Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

IExpress — \windows\system32\iexpress.exe

Synopsis

Create a self-extracting/self-installing package, used to distribute files and install applications.

To Open

Command Prompt → iexpress

Usage

iexpress.exe [/n [/q] [/m]] file [/o:overide file,section]

Description

A self-extracting/self-installing package is actually an application, commonly known as an installer or setup program, that is used to install one or more files onto a Windows system and, optionally, to execute a setup script. IExpress is an interactive program that helps you create these packages, making it easy to, among other things, distribute files to other computers (see Figure 4-44).

Figure 4-44. The IExpress Wizard lets you package up a collection of files for easy distribution

Say you wish to put together a collection of documents that can be sent to another user, either via email, or by using a floppy disk or CD. Rather than simply sending the files separately or compressing them into a .zip file, both of which would require additional instructions, not to mention a reasonably knowledgeable and patient recipient, you can make a full-featured, professional-looking installer with IExpress.

When you start IExpress, the IExpress Wizard guides you through the steps to creating a self-extracting package. The first step prompts for a Self Extraction Directive (.sed) file, a file that contains all the options and files to ...