five-point scale.

To work with installed applications, Soluto uses the Ninite service described above. The client analyzes all installed programs and flags those that require updating. You can select some of them, or you can mark all programs for updating. Downloading and installing updates is fully automated, no dialog boxes appear. From the Soluto web interface, you can also install the most popular applications: Skype, Picasa, OpenOffice, VLC, Adobe Reader, PDFCreator, Google Earth and others. The list, of course, is the same as in Ninite.

Soluto makes it possible to keep track not only of outdated versions of applications, but also of operating system updates. If automatic updates are disabled, the service notifies you.

Of particular interest is the module for managing applications and services that start with Windows. In order for it to work, you need to restart your computer at least once after installing Soluto. After that, the service will display information about how long it takes to boot the system, and also divide all automatically starting applications into necessary and secondary ones.

Downloading programs and services classified as mandatory cannot be disabled using Soluto, you can only view information about them. But for applications, the startup of which, according to the service, is not mandatory, you can choose one of two options: disable automatic launch and postpone it. When choosing the second option, the program starts automatically, but not immediately when Windows starts, but a little later. Due to this, the system start-up time is reduced. How much we managed to speed up the launch can be immediately seen in Soluto.

Within one free Soluto account, you can work with five computers. In the service control panel, you can add your own computers or the workstations of other people who need technical support. If you add your own computer, you will need to log into your account on it and install the Soluto client.

When adding someone else's computer from the service control panel, an email is sent to the user with a proposal for technical support. After the respondent downloads and installs the client using the link from such a letter, his computer data appears in the web interface. Now you can remotely view information about your computer, analyze emerging problems, update programs, etc. Interestingly, such remote technical support is completely invisible to the user working at the computer. In other words, this is a great way to remotely monitor the state of the system and hardware of the computers of parents and friends who do not know how to install programs on their own.

If Soluto finds a problem that needs to be solved immediately, the computer is marked with a special icon in the list of connected devices. When you go to the device, you can see that the detected problems are moved to the top of the page.

Soluto also keeps track of which applications are most likely to crash, cause memory or CPU issues. Statistics are collected and displayed in a special section. After a while, you can analyze it and, for example, replace a media player that often crashes with another one.

Special attention in Soluto is paid to installing Dropbox. Using the service, you can quickly install the client on a remote computer using either your account information or information about another person's account for authorization. Directly through Soluto, you can remotely download and install the Dropbox client on someone else's computer, as well as create a new account and send the user manual.

The same applies to Skype: directly in the Soluto web interface, not only the client is installed on a remote computer, but authorization data is also entered, and, if necessary, a new account is created.

Note also that the Soluto service is available as a Metro app for Windows 8.

⇡ Conclusion

Each of the considered services has its own advantages: Ninite is convenient in that the installation is completely automatic, and at the same time toolbars and other advertising features are disabled. Allmyapps offers a wider range of apps and lets you sync installed apps across multiple devices. But Soluto, although it uses the capabilities of Ninite to detect updates and install new programs, also offers very interesting tools for managing startup and providing remote technical support for users.