Self-Extracting Archives

A self-extracting archive is an executable program file (.EXE file) that includes both an archive and software to extract or "unzip" the contents of the archive. Users can extract the contents of a self-extracting archive by simply running it. This is convenient, because the end user does not need a compression program (like PowerZip) to extract files from these self-extracting archives. However, self-extracting archives have a disadvantage of being larger than the corresponding zip files because they include the extraction software (about 200Kb extra).

PowerZip offers numerous features allowing you to create completely customizable self-extractors. You can set the self-extractor to show a message of your choice at start-up. You can choose the icon and the buttons (OK, Yes/No or OK/Cancel) for the message box. You can set the default "Unzip to" folder, using variables if you need to. The self-extractor can also execute a command of your choice after extracting its contents. In addition, you can set the self-extractor to extract folders or overwrite files by default, make the "Unzip to" box read-only to prevent users from changing the destination folder or make the self-extractor start extracting its contents without showing its main dialog box at all.

To create a self-extracting archive, follow the procedure for compressing files by creating a new archive, specifying "Self-Extracting Zip File" as the archive type. You will be able to set the various self-extractor options by clicking on the "Self-Extractor Properties" button in the Options step of the Compression Wizard.

Alternatively, you can convert an existing Zip archive into a self-extracting archive. To do that, simply open the archive and then select the "Convert to EXE" item from the "Actions" menu. You will be asked for the file name of the self-extracting archive you wish to create. Type in the name and click OK. The Self-Extracting Archive Properties dialog box will be shown, allowing you to set the various self-extractor options.