C# – Inno Setup for Windows service

cinno-setupwindows-services

I have a .Net Windows service. I want to create an installer to install that windows service.

Basically, it has to do the following:

  1. Pack installutil.exe (Is it required?)
  2. Run installutil.exe MyService.exe
  3. Start MyService

Also, I want to provide an uninstaller which runs the following command:

installutil.exe /u MyService.exe

How to do these using Inno Setup?

Best Answer

You don't need installutil.exe and probably you don't even have rights to redistribute it.

Here is the way I'm doing it in my application:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Configuration.Install; 
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Reflection; 
using System.ServiceProcess;
using System.Text;

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    if (System.Environment.UserInteractive)
    {
        string parameter = string.Concat(args);
        switch (parameter)
        {
            case "--install":
                ManagedInstallerClass.InstallHelper(new string[] { Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location });
                break;
            case "--uninstall":
                ManagedInstallerClass.InstallHelper(new string[] { "/u", Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location });
                break;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        ServiceBase.Run(new WindowsService());
    }
}

Basically you can have your service to install/uninstall on its own by using ManagedInstallerClass as shown in my example.

Then it's just matter of adding into your InnoSetup script something like this:

[Run]
Filename: "{app}\MYSERVICE.EXE"; Parameters: "--install"

[UninstallRun]
Filename: "{app}\MYSERVICE.EXE"; Parameters: "--uninstall"