Need to create extremely large installer

[Meekro]

The installer I'm trying to build is extremely large. The total installed folder size is ~12GB, with several individual files in the package exceeding 2GB.

When I try the CAB mode, it tells me that my files are too big. When I try LZMA mode, it seems to finish producing the installer but the .exe it produces won't open.

Can Advanced Installer handle something this big?

[Cosmin]

Hi,

Advanced Installer should be able to handle the package. Unfortunately the size of a CAB file cannot exceed 2GB, so for your package you can use only LZMA compression. However, Windows cannot open an EXE file larger than 2GB, so the compressed files should not be included in the EXE. You can try using these options:
- "Archive installation files using LZMA compression for smallest package size" in the "Configuration" tab of the "Builds" page
- "Leave install files outside" in the "Bootstrapper" tab of the "Builds" page

Let us know if the package doesn't work when using this approach.

Regards,
Cosmin

[Dan]

Hi,

Windows Installer has its limitations when it comes to managing large file installation. We’ll explore the available options for building installers with very large resources inside.

Before diving into, let’s summarize the current MSI limitations. The MSI utilizes CAB (Cabinet) files as storage containers for the files it includes.

• Cab Maximum File Size: The maximum size of a CAB file is 2 GB. This limitation is imposed by the CAB file format itself.
• Installer size: The MSI with resources inside cannot exceed 2 GB and EXE with resources inside cannot exceed 4GB. This is a Windows limitation.

Here's the Authoring Installer for Large Resources Overcoming MSI Size Limits (from a developer perspective) article that debates this subject.

Best regards,
Dan