How To Obtain List of Files Installed by Microsoft IExpress EXE

To obtain a list of files installed by an update, patch, redistributable, or other self-extracting EXE file supplied by Microsoft, use the following command line: This extracts the contents of {FILENAME} to the {Full-Directory-Path} directory.

This technique only works with EXEs packaged using IExpress. To determine if a self-extracting EXE was built with IExpress, check the EXE file's version information. To do this, right-click the file from Windows Explorer, and select Properties. On the Version tab of the file properties dialog box, the Description should read "Win32 Cabinet Self-Extractor."

The "/C /T" command line parameters direct the IExpress EXE to unpack the files to the desired directory and run a specified command. When the command parameter "/C" is used in this form, the IExpress EXE will not complete the installation process. The files are extracted from the EXE, but not deleted as usual.

Some of the extracted files may be .cab files. These compressed files are likely to contain other files used in the install. CABARC, CABVIEW, or other CAB viewing utilities must be used to unpack any CAB files. For example, the following command-line for the CABARC utility will extract all of the files from the {FILENAME.CAB} CAB file: The final set of files that are actually installed on a given system by the EXE depends on the platform and other factors evaluated by the extracted INF file and any INF files in possible extracted CAB files.

The INF file also contains some of the registry entries made by the EXE. COM component registry entries are typically not listed in any FILE and are made only when the COM component is registered using REGSVR32 or other system tool.

CABVIEW is currently available as a sample in the Platform SDK and as a Windows 95 Power Tool. Visit the Windows Downloads site to download it: Advanced INF syntax used in some newer IExpress files is not publicly documented or supported. However, this INF syntax is based on the traditional Setup API documented in the Platform SDK: Platform SDK Documentation: Setup and Systems Management Services; Setup; Setup API.

The IExpress technology is only supported with the use of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK). Please visit the IEAK Web site for more information: