Creating a Windows Installer on macOS

General
#1

I’ve recently had a brief look at ExeWrapper by Tim Parnell.
Impressed by this, but (isnt there always a but?)

Having created an Exe on the mac, there is still a need to create an installer for Windows
Its often not the exe that needs signing as much as the installer, unless you intend to ship in a Zip file format.

Has anyone created an installer creation tool for Windows apps, which generates the installer Exe or MSI while on a Mac?
If so, we could chain ExeWrapper towards that too and achieve a full process chain…

1 Like
#2

I’ve used InnoSetup in WINE in the past.

#3

Interesting. I may experiment with that.

#4

can recomend InnoSetup, been using it for years. You can even have custom scripts.

#5

Already using Inno in a VM where I do the windows builds.
The question is more about if there was a native Mac app that can create windows installers.

#6

ahh, didnt catch that

#7

You might have more luck with a thread title like “Creating a Windows installer on Mac”

ExeWrapper is not designed to create installers, it only signs. The options that I know of that create Windows installers from macOS aren’t anything I can recommend for a number of reasons. When I need an installer, I use InnoSetup on Windows.

2 Likes
#8

True.
I should start another with the title ‘how do you change the title of a post’ first, since I cant find a way to do that… :slight_smile:

#9

Fixed

1 Like
#10

You should sign both, but yes if you have to sign only one, sign the installer.

2 Likes
#11

Fortunately innosetup can do both in the same script.

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#12

I use the commercial Crossover to run some Windows programs that do not exist on Mac. It is much faster than a full blown emulation.

That said, since I have a PC as well, I generate and sign installers there.

#13

CrossOver is a customized fork of Wine. [source] [source2]

#14

Yes indeed.

I like the comfort of commercial support.

#15

I also have been using InnoSetup for years… and you know if I can get it done it must be pretty easy and robust :slight_smile:

#16

What does it mean to “sign” an installer? First time I’ve seen that before. I’ve always just zipped the whole app as-is, no installer.

#17
1 Like