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MultiSet is an automatic program and Windows installer. Programs for automatically installing programs on a computer Program for automating the installation of programs

The time that a user spends searching and installing the necessary programs, for example, when changing the operating system, can be counted in hours. And if this is a local network with a dozen computers, then these procedures can take all day. Fortunately, there are programs in nature that can significantly reduce the duration of this process.

Such software is divided into two categories: programs for automatic installation of ready-made distributions and catalogs of applications downloaded from the Internet.

MultiSet falls into the first category. The program creates an application installation script using step-by-step recording of user actions. Then, on demand or automatically, it installs it on the computer.

The software's arsenal also includes functions for creating bootable media with assemblies recorded on them, including those containing the operating system.

Maestro AutoInstaller

The software is very similar to the previous representative. Maestro AutoInstaller also records the installation and then plays it back, but has a friendlier and clearer interface, as well as a smaller set of additional functions. The program can create distributions with application packages, but is not able to write them to disks and flash drives.

Npackd

Npackd is a powerful catalog program. With its help, you can download and install applications presented in the list, update and delete already installed ones, and add your own programs. Software added to the Npackd repository has every chance of becoming popular, since it ends up in a common directory and can be used by all its users.

DDownloads

DDownloads is another representative of application directories, but with slightly different functions. The operating principle of the program is based on the use of a database containing a huge list of software with a detailed description of its properties and features.

Essentially, DDownloads is an information platform with the ability to download installers from official sites. True, here it is also possible to add your own applications to the database, but they will not end up in the general directory, but will only be contained in a local database file.

A large number of functions and settings allow you to use the program as a repository of information and links and as a general directory for users of your local network.

We looked at several programs that allow you to find, download and automatically install a large number of applications. You should not neglect this knowledge, since at any time you may need to reinstall the system, and with it all the necessary software. To do this, it is not at all necessary to collect a collection of installers: using MultiSet, you can write them to a boot disk along with Windows or create a DDownloads information database in the local area to quickly find the necessary links.

About installing the Windows 10 operating system. Everything worked out there, we updated the drivers, all that remains is to install the necessary applications. But the question is: where can you get them if you don’t have any disk at hand?

After all, you will agree that downloading each program separately from the Internet is not very convenient, and such a procedure is very time-consuming. But there is a way out, it's automatic installation of programs online. Although many users still do not trust 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 pure trial versions.

Although the number of officially free programs available here is also off the charts, so in any case there is plenty to choose from. 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 read the sections "TOP-100" and " Must have " . But the “quiet” installation didn’t work for me. Still, some programs required user action.

Let me also give you a useful lifehack. Before automatically installing programs online, I strongly recommend that you first install a small application Unchecky. In the background, it will uncheck various additional components such as “Yandex Elements” and “Mail.ru Search”.

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

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

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

How are discs with such a unique feature created? We will look at two programs from Russian developers specifically designed for creating such disks. These are competing programs.
LazySetupCD and MultiSet.

Now let's decide on our disk. What can almost no modern user do without? No MicroSoft Office products! Let's now try to create a disk for auto-installing MS Office 2003 using each of the programs.

LazySetupCD

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

Let's start creating an automatic installation. It turns out that you need to create a sequence of so-called actions that will be performed during installation. Examples of actions - click the "Next" button, check the "I agree with the license agreement" checkbox, enter a text fragment (for serials). There is a convenient action editor to specify the sequence of actions.

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

The only thing that cannot be automatically recorded is entering the serial number. It must be explicitly specified in the action editor.

After doing all these steps, I ended up with the following installation algorithm consisting 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, LazySetupCD has a “Checking task installation”. 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 recording the disc. Click "Record", select the folder in which you want to record and
the 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 through third-party programs, and assign a special one to the Autoinstall button
LazySetupCD command, which will immediately start the auto-installation process.

