Editing Windows Installer (section)

===Components===
A ''component'' is the basic unit of a product. Each component is treated by Windows Installer as a unit. The installer cannot install just part of a component.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372830.aspx | title = Windows Installer Components | publisher = [[Microsoft Corporation]]|work= MSDN Library|access-date=2013-04-08|date=2012-11-30}}</ref> Components can contain program [[Computer file|files]], [[directory (file systems)|folders]], [[Component Object Model|COM]] components, [[Windows registry|registry]] keys, and [[shortcut file|shortcuts]]. The user does not directly interact with components.

Components are identified globally by GUIDs; thus the same component can be shared among several features of the same package or multiple packages, ideally through the use of [[Merge Module]]s.