Whats the difference between an exe file and an msi file? check all that apply.

The main difference between msi and exe is that the msi files are used for windows installers but, the exe files can be used to install as well as to run application programs. msi is the file extension of MSI file that is a compressed package of installer files, containing all information required for adding, changing, storing and removing a particular software. exe is the file extension of an executable file that contains lines of instructions or code that can directly be executed by the Operating system such as windows. That is the difference between msi and exe.

.exe and .msi extensions are two very common extensions for Windows’ users. You usually come across them every now and then making installations, updating stuff on your computer or in any other system wide changes. Common computer users from around the world misinterpret .exe and .msi to be of more or less the same standards but there is a lot that differs in both of them. Here is the list of it.

“.msi” File Extension

1. StepMSI are usually database files that are used up by Windows Installers.

2. StepMSI files usually contain information about any application that is further divided into features and components. Each feature or component therefore may hold files, registry data, shortcuts, etc.

3. StepThe .msi files also contain information about the User Interface that shows up once you execute them. At times it also contains other data for the installation. All the administrative data related to the installation is present in a .msi file.

4. Step.msi files do sometimes contain the actual files that need to be installed while this is not always the case. There are instances where the files to be installed are present in a CAB file with the package or in any other form where .msi file can access them.

5. Step.msi files are the recommended installation type on a Windows based system. These files are easy to create and manage.

6. StepThe best part about .msi files is that they are executed with the help of MSIEXEC.EXE itself.

“.exe” File Extension

1. StepWindows Installer files are new to the computing world and there are even instances where an .msi file comes with a .exe installer in the form of Setup.exe or anything similar.

2. Step.exe files are usually bootstrappers that do not form the installation rather they set everything in sequence and verify parameters on the time of installation.

3. StepThere are instances when .exe files contain .msi files as a component to install a certain package.

In the nutshell, .msi files can only be installations that will be executed by MSIEXEC.EXE file while .exe files could be anything that can run on your computer.

As you can see, this package includes both .EXE and .MSI files, as well as several .DLL files. These are pretty common files to find in an installer package. Other common files include images, icons, .INI files, .XML files, sound files, registry data, languages packs, fonts, and more.

If you want to put new software in your computer, you need to obtain an installer either by purchasing online or locally, or by downloading free ones from the Internet. With installers, there are two common files that you need to open in order to start the installation; one that has an MSI extension and one with an EXE extension. The main difference between the two extensions is their purpose. EXE is used mainly to indicate that the file is an executable one. In comparison, MSI indicates that the file is a Windows installer.

While an MSI is used only with installers, this is not the case with EXE. Any application requires having at least one EXE file as it is needed to start the processes of the application. Even programs installed with either an EXE or an MSI will have one or more EXE files.

One of the advantages of using MSI when creating your installation package is the availability of a standard GUI that is customizable to some degree but removes the complexity of creating your own interface. But if you use an EXE file, you have the full freedom on how the installer interacts with the user. This is clearly seen in most modern games which use EXE as their installers. They often have very fancy and interactive interfaces that entertain the user while waiting for the installation to finish.

Another advantage of MSI is its ability to do installation or demand. With this type of installation, only the links and other minor stuff are actually put on the computer. The actual installation is done when the user attempts to run the program for the first time; at which point, the MSI opens the necessary files and finishes the installation process. EXE files cannot do this.

Choosing between EXE and MSI when creating a software installer is based purely on the program you have and the amount of effort you want to put into the installer. EXE provides you with utmost control at the expense of added work in creating the installer. MSI does the complete opposite, simplifying the task by conforming to preset standards.

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