InstallAware

I need to reinstall my InstallAware version 6.6 but the installation (web install) fails. Has 6.6 web install been discontinued because version 7 has been released, or should I look elsewhere for the cause / solution?

Probably not I was looking to download on older version the other day and couldn't find them.

I've got the 6.6 full bundle installer if you need it? (250Mb+).

Probably contact support directly to get legacy versions?

Sorry Mark, we don't keep copies of older versions than the current one. Maybe you want to get the file from H4nd0.

Well ... if anyone else is looking for older versions I've got:

6.0SP2
6.2
6.24SP4
6.31SP1
6.41SP1
6.42SP2
6.6 (final release not the first broken one)
7.01

Only $250 each Or will upload for beer.

I'm very grateful to H4ndo for their help. It's support that shouldn't fall to users.

IA6.6 is delivered with the default option being "web install", which means that the IA website becomes the distribution media (the user doesn't get to download the complete installation). This is a paid-for product and the customer should be entitled to reliable distribution media. I wonder if InstallAware is in breach of its legal obligations by destroying installation media which customers rely upon. I don't think that the end user license agreement, for which we've each paid, is time-limited.

Were I InstallAware, I'd carefully and urgently rethink the decision to pull down the distribution media for previous versions -- both as a matter of public relations, and in case a group of indignant customers tests it with a class action. Can anyone name another reputable software publisher that has acted in this way?

Mark Fulford wrote:IA6.6 is delivered with the default option being "web install"

We offer two downloads for each product version - single file and web based. There is no default - the setups for both are different binaries. You get to choose which one you want on the download page. The download page clearly describes each version, and the advantages of each.

Mark Fulford wrote:the IA website becomes the distribution media (the user doesn't get to download the complete installation)

Recent web builds of InstallAware, including InstallAware 6.6 that you refer to, explicitly offer the option of backing up downloaded setup files. So you can indeed download and save the complete installation, even if you chose the web based setup version.

So:

1) You made a choice to download the web based version,
2) You made an additional choice to not save downloaded setup files.

These were your choices, not ours. We offered you the flexibility - and you are penalizing us for providing that flexibility!

Mark Fulford wrote:I wonder if InstallAware is in breach of its legal obligations by destroying installation media which customers rely upon.

It is your responsibility to back up downloaded program files. Your failure to do so does not shift that responsibility to InstallAware in any way! Once the product has been delivered to you, our obligations are fulfilled.

Mark Fulford wrote:Can anyone name another reputable software publisher that has acted in this way?

Every Microsoft product CD/DVD has a unique serial number. Losing that number makes it impossible to install the product. Perhaps a class action lawsuit against Microsoft is in order? To be frank, I have never lost a Microsoft product serial number, so I wouldn't know.

Our licensing is extremely flexible. We do not require you to install a license server. We do not require you to activate the product online. We do not bind your product to a particular hardware configuration. All you do is install the trial version, and then apply your license. You could do this 40,000 feet above the ground if you wished to - as long as you have the files.

Since some of your "factual assertions" above are plainly false, there are two possibilities:

1) You didn't read the download page, you didn't read the installation wizard screens, and you are blaming us for it.
2) You are intentionally misrepresenting facts, trying to make it look like InstallAware has a hidden agenda of forcing users to upgrade.

The first possibility just makes you look ignorant.
As for the second possibility, we served free upgrades for InstallAware 6 for nearly 14 months - including major feature enhancements in line with user requests - absolutely free of charge! Please do give us a break, and allow us to release newer versions every now and then

H4nd0 wrote:Well ... if anyone else is looking for older versions I've got:

Thanks for your offer of help. I have to emphasize that the license being installed and the trial version have to be in sync. For instance, installing a 6.5 license on top of a 6.6 trial will not work - and it will cause many unpredictable issues with your setups.

Any time you download an update, always regenerate your license. Then back both those files up. And you never have to worry about missing files or media again.