Compressing Multi-Disk Installations

InstallShield 2024

Because neither Setup.exe nor your .msi file can be spanned across multiple disks, your source files need to be kept separate from these files. If you create a network installation, which has unlimited size, and specify that all the files should be compressed, these files are placed inside the .msi file or inside Setup.exe if you elected to create one. All other media types put Setup.exe, your .msi file, and the .cab files that contain all of your source files separately on the media.

For example, you might have an installation that contains three features—each containing a 1.5 MB file, Setup.exe, and the installation files for Windows NT—and you want to create a custom media type that is 2 MB in size. The build will span multiple disks. Disk one will contain Setup.exe, InstMsiW.exe (which contains the logic to install the Windows Installer service on Windows NT machines), Setup.ini (which is required for installations that include Setup.exe), and your .msi file. The remaining disks will contain .cab files that store compressed copies of all your source files.