Setup.exe -

It ensures the target machine has required components like the .NET Framework or C++ runtimes, often launching other installers before installing the main application.

It checks if dependencies are installed. Setup.exe

Running setup.exe helps satisfy Windows User Account Control (UAC) prompts, ensuring the installer has necessary permissions to copy files to Program Files or write to the system registry. It ensures the target machine has required components

While modern installers often utilize the Microsoft Installer ( .msi ) format, a setup.exe is still used to handle tasks that an .msi file cannot easily perform on its own: Setup.exe

Compressed files are decompressed and copied to the target directory.

Contains all necessary application files within itself. They are larger in file size but do not require internet access for installation.