Altiris announced Jan. 10 the release of an installation development tool that supports the installations of Windows Vista, 64-bit Windows operating systems and Windows Mobile 5 devices.

Altiris' Wise Installation Studio 7.0 will allow software developers to put together applications in a virtual software archive format, which will help remove file and registry conflicts between applications.

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The tool will also be integrated with Nalpeiron Pro-Tector Standard, which will let developers design trialware versions of their applications while preventing piracy of those applications by generating and tracking software licenses.

"Wise Installation Studio 7.0 allows application developers to create virtual software application installations and provides a way to protect applications from piracy through collaboration with Nalperion," Steve Morton, Altiris' vice president of product management and marketing, said in a company release.

The new installation development tool will also feature installation authoring capabilities, including support for the Windows Installer (.MSI), WiseScript (.EXE) and virtual software archive (.VSA) formats.

Also launched was Altiris' Wise Installation Express, a basic installation authoring tool designed for software developers who need support for the Windows Installer format.

Wise Installation Studio 7.0 and Wise Installation Express are available now. Wise Installation Studio 7.0 is $1,199 per user, while Wise Installation Express is $449 per user.

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