Extracing cabs

[[XAP]Bob]

From what I understand pocket pc will happily install from cabs. Is there a reasonable way to extract the cabs from exe install files - given that not everyone has a winblows desktop???

[yankeejeep]

You can check online sites that keep archives on .cab files such as freecabs.de. When it is the .cab of a commercial app you will still need to have your registration key to activate them fully or us them beyond their trial period. I have found freecabs a very useful site.

You will also find that a significant portion of .exe installation files are self-extracting compressed archives. If you have an app that can work with compressed files (installs are typically either .zip or .rar archives), change the file extension from .exe to one of the compression extensions and check to see if you can view files inside it. If you can, you will be able to extract the .cab file you need. Just be aware that you will often find the cabs for several processors (XScale, ARM, MIPS, etc.) or OS versions (WM5, WM2003, CE, etc.) in a single archive; make sure you select the appropriate one for your device. I use Resco File Explorer, which includes compressed file access. Freecabs and freeware sites like pocketpcfreewares.com have free compression management apps available online.

There may be software for your desktop OS to open installation files as well. What OS do you use?

[BrainC]

Is it possible to extract the cab from an exe file on the ppc?

[yankeejeep]

I haven't found a way to do it unless the .exe file is a self-extracting archive. The change of extension makes the compressed directory visible to archive managers like the one available in Resco. I have not found a way to extract .cab files from other types of PC-based installation executables.