A bookmark file is stored in persistent storage and is updated as various tasks are completed during an installation process. The bookmark file may be read when an installation process is started so that the installation process may continue from a point after the last successfully completed task, if the installation process had failed and was restarted. The bookmark file may also include data collected from a user interface during the installation process. When an installation process is restarted, some embodiments may present the data in a user interface for the user to modify. The installation process may be defined in a configuration file that includes metadata that defines the sequence of installation tasks as well as some error handling for various tasks.