>What is the difference between windows installer and visual studio installer. What if any are required on my w2k machine?
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Windows Installer is an installer technology adopted by MS and most of the industry to provide a standard means of transactional installation of apps and updates. The components used with the Windows Installer are generally handled by any Windows Installer compatible installation product - the same MSM that contains a particlar ActiveX component, perhaps with some set of dependent components and a description of its dependencies and installation requirements, is able to be used generally by any of the compatible install products.

Visual Studio Installer is an MS-provided Windows Installer compliant installation product.

There are standard Windows Installer components that will be needed; they're supplied when you load VSI (or another compliant Windows Installer product like InstallShield Express 3.0 or later). The necessary Windows Installer technology files are then included with your install distribution; part of that install distribution's task will be to ensure that the target system has the proper Windows Installer modules in place, or will install them as a part of installing your application.