Try using "mszip" instead of "high" for compression on your media tag & see if that changes the size of the cab file. Essentially though you're comparing apples and steaks (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archive_formats). If you want your files be installed without any extra work you're going to have to use the CAB format. CAB archives are a proprietary format (spec -> http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb267310.aspx) Looking at more modern compression algorithms is all well & good but if it's not supported by Windows Installer why are you even looking other than for theory crafting? If you want to use another discrete proprietary format for your archives you'll have to find some way of integrating it into Windows Installer. My suggestion would be to build your MSI with the files "uncompressed" then compress them yourself using 7zip or whatever. You can then use a bootstrapper to uncompress your files before running the MSI to install it. Seems like a hell of a lot of work though for not a huge payoff & there are probably better ways to achieve the result, that was just off the top of my head.
Palbinder Sandher Software Deployment & IT Administrator T: +44 (0) 141 945 8500 F: +44 (0) 141 945 8501 http://www.iesve.com **Design, Simulate + Innovate with the <Virtual Environment>** Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited. Registered in Scotland No. SC151456 Registered Office - Helix Building, West Of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow G20 0SP Email Disclaimer -----Original Message----- From: Wesley W. Terpstra [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 02 November 2009 03:27 To: [email protected] Subject: [WiX-users] LZMA compression? I have an msi package which comes out to 77MB when compression is set to "high". Inspecting the msi file shows that the space is almost entirely consumed by the contained cab file. If I take the same files in that cab file and compress them with 7zip it comes out to 27MB. Normally I wouldn't care too much about compression, but when the difference is a factor 3* (!!), I take notice. I also tried compressing it using tar.bz2, which comes out to around 78MB and tar.7z which clocks in at 30MB. In summary: raw data: 320MB tar.bz2 78MB msi: 77MB tar.7z: 30MB 7z: 27MB I know these numbers seem impossibly extreme, but I have triple checked them! Generally I don't see such a difference between 7zip and bzip2, but for whatever reason these executables love 7zip. Since the main savings appears to come from the use of 7zip's LZMA algorithm (the solid encoding + BCJ only saved 30-27=3MB), I wonder if it is possible to use the LZMA algorithm on my msi's cab file? It would be a real shame to make users of my installer download 77MB when they could be downloading 27 or 30MB instead. Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------ Come build with us! The BlackBerry(R) Developer Conference in SF, CA is the only developer event you need to attend this year. Jumpstart your developing skills, take BlackBerry mobile applications to market and stay ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register now! http://p.sf.net/sfu/devconference _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Come build with us! The BlackBerry(R) Developer Conference in SF, CA is the only developer event you need to attend this year. Jumpstart your developing skills, take BlackBerry mobile applications to market and stay ahead of the curve. Join us from November 9 - 12, 2009. Register now! http://p.sf.net/sfu/devconference _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
