answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

An MSI file is a relational database and is used by the Microsoft Installation Service. This service installs applications onto your computer. MSI files offer far more flexibility for application installation and maintenance than older scripted executable programs could ever provide.

EXE files can be anything. Almost everything you run on your computer is started by an EXE file (exceptions are Windows itself, drivers). They contain executable code for a computer to run, and can do anything.

MSI files are database files, used by Windows Installer. They contain information about an application which is divided into features and components, and every component may hold files, registry data, shortcuts etc. The MSI file also contains the UI that is to be used for installing, and various other data such as any prerequisites to look for, custom actions to execute, the order of the installation procedure, whether to support Administrative installations, etc. It can also contain the actual files to be installed themselves (this isn't always the case though, the files can also be in an external CAB file or just as plain uncompressed files in a location where MSI can find them).

MSI files are the current recommended way of doing installations on Windows. The alternative is writing a program that performs the installation itself.

MSI files are executed by an EXE file that is part of Windows, called MSIEXEC.EXE. This application reads the data in the MSI file and executes the installation.

Windows Installer is pretty new, especially the newest version (3.0). Often installations that use MSI still come with an EXE (e.g. SETUP.EXE). This EXE is a so-called 'bootstrapper'. It doesn't perform the installation, it simply checks if the correct version of Windows Installer is present on the system, if not it launched the MSI Redistributable (MsiInstA.exe or MsiInstW.exe depending on the platform) and then launches MSIEXEC.EXE on the MSI file. In certain cases (especially internet downloads), the MSI file and MSI redistributable are packed inside that EXE file, so you don't see they're there.

So installations can come in three flavours:

1. A custom, third-party installation system in an EXE file.

2. A Windows Installer installation in an MSI file.

3. An EXE file that bootstraps an MSI file (that may be embedded inside the EXE file).

MSI files can only be installations. EXE files can be literally anything that can run on your computer.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

With the .MSI file it is not only possible to install an application, but by right-clicking the msi file you can also repair and uninstall the programm. This is not possible with the usual .exe files. The .msi files also have the capability of being installable on both x86 ("32-bit") and x64 ("64-bit") computer architectures. At last, .MSI files can be certified by a trusted source.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

The exe is a penis and the msi is a penis wrapped if you will inside a vagina.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How does an msi file differ from an exe installer file?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Which file type is used by windows installer?

.exe and .msi


What is the file extension for windows installer file?

*.msi is the extension for the Microsoft installer package.


What is an msi file extension?

An .MSI file usually is a Microsoft Windows installation file, associated with "Windows Installer." It contains control information that identifies several installation criteria for a Windows application.


What is MSI installer?

The basic MicroSoft Installer program which comes with Windows.


Full form of MSI?

MicroSoft Installer (MSI)


What is the full form of msi?

Microsoft Installer


Microsoft Windows Server 2008 uses the Windows Installer with Group Policy to install and manage software that is packaged into what type of file?

.msi


How do you open .msi files on a Mac?

A Microsoft Installer file (.msi) will only work with Microsofts Windows operating system it will not work with Mac OS X. You can open the file to read it by right clicking on its icon and selecting Open with... from the menu and then selecting a text editor.


How can i manually install itunes 8 with out using the installer?

I don't know the full answer; but first you'll need to extract the .exe, go to portableapps.com and download the suite, then download "7-zip" (a program) and use it to extract the .exe installer into a folder; at that point you're actually faced with .msi files, and you'll have to extract those using the same program. At that point I don't know how to continue.


Can an exe file hide in a pdf file?

Technically no, but by default windows hides the file extensions that are known by the computer. A file that may really be an exe could be file.pdf.exe, so the ".exe" will be hidden, tricking you into believing that it is a pdf.


Which two extensions identify a program packaged by Windows installer?

.msi and .zap


Where can you download Valve Software's steam client?

You can download the .msi installer package at steampowered.com