A DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUEST :
The javapackager-generated MSI installer does not constrain the version of Windows. When generating an installer using javapackager with the -native msi option, the resulting MSI will run successfully on Windows XP, while the resulting executable will fail to run with the error "not a valid win32 application."

JUSTIFICATION :
javapackager exists to make it easy to package software. Part of good packaging is communicating effectively with the user whether the software will work on their machine. In this case, javapackager gives the impression it will work in Windows XP, but does not, which makes it look as though something is "broken" with applications that are packaged using it.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
It should be expected that if the target operating system does not meet the minimum system requirements of the software, the installer errors when it detects that. Ideally, the error would provide information to the user about why it was failing, but it is better in installation than after installation, as it communicates to the user that the software cannot run on their computer instead of that the software is broken.
ACTUAL -
The actual behavior allows installation on Windows XP.

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
This can be worked around by taking the javapackager generated files and repackaging them with a new wxs file indicating that the software cannot be installed on Windows XP.