Custom Windows Installer?

Question

I am creating a simple piece of software with very simple requirements.

Is there a strong argument against creating a custom installer that only copies the application into a specified folder and creates a shortcut? I assume that the only difference is that it will not show up in Add/Remove Programs.

Answer 1

There are several arguments against it:

1. You have to create your own installer which takes time to develop and support (instead of one product you have at least two);

2. Also you will need to create deinstallation toolkit too in case a user wants to remove your application. Doing it manually is known to be a bad practice;

3. There were incidents when a custom installer lead to the corruption of the whole system because of a simple typo.

So it is easier, faster and more safe to use already existing installation toolkits. Or just distribute your application as ZIP-archive.