<s>
InstallShield	B-Application
is	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
tool	O
for	O
creating	O
installers	B-Operating_System
or	O
software	B-Application
packages	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
InstallShield	B-Application
is	O
primarily	O
used	O
for	O
installing	O
software	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
desktop	O
and	O
server	O
platforms	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
manage	O
software	O
applications	O
and	O
packages	O
on	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
handheld	B-Application
and	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
InstallShield	B-Application
generates	O
a	O
.msi	B-Application
file	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
destination	O
computer	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
payloads	O
from	O
the	O
source	O
computer	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
InstallShield	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
The	B-Application
Stirling	I-Application
Group	I-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
founded	O
in	O
1987	O
by	O
Viresh	O
Bhatia	O
and	O
Rick	O
Harold	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
first	O
met	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
computer	O
science	O
students	O
at	O
Northwestern	O
University	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1990	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Stirling	I-Application
Group	I-Application
was	O
selling	O
a	O
package	O
of	O
six	O
products	O
called	O
the	O
SHIELD	O
Series	O
,	O
including	O
InstallShield	B-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1993	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Stirling	I-Application
Group	I-Application
moved	O
into	O
larger	O
offices	O
in	O
Schaumburg	O
,	O
Illinois	O
and	O
changed	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
name	O
to	O
Stirling	B-Application
Technologies	I-Application
,	I-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
InstallShield	B-Application
became	O
particularly	O
well	O
known	O
after	O
Microsoft	O
endorsed	O
it	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
and	O
by	O
1997	O
Stirling	B-Application
Technologies	I-Application
estimated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
being	O
used	O
in	O
85	O
to	O
90	O
percent	O
of	O
all	O
software	O
products	O
written	O
for	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
operated	O
under	O
the	O
InstallShield	B-Application
name	O
until	O
Macrovision	O
acquired	O
the	O
business	O
in	O
2004	O
for	O
$76	O
million	O
in	O
cash	O
plus	O
an	O
additional	O
$20	O
million	O
based	O
on	O
meeting	O
sales	O
targets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Limited	O
versions	O
of	O
InstallShield	B-Application
were	O
at	O
various	O
times	O
bundled	O
with	O
popular	O
software	O
development	O
packages	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
Visual	O
Studio	O
6.0	O
,	O
Borland	B-Language
Delphi	I-Language
2006	I-Language
,	O
and	O
Borland	B-Language
C++Builder	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
1	O
April	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
Macrovision	O
Software	O
Business	O
Unit	O
(	O
including	O
the	O
InstallShield	B-Application
brand	O
)	O
was	O
sold	O
to	O
private	O
equity	O
firm	O
Thoma	O
Cressey	O
Bravo	O
,	O
forming	O
a	O
new	O
company	O
called	O
Acresso	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
