How to create a single setup.exe with InstallShield limited edition?
Creating a stand-alone setup.exe with InstallShield LE is just a little tricky. You have to remember several things.
Go to "Build" -> "Configuration Manager" -> change the configuration to "SingleImage." You may have access to the configuration directly on the tool bar at the top. Your options will be "CDROM", "DVD-5", an "SingleImage." You can change it from the configuration manager or using the tool bar.
Next go to "Prepare for release" in the solution explorer (on the far right) and double-click on "Releases." On the left-hand side you will see your "Builds" tree. Work your way down the tree to "SingleImage." Click on it.
In the middle witll be three tabs: "Build", "Setup.exe", "Signing." Click on "Setup.exe." Set Setup Launcher to Yes (it will probably already be set to this). Down at the end of the options is a section called "InstallShield Prerequisites Location" - set this to "Extract From Setup.exe" otherwise any prerequisites (there are usually lots) will not be embedded into the setup.exe.
You're done.
I don't have InstallShield LE installed on the machine in front of me but my memory is that it has different solution configurations defined. One of them is called SingleImage. Just build that release.
I had this trouble too. The way it does is very unintuitive, IMO.
Highlight the Set up project
On Visual Studio Standard toolbar, choose "Solution Configuration" dropdown. Probably it is selected as "Debug". Change it to "Single Image"
Right click on your setup project and Build.
It should create a single setup.exe.