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I have an exe installer which installs the drivers and the utility software for a Brother printer in Windows 7 x86. I was able to open the installer file as an archive in 7zip and get access to files like ddls.

I want to create a silent installer that installs the printer drivers and utilities without needing a user to run an installer. In order to do that, I need to know the what files are installed by the installer and where the installer saves these files so I can do all of that in my silent installer.

Any Idea how I can figure this out? (e.g. is there a way to record what an installer does? or if there is a file in the installer's package that dictated the installer to what files to save on HDD and where to save them?)

Amir
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  • Generally speaking, it isn't as simple as just copying files, the drivers and software also need to be registered with the operating system. But you can monitor file activity with Process Monitor, available from the Microsoft web site. – Harry Johnston Apr 12 '15 at 21:21
  • Thanks Harry! Now I have located the folder inside the installer exe archive where all the driver files are stored including .inf. .CAT etc. so in the Device Manager when I select "Update Driver Software" and give it that folder's location, it automatically installs the drivers for the printer. Do you know if I can somehow automate this in a silent installer so I just tell windows to crab the driver files from the folder and let Windows do the rest? – Amir Apr 12 '15 at 21:54
  • I know that it is possible, but I'm not familiar with the relevant APIs. For in-house scripting, I generally cheat and use devcon.exe, I believe this is still available for download from Microsoft's web site somewhere. If this is something you'll be shipping to customers, you don't have that option, so try [DiInstallDriver](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff544717%28v=vs.85%29.aspx). – Harry Johnston Apr 12 '15 at 22:50

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