Common operations performed during software installations include:
- Making sure that necessary system requirements are met
- Checking for existing versions of the software
- Creating or updating program files and folders
- Adding configuration data such as configuration files, Windows registry entries or environment variables.
- Making the software accessible to the user, for instance by creating links, shortcuts or bookmarks.
- Configuring components that run automatically, such as daemons or Windows services
- Performing product activation
- Updating the software versions