A reader sent me a question about code-signing certificates in InstallShield. He wanted to know if you could generate your own code signing certificate rather than buying one. The answer is I don't know.
If you are not familiar with Digital Code Signing, you should know that it is necessary if you are going for the Windows Vista logo on your product, or if your users will be running your installations over the internet. Now, back to the reader question.
I just looked, and a code-signing certificate from Comodo costs US$179.95/yr. These certificates are generally good for a year, unless you purchase a two year or three year certificate. I think you may save a little bit of money if you get one that is good for two or more years.
I have always bought a code signing certificate. It's the easiest method of obtaining one. I have never generated one, so I can not give any advice on how well that works. If someone has done so successfully, it would be nice if they could leave a comment so that we would all know about it.
After you obtain a code signing certificate, it is very easy for InstallShield to sign your projects. Just remember that you do not want to sign anything in Visual Studio. Let InstallShield do all the signing for you. Let it sign both your application and installation. It's very easy to do once you have a certificate.
Just remember, to do a One-Click Release, you have to have the three files, PFX, PVK, and SPC. That's what InstallShield requires in order to do a One-Click Release. I don't think it costs anymore to get the three files, you just tell them that you need the three files when you buy the code signing certificate. That's what I will do this year, as my certificate is about to expire.
Actually, I just found out a few months ago that you had to have all three files. Up to now, I have only had PFX and PVK files, and you can't completely sign One-Click Installations without all three files.
I hope this helps.
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