Microsoft has released version 4.5 of it’s Windows installer and windows user can download it from Microsoft Download center. Microsoft has also released Windows Installer Development kit for Developers and Documentation on MSDN website. This Windows Installer update is only means for you, if you are a developer otherwise end user won’t have to worry about this update unless and until it’s available on windows update website or some software installer ask you to update your version of Windows Installer.

The Microsoft® Windows® Installer (MSI) is the application installation and configuration service for Windows. These download packages will update the version of Windows Installer on your system to version 4.5.

Windows Installer 4.5 Features

Multiple Package Transaction

In a multiple package transaction, you can create a single transaction from multiple packages. In a multiple package transaction, a chainer is used to dynamically include packages in the transaction. If any of the packages do not install as expected, you can roll back the installation.

Embedded UI Handler

You can embed a custom user interface (UI) handler in the Windows Installer package. This makes a custom UI easier to integrate. You can also invoke an embedded UI handler from the Add or Remove item in Control Panel. Or, you can invoke an embedded UI handler during a Windows Installer repair process.

Read more…