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Configure extraction of files

This page allows you to define how files are extracted (unpacked) by the package onto the user's computer.

File Overwriting Mode

When an existing file is found, your package can handle it in the following ways:

  • Overwrite the file: Paquet Builder packages do not overwrite files that are write-protected by Windows (e.g., running .exe or .dll files). If the package fails to obtain write access to the file, an error message will be displayed to the user.

  • Ask end users for overwriting: This option is recommended for standard packages. A dialog will prompt users to decide whether to overwrite the file, skip it, or apply the choice to all future files.

  • Only overwrite older files: The package compares file modification dates. If the packaged file is newer, it will overwrite the existing file. Otherwise, the file will be skipped.

  • Skip existing files: No files will be overwritten, even if the packaged file is newer.

Tip

You can use custom actions to check version information of executable files and determine whether to overwrite files using file custom properties.

Miscellaneous Options

Overwrite Files with Read-Only Attribute

If an existing file is marked as read-only, enabling this option will allow the package to remove the read-only attribute and overwrite the file.

Replace In-Use (Locked) Files at Windows Startup

If an existing file is locked by another process, the package cannot replace it immediately. Enabling this option will store the new file in a temporary location to replace the old version at the next Windows startup.

Unpacking Engine

Paquet Builder provides two decompression engines based on 7-Zip to ensure small package sizes:

➡️ Small Engine:
- Supports general 7-Zip archives (LZMA2, LZMA, BCJ2, and store compression methods).
- Does not support encryption.
- Requires sufficient memory: large files (e.g., 1 GB) must first be unpacked to RAM before being written to disk. Avoid this engine for archives containing files larger than 256 MB.

➡️ Full-Featured Engine:
- Handles all 7-Zip archives, including AES-encrypted files.
- Supports multi-threaded decompression.
- Writes files directly to disk, making it suitable for large files.

➡️ Let Paquet Builder Decide:
- Paquet Builder automatically selects the most suitable engine based on project settings and file types. This choice is logged in the compilation log.
- Recommended option.