Multiple Setup Files Causing Confusion

Ohmylord · Postby **Ohmylord** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 3:38 pm

We have a program that we deploy on a USB thumb drive. We build from InstallAware using the CD or DVD method. The root of the USB drive has:

Setup.exe
Setup.res
Setup.msi
mia.lib
Auturun.inf
data (the folder from installaware)
<then a bunch of other folders>

Since most new computers don't show the file extensions, and a lot of computers don't autorun users have to manually run the setup. The issue is which one? Obviously, it's the setup.exe but there's no extension so they call us. I thought I read that there's now way to rename the Setup.res and Setup.msi so they are different that the Setup.exe.

Assuming there's no way to make the other 2 files different names than the Setup.exe I'm thinking about have the main setup files use a different name that users won't recognize. Then build a single file install called Setup.exe that just runs the other/real setup program. Anyone have a better idea?

Postby **FrancescoT** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:25 am

Dear User,

probably I am going to ask a very stupid question ... but why don't you deploy a compressed exe instead?

Regards

Ohmylord · Postby **Ohmylord** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:19 am

The entire install package is over 7GB so it's too large for a single file. I inherited this install project so there may be a better way to create the install, but most everything is copied using Copy Local Files. I may try and re-write it for web deployment at some point but there's not time do to that now.

So, any way to have just one file named Setup?

Postby **FrancescoT** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:02 pm

Dear User,

Unfortunately, it not possible.
All those files must have the same output file name as the one specified with the project settings.

Regards

Ohmylord · Postby **Ohmylord** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:17 pm

Thanks for the reply. Maybe something to consider for the future since every new computer ships with file extensions turned off.

I'll experiment with renaming setup to something else and then try creating a single file Setup.exe that just launches the other setup.

Postby **FrancescoT** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:37 pm

Unfortunately, I don't think it will be possible to have diffrent names with those files.

Anyway, not only latest OSes installation have that flag turned off by default. If I am not wrong, this started with WIN XP.

Regards

Ohmylord · Postby **Ohmylord** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:12 pm

Do you think renaming the current install from Setup to something less obvious, and then creating a separate single file install called Setup will work?

As a quick test I left the current install as is (named Setup.exe). I tried creating a single file install called Install.exe that just included "Run Program Setup.exe". I launch Install.exe and it acts like it launches the Setup but it goes away. Know a way to get this to work?

Postby **FrancescoT** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:56 am

Dear User,

If all your files are located under the folder containing the setup executable itself, you should use the EXEDIR pre-defined variable with the RUN PROGRAM command.

Example;
> SEXEDIR$\setup.exe

Regards

Ohmylord · Postby **Ohmylord** » Fri Mar 28, 2014 2:19 pm

Francesco,

Thanks for the responses. i had the EXEDIR in there but that wasn't working. I did, however, find a solution to the original problem that seems to work. I just marked the Setup.msi and Setup.res as hidden files. Like file extensions, hidden files are not shown by default for most computers. So, a user will only see one Setup file.