MultiSet

The principle of creating an auto-installation turns out to be 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, MultiSet does not have an action editor and it is impossible to somehow correct the created algorithm. If the auto-installation does not work for some reason, the author advises removing the package and recording from the beginning.
Also in MultiSet there is a slight subtlety when entering the serial number. You need 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 auto-installation.

In MultiSet, as well as in LazySetupCD, you can start auto-installation 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 programs. In field testing, it was determined that MultiSet performed actions faster, but at the same time completely took over control of the mouse and keyboard, without allowing anything to the user.

Comparative characteristics of programs

  • Supports loading ready-made scripts - i.e. no need to install the program to create an installation algorithm
  • Supports installer autoinstall keys
  • The action editor makes the process of creating auto-installation algorithms transparent
  • Classic user interface
  • Multi-language support
  • 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.


Currently, the installation procedure for programs is as simplified as possible; the user only needs to select an installation mode, enter registration data and read the license agreement. But when you need to install dozens of programs, the time taken from the user increases significantly; he is forced to stay at the computer all this time just to answer the next question from the installation wizard and click the “Next” button. And if the user is a system administrator whose responsibilities include installing programs for employees of the organization, this, without a doubt, greatly distracts him from his main activity. Is it possible to somehow automate this process? Can! Using the MultiSet program from Almeza.

Once you show MultiSet how to install the software, you will be spared this procedure in the future. All user actions are recorded in a batch file (MST), and future program installations will repeat the events of this file. MultiSet itself will launch the installation wizard, select the necessary modes, enter registration data, and click the “Next” and “Finish” buttons. All necessary programs will be installed one after another, freeing the person from the need to constantly be present at the computer.

Program interface

The program window is divided into three areas. The first is a tree of categories into which programs will be grouped. The second is a table with a list of packages of the current category. The third is a log table with the results of installing programs from packages.

When adding a new package, the user is prompted to enter its name, description and select a program installation file. After which a window for recording user actions will appear, and the selected distribution file will begin to be executed. All operations performed by the user - pressing buttons, entering serial numbers, selecting installation modes - will be recorded in the package.

The recording applies to absolutely all events, even those not related to the program being installed. Therefore, if you need to switch to another task during the application installation process, you need to press the pause button in the recording window. The recording will be stopped, and the installation of the program will continue until the first dialog requiring user intervention. The recording window provides one interesting feature - entering text information in the installation dialogs through its own text field. Let's give an example. During installation, the program asks you to enter your last name, initials, and organization name. If you enter all this data without pausing recording, then the next time you install a program from the created package, the same information will be entered, even if you are installing the program for a completely different user. To avoid this, when entering data, you need to click the "Pause" button, enter the required data in the text field that appears and click the Paste button. The following figure shows an example of entering registration data through the text field of the record window. After clicking the Paste button, the word "Pupkin" will be inserted into the Last (Family) Name field.

All text information entered in this way will be available for editing in the created package, and during the next installation you will simply need to replace it in advance.

Next time, to install one or more programs, all you need to do is check the boxes in the packages table and run the installation - all programs from the marked packages will be installed.

Now let's look at the properties of the created package. The first "General" tab of the properties window specifies the package name and installation executable file.

The "System" tab contains such uninteresting information as the operating system in which the package was created, theme and screen resolution.

And the “Inserts” tab stores text data entered through the text field of the recording window. Here they can be edited for the next installation.

The fourth tab, “Scenario,” contains a list of all actions performed by the user. The list is marked - for each event there is a check mark. A checked box means that the action will be performed automatically. If the checkbox is unchecked, the action will not be performed. In this case, the installation program will simply skip it or wait for the user's reaction (for example, to click the "Next" button).

Creation of a universal database

When packages have been created to install all the necessary programs, you can use them to create a universal distribution database on separate media. The first step is that the universal database creation wizard will ask you to select the directory in which it will be located. Next, you should select the installation program packages that will be included in this database. It often happens that a program distribution consists of a whole set of files. In this case, you can configure not only the installation file to be copied to the database, but also the entire directory in which it is located. And the last step of the wizard is to simply click the "Start" button. All necessary files will be copied to the directory of the created database.

