Buzz
Today, Mytour will guide you through the process of creating a basic EXE file on a Windows computer, as well as how to package it for installation on another machine. EXE files are commonly used for installing programs or adding files to a Windows computer. To create an EXE installation file, you need to use a built-in Windows feature called IExpress.
Steps
Create an EXE file
Type notepad in the Start menu to search for Notepad on your computer.
Click on Notepad. The application is represented as a blue-and-white notebook icon, located at the top of the Start menu.
Enter the EXE program code. Type the code line by line, or copy and paste it into a Notepad document if you have already prepared it elsewhere on your computer.
- If you're unsure how to write the code, ask someone else to do this step for you.
- You can also find EXE code files for basic programs online.
Click on the File menu located at the top-left corner of the Notepad window. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click on Save As… (Save As…) option in the File drop-down menu.
Click on the "Save as type" drop-down box located near the bottom of the window.
- The current "Save as type" format is Text Documents (*.txt).
Click on All files in the drop-down box.
Enter a name for the EXE file. In the "File name" text box, type a name with the .exe extension to save the file as an EXE.
- For example, if you want to name the EXE file "bananas", type bananas.exe.
Select a location to save the file. Click on a folder on the left side of the window to choose where to save the file.
Click on Save in the bottom-right corner of the screen. The EXE file will be saved with the specified name in the selected location.
Create an EXE installer
Type iexpress in the Start menu search bar to find the iexpress command.
- You need to type the full iexpress for it to appear.
Click on iexpress. A gray file cabinet-like program will appear in the Start window.
Check the box for "Create new Self Extraction Directive file" in the middle of the page. By default, this option is usually pre-selected, but if not, make sure to check it.
Click on Next at the bottom-right corner of the window.
Check the box for "Extract files only" in the middle of the page.
Click on Next.
Enter a name for the EXE file. Type the filename in the data field in the center of the window, then click on Next.
Decide whether to use a text prompt or not. Click on Next to skip the text prompt, or check the box labeled "Prompt user with" and enter a word or phrase into the text box before clicking Next.
- Using a prompt will bring up a window with the message you have composed for the user of the EXE file.
Decide whether to use a license or not. If you don’t want to provide an EXE user with a license agreement they must read and accept, just click on Next. If you want to include a license agreement, check the box for "Display a license", then click on Browse to select a document containing the agreement, and click Open. You’ll need to click Next to proceed.
Click the Add button below the center frame of the window. A new File Explorer window will open, where you can select files to add to the EXE installer.
- Files you add to the EXE installer will be included for anyone who runs the installer.
Select the files to add. Click on a location in the left pane of the File Explorer window, then select multiple files by clicking and dragging the mouse across the group of files you wish to use.
- You can also choose individual files by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking each file individually.
Click on Open at the bottom right corner of the window. The files will be added to the EXE installer.
- You can also add more files after this step by clicking Add again and selecting additional files to include.
Click on Next.
Check the "Default" box at the top of the window, then click Next.
Decide whether to include a final message. Once the EXE installer completes its task, you can choose to display a message for the user. To proceed, check the "Display message" box, type in the content you wish to use, then click Next.
- If you prefer to skip the final message, simply click Next.
Add the program you want to install. This is the EXE program you created earlier. Click Browse, navigate to the file location, click the file, and then click Save.
- You can also check the box "Hide File Extracting Process Animation from User" to ensure that the EXE file installs without displaying too many input images.
Click on Next three times. The EXE installer will be created. Depending on the number of files you add to the EXE installer, the process may take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.
Click on Finish at the end of the window. The file will be saved. Your EXE installer is now ready to use.
Tip
- An EXE installer is not necessary to run the EXE file, but it helps install the EXE file along with any supporting documents (such as ReadMe files, necessary directories, etc.).
Warning
- If you're unfamiliar with programming an EXE file, consider asking someone with the necessary skills to handle the coding for this process.
