Daniel,

For our VFP desktop applications, we are currently installing an executable loader in the regular "Program Files (x86)" folder. The actual application is a VFP APP that goes to a %LocalAppData% folder.

We try to keep the need to update the loader as rare as possible. In some cases, we managed to continue to regularly update applications for years without loader reinstallation.

Besides the initial installation, the APP and other needed files are deployed using a local or Web address, from which the loader fetches a zip file and extracts the contents into the application folder. This can be done transparently without user noticing when he/she executes the loader.

Our manifest references as much dependencies as it can to avoid system-level registrations.

We use Advanced Installer (Professional version) from Caphyon. They have (at least, had...) a limitless free version, but crippled in features, as expected, if you want to try.

We've had some bad experiences with a particular brand of AV, that occasionally decided to erase our loader from the system when the application was trying to write PDF or XLSX files. But that problem apparently has gone (hopefully, for good).