In addition to software distributions, you can add a Windows XP distribution to the database. In the processing intended for this, the directory with the Windows XP distribution kit, the universal database directory and registration data are indicated: user name, organization name, computer name (by default these are already filled in) and registration number. All that remains is to click the Create button.

When the program database is ready, it can be written to a separate medium: CD, DVD or flash drive. The next time this media is inserted into the computer's reading device, the database will automatically offer to install all the software packages included in it, and will not require your participation during installation.

Resume

The advantage of this software solution cannot be overestimated. MultiSet automates such a seemingly automatic process as installing programs. Now the need to reinstall the system will not frighten the user; absolutely all installation work can be transferred to the computer itself.

When working with a computer, the user often has to install various programs - an office suite, games, system utilities, graphics packages, etc. After formatting the hard drive again, a reasonable question arises: “How can I automate the installation of software on my computer?” In this article, we will look at methods that can be used to automate the installation of programs on user computers, and we will look at the programs that can be used for this. We will also point out the advantages and disadvantages of the considered methods and means.

Let's say that a user has an application whose installation should be automated. What options are there to solve the problem?

The user can:

  1. Use automatic installation keys.
  2. Write a script for automatic installation.
  3. Create a macro script for automatic installation.

Let us examine in detail each method, as well as the means that implement it.


Using autoinstall keys

Many installers allow automatic installation using special keys. In this case, no action is required from the user. All values ​​will be set to default. Each installer has its own set of such keys.

The advantages of this method:

  • high installation speed without user intervention
  • the user needs to know exactly which installer and key is used when installing the program.


Writing a script for automatic installation

To write scripts, special programming languages ​​are used - scripting languages. The most popular is AutoIt. Its main purpose is to automate work with the Windows graphical interface.

  • run Windows and DOS programs;
  • simulate pressing keyboard combinations;
  • simulate mouse pointer movements and button clicks;
  • move, resize and manage window display options;
  • directly interact with the “control elements” of the window (get/change the caption, move, disable, etc. actions);
  • work with the clipboard to transfer its text content;
  • read, change and create registry keys and values.

AutoIt includes an interpreter and a script compiler. If you have written and debugged your own script, then it can easily be turned into a regular exe file that already works autonomously.

The advantages of this method:

  • ability to write flexible scripts.
  • the need to learn both the language itself and the Windows OS.


Creating a macro script for automatic installation

To create a macro, a special macro recorder program is usually used. The principle of operation of such a program is very simple - the program remembers the user’s actions and then reproduces them. It would seem that this is the ideal solution! But in reality problems arise. The point is that the macro created in this way is time dependent. Those. If you recorded a macro on one computer, and a month later you purchased a more powerful computer, then the installation speed on the new computer will be different. To put it mildly, such a macro will become inadequate - mouse clicks and keystrokes will not occur where needed. What to do? An interesting solution to this problem was proposed by Almeza in its MultiSet product.

Almeza MultiSet (www.almeza.com) is an automatic program installer. The program works on the principle of a recording device. The user only needs to install the application once while the MultiSet is in recording mode. MultiSet will remember all your actions and, after recording is completed, will generate an automatic installation package.

How does such a package differ from the macro discussed above? The fact is that when executing the script, MultiSet is guided by the windows that appear during installation. As a result, even if you buy a more powerful computer, the script will run correctly.

Since MultiSet can run files of any type with parameters, the two methods described above are easily integrated into it (using autoinstall keys and executing a written script, for example AutoIt). So this product will be useful for both IT beginners and experienced users.

The advantages of this method:

  • ease of creating automatic installation packages;
  • no special knowledge required when using.
  • You cannot add to the created script.

In this article, we provided a brief overview of methods and tools designed to automate the installation of programs on a PC. We hope that the reader will use the above material in his daily activities.

Ivan ABRAMOVSKY