В чем разница между автономным и установленным исполняемым файлом?

I have noticed on Windows, at least, that you can download a direct, statically-linked executable file and launch it directly, or write your own program and execute it (even dynamically) without having to install it.

That brings me to my main point…what’s the purpose of the installation process? I mean besides maybe the Windows Registry. However, for practicality and usage purposes, it’s possible to have a single, independent, stand-alone program that can be run, stored on non-volatile storage, and accessed via the file system of whatever device it’s on, and executed on the OS.

So what’s the big deal with all the “install this” business if many great programs of virtually any magnitude can work perfectly without going through an installation configuration? It puzzles me a bit, and aside from a database or other metadata/access configuration systems, what is the real difference here if the latter (an installed executable) performs and works in the same way as a stand-alone?

Is there a difference here I’m unaware of with a non-installed program versus an installed one?

PS: This doesn’t just have to apply to Windows OSes, but any that implement a similar function.

Brief answer: a stand-alone exe requires no libraries be installed on the computer to run, and requires no registry entries or other components.

An installed file can be a stand-alone in an installer package, but is generally dependent on a variety of components and libraries installed alongside it.

In many cases, through the use of Universal Extractor (unofficial update: here), you can extract the contents of an installer and run a program without administrative privileges in Windows. MSI installers can be unpacked with lessmsi.

In most other operating systems, all programs can be run without root/administrator privileges, through user-specific ‘bin’, ‘lib’, and other directories in the home directory. Personally, I despise installers the majority of the time, because they make it harder for me to use programs without administrative privileges when I don’t have them. But they are packaged that way by large companies to simplify the process for the average end user.