Installation is the process of making hardware and/or software ready for use. Obviously, different systems require different types of installations. While certain installations are simple and straightforward and can be performed by non-professionals, others are more complex and time-consuming and may require the involvement of specialists.
Installation can be categorized into two broad categories: physical and virtual. Physical installation pertains to installing physical equipment such as computer hard drives, cables, modems and so on, while virtual installation refers to installation of software. Much physical machine installation requires specific expertise. Similarly, there are software installations that can be done only by experts, whereas other installations are as simple and straightforward as the wizard-based installations commonly found with consumer software and frequently available on websites to be downloaded. Different types of software installations include Windows Installer installation, web-based software installation and single exe software installation