Install-It Creates Auto-Starting Installer CDs For Any Applications

Windows only: Free app Install-It puts a small auto-starting application on any removable drive that makes installing applications a double-click affair. After downloading the Install-It package, you’ll want to extract its files to somewhere you can reach, like your desktop, and open up the Install.ini file in your favourite text editor. This file is simply a list of program descriptions and the locations of their installer files. If you’re creating a disc full of useful installers, just replace the default examples with your chosen verbiage for each app and the location/names of the setup files. You separate those two items with a comma, using slashes where necessary, and end each line with a semi-colon.

Here’s an example Install.ini I made for a supposed Windows XP re-installation:

Copy all your installer files and Install-It’s files into a CD-burning app, such as CDBurnerXP, and fire away.

Now you’ve got a CD that, on most computers, will pop up with a list of programs that can be installed without anyone having to guess which icon or cryptic filename means. If a computer isn’t set to auto-start when it detects an autorun.inf file, though, you’ll have to point the computer to install.exe—not a problem, though, if you’ve put each application in its own directory. Install-It is a free download for Windows systems only.