The file extension ISU is associated with InstallShield, which is an installation development solution used to meet the requirements of application installation. ISU files assist with installing programs in conventional Microsoft Installer format and virtual application formats. Microsoft Installer is also referred to as MSI which is used for the installation and removal of Windows programs. Virtual application formats are used by the Microsoft Application Virtualization product, which is also known as their App-V program.
ISU files are an executable file type that contains source code and scripts for installing and uninstalling programs and applications. The files are created by InstallShield and used with programs which are created with InstallShield technology. The source code and scripts are typically in a text format and specify the activities which are to be carried out by your PC when installing and removing programs from the operating system.
When program developers focus on Windows InstallShield while building programs and applications, it helps them to build agile and flexible installations that use Windows Installer and InstallScript. The installations are designed for Windows desktop, server, and web applications in addition to the mobile App-V packages that use virtual applications.
How to Open ISU Files
InstallShield is available as a free trial download on the Flexera Software website and will open ISU files in Windows. It is important to mention that InstallShield is designed for software developers who create the installation files and uninstallation files in programs and applications that use the InstallShield technology.
Install Shield is not designed for the typical PC user who has difficulty installing an application in Windows. InstallShield will help you open and view the contents of an ISU file; however, if you are not a software developer, there really is no reason to open this type of file.
Since ISU files are commonly written in ASCII plain text format, you can open and view the contents of the file using any text editing program for Windows such as Notepad or WordPad. Right click on the ISU file and choose Open With from the drop-down menu. On the submenu choose the text editor or click on Browse if the program is not in the list.
Select a program from the list of installed programs, place a check mark in the box next to Always use this program to open this file type and then click on OK. Whenever you want to open a file that contains the ISU extension, it will automatically use the text editor as the default application for opening the file.
