IExpress Technology and the IExpress Wizard

IExpress is a technology designed to simplify the setup process. Using the step-by-step IExpress wizard, it is now possible to create self-extracting cabinet (.cab) files that automatically run the Setup program contained inside.

The Setup program can be an .inf file, an executable program, or a set of commands. IExpress .cab files automatically remove setup files after installation, saving the user time and frustration.

The IExpress wizard can help you carry out specialized installations of your customized browser package, such as determining whether the computer will need to be restarted after installation. You can find the IExpress wizard (IExpress.exe) in the \Program Files\IEAK\Tools folder. Certain choices you make in the wizard correspond to batch mode setup switches.

To create an IExpress setup package, you first start with a Self-Extraction Directive (.sed) file to store information about your package. When you run the IExpress wizard, you can start with an existing .sed file or create a new one by using the wizard. The .sed file contains information and instructions about the Setup package.

To build a self-extracting executable file with IExpress, copy the Wextract.exe and Advpack.dll files from the Iebin\<lang>\Optional folder to the \IEAK\Tools folder (where the Iexpress.exe, Makecab.exe, W95inf32.dll, and W95inf16.dll files are located).

The following are some general features of IExpress technology:

• Silent, hands-free installation of Internet Explorer 5.
• Support for upgrading without having to remove a previous installation.
• Support for refreshing, or installation over, the same build.
• Installation without having to restart computers running Windows 95 OSR2.

IExpress technology is powerful and flexible. The following are some of the settings you can specify:

• Determine whether the self-installing package is for administrators or general users.
• Set multiple ways of running the embedded install command, such as normal or silent modes.
• Determine whether the IExpress dynamic-link libraries (.dll files) on a user's computer are updated if they are older than the current ones.
• Specify target versions, such as the operating system version range, the browser version range, or any application version range (identified by one or multiple file versions) that the package is compatible with.
• Determine, in batch mode, whether to warn the user when another copy of the package is running, block two packages from running at the same time, or not do anything.
• Update and add files to the IExpress package with the UPDFILE tool without having to rebuild the package.
• Replace Runonce with RunOnceEx (if the newer version of Iernonce.dll exists), giving the author control over the job executing order and status display.
• For the Windows platform, integrate the IEAK with Setup for Internet Explorer and Other Internet Tools to eliminate the problems associated with a single 10-MB download. Setup for Internet Explorer and Other Internet Tools, which downloads .cab files, is not available on the UNIX platform.
• Provide a mechanism for corporate administrators to set up any necessary support for roaming users.
• Enable ICPs and ISPs to generate packages that include preconfigured desktops that present custom content to the user.
• Provide support for multiple download sites.
• Provide support for internal and external development, customization, expandability, and enhanced debugging.
• Save disk space through hard-disk cleanup (Recycle Bin, Occache, Wininet cache, Temp folder) during Setup, uninstall, and maintenance mode.
• Provide support for the Non-SBCS extended character set.
• Support the new .inf file Internet format.