Dows any one know how to create m$ SFXCAB archive (like the hotfises and SPs m$ release) that support /integrate swithch ? is there any program available ?

Hi,

SFXCAB's are created only by Microsoft, and there are no tools, no documentation or anything else available to help others create SFXCAB's.

The /integrate option btw is passed to UPDATE.EXE, which then examines the UPDATE.INF and does the slipstream - SFXCAB.EXE doesn't do much itself really. /integrate will FAIL if UPDATE.INF is not "signed" - that is, if it does not contain a reference to a Microsoft signed .CAT file with a checksum of the .INF itself. You'll need to "help" UPDATE.EXE overcome this and similar other "shortcomings" just to make it do anything at all btw.

Is /integrate the only reason that you want to create SFXCAB's in the first place?

Best regards,
Gurgelmeyer

Sorry for the late post, but it's only now I stumbled upon this topic on google.
How do we 'help' update.exe? Because executing i386\update\update.exe /Integrate:D:\XP fails and says that you need to use /integrate with the original package.
Thanks.

I wonder if you have tried using the latest version of UPDATE.EXE if that one fixed your "/integrate" problems.

scratch that. i take that back. maybe the only to overcome the update.exe problem is to have MS digitally sign your package so that they can create a CAT file for it. that might be next to impossible.

How to creat SFXCAB file.

1. Hex edit one update file. Delete after MSCF part. So u have sfx module. lets name it cab.sfx
2. Compress all folder or files with make cab. lets name it files.cab
3. copy /b cab.sfx+files.cab files.exe
4. Hex edit to run files after extract. For example. u want to run setup.exe
Search setup.exe in files.exe.
There is 20 00 in front of setup.exe
Chance it to 60 00.

Done.
Run your sfx cab file.

you mean "create", eryen. you've gotta use some spellcheck in your post.



you mean makecab.exe



okay. since I may want to create SFXCAB like NT4 packages, can I use hotfix.exe instead of setup.exe listed in step 4?

Yep u can use any kind of program to run after decompress.

just edit HEX:20 00 to HEX:60 00 in front of your program.

So far, eryen, your method of creating SFXCAB files has NOT worked. Running the SFXCAB file that I created produced "File is corrupt" error message.



What MSCF part? There is more than one instance of MSCF. Look in any NT-based update file in Notepad or Wordpad (or even in a hex editor like XVI32) and you will find that there are three instances of "MSCF". So which MSCF part do I delete? Look very carefully.

It will look like this.
U see update\eula.txt blah blah.
(Files in cab) MSCF is CAB header.


EDIT:
Atteched sfx file for you.
http://rapidshare.com/files/95407852/MSCF.sfx

copy /b MSCF.sfx+yourfile.CAB yourfile.exe

Then HexEdit the HEX:20 00 to HEX:60 00 in front of your program which u want to run after extraction.

thanks. I'm still getting "File is corrupt" error message when running the SFXCAB file I made. already hexed 20 00 to 60 00 in front of hotfix.exe.



what about using CABARC.EXE to make CAB files? Seems to be easier than using MAKECAB.EXE.

Also, have you tested your own methods of making SFXCAB files on an NT-based Windows computer and did it work or not?

Ok. I finally got my SFXCAB file to work now, eryen. I had problems creating CAB files with MAKECAB.EXE, so I used CABARC.EXE instead. The CAB file I created needed to be created using LZX:21 compression with CABARC.EXE. Then I copied your SFX file with the CAB file (compressed with LZX:21 compression) and then hexed "20 00" to "60 00" before the hotfix.exe file and now running the SFXCAB file works.

thanks for the MSCF.SFX file. It's version 6.1.22.4. Other versions of SFXCAB.EXE don't seem to work for me while the one you posted worked well.

Oh ye. i see now.

There is at least three type of fsx for cab file.
The one i send here working good.
One from IE7 updates can extract file but not running setup. And another one give me allways error.


Lucky me. Found good one at first run.

Did you know that someone in the "hotstream" project on this board actually got their grubby paws on the actual sfxcab.exe utility? It's really irritating, because he says he won't share it.