Exe extractor

[Coreper]

im searching for a program which can extract ALL files from .exe files {installation files}

so you wont need to install things to get certain files...

I am NOT talking about extracting Self-extracting Zip files [or any other self-extracting file]

please help

[Scarecrow Man]

According to some google searches, WinRAR can extract some exe files.

I also found this: http://www.heaventools.com/overview.htm

[cozofdeath]

Yeah I use WinRAR sometimes to do it but most file zippers will do the job. When it doesn't work I find the temp directory everything gets extracted to, usually C:\documents and settings\username\application data\application name. Sometimes the files may go to your %temp% dir, which is C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp. But you first have to click the install package and while its open go to that temp directory, otherwise the files get deleted. I don't think PE Explorer will do what you want but its very very usefull, but expensive and mainly for developers. Some installers will give you an option to extract files also, like the /a (admin install). There is also many unpackers for each type of installer, wise, installshield, msi, on google.

[Coreper]

winrar will only extract selfextracting-archives

and PE explorer doesnt really help too...

lets put my Q different:

how i can get the files which are extracted from the archive, WITHOUT installing the program?

[Scarecrow Man]

I can find plenty of programs to extract icon's from an EXE file, but nothing to extract the entire file into a folder.

I do not think, what you are asking for, is possible.

[Boris]

Can you just explain exactly why you want to extract these integral .exe's ????

+ what file are you trying to extract them from ?

[cozofdeath]

All of the methods I listed should work. WinRAR does not work for all .exe installers because there are many types of sources/compressions. A self-extracting archive is a .exe file. It can also be other types as well. Here is a program that will extract many types, its call Universal Extractor. Its very easy to use and works with a lot of compressions. There is some really good info on the different packers and unpackers on the google. This is just a load program that uses a lot of other programs that come with it, but you don't have to worry about that.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

I use WinZip if I need to extract anything from an EXE file, but I think WinRar should work as well.

[Coreper]

@cozofdeath: i will try the universal extractor

it looks good to me...

@Pat: then you are only extracting selfextracting files {OR: selfextractors, with a little adjustment so it they look more like an .exe file [i have seen some of these, but they are basicly the same as a selfextractor...]

[Coreper]

Universal Extractor worked!!! [with the installation file, which i was attempting to extract]

THANKS!!cozofdeath!

[Scarecrow Man]

Interesting. I always thought an exe was essentially a script, or a packaged file of scripts, that creates files as it goes along.

I am going to give the Universal Extractor a try.