TestPackage is a configurable Windows installation simulator. It generates realistic setup programs that exercise the exact installer behaviors your packaging tools need to handle — so you can test your workflow, not someone else’s app.
The Problem
Packaging engineers need test installers. Most reach for whatever’s handy — 7-Zip, Notepad++, VLC — but production apps make poor test subjects. They exercise a narrow, fixed set of installer behaviors. They can’t be reconfigured. And when something breaks, it’s hard to tell whether the failure is in your tooling or in the app itself.
The Solution
TestPackage Configurator lets you design a simulated installer from scratch. Toggle on exactly the Windows installer behaviors you need to test, click Generate Installer, and get a standalone setup EXE ready for your packaging tool to capture.
Every generated installer behaves like real software: it runs a multi-page wizard, creates files, writes registry entries, registers shortcuts — whatever you configured. When it finishes, it installs a lightweight viewer app that shows exactly what happened and provides a clean uninstall.
One tool. Any combination of behaviors. Repeatable.
Open TestPackage Configurator and design your test scenario. Every option has a clear description, and changes take effect immediately — no code, no command line, no rebuilding.
Choose from 15+ independently toggleable installer behaviors:
| Category | Features |
|---|---|
| Files & Registry | Test files in configurable paths, registry entries (HKCU/HKLM/HKCR), environment variables |
| Shortcuts & Shell | Desktop shortcuts, Start Menu entries, file associations, context menus, App Paths |
| Services & Tasks | Windows services, scheduled tasks, startup entries |
| Network & Security | Firewall rules, custom URI protocol handlers |
| System Integration | Active Setup, font installation, COM registration |
| Uninstall Behavior | Clean removal, or intentional leftovers for testing incomplete-uninstall detection |
| Wizard & UI | Show/hide wizard pages, custom EULA text, banner colors, simulated install delay |
Name your output files whatever you want — the defaults are YourSimulatedSetup.exe and YourSimulatedApp.exe.
Click Generate Installer. TestPackage produces a ready-to-use installer in your chosen output folder. Point your packaging tool at it — MSIX, App-V, Intune, SCCM, or anything else that captures or wraps Windows installers.
Run the generated installer through your workflow:
- Repackaging — Capture the install, build your package, deploy, and verify with the built-in context viewer
- Application virtualization — Capture with your virtualization tool, run the virtual package, verify file and registry isolation
- Silent deployment — Test silent install switches, per-user vs. per-machine contexts, and UAC elevation handling
- Uninstall validation — Verify clean removal, or enable intentional leftovers to test your tool’s orphan detection
After installation, the context viewer displays every action the installer took: files created, registry entries written, shortcuts placed, services installed. A machine-readable install-manifest.json and a human-readable description.txt provide full audit trails.
Change the configuration and generate again. Need to add a service? Toggle it on. Need to test a reboot prompt? Enable it.
TestPackage Configurator is open source and free.
Or install via winget:
winget install RWKSystems.TestPackage
- .NET 8 / C# / WPF — self-contained, no runtime required on the target machine
- Zero external dependencies
- INI-based configuration with GUI editor
- JSON install manifest for machine-readable audit trails
- NSIS-based tool installer
- Signed with Azure Trusted Signing