Windows - Underneath the Hood

Let’s take a look at how ​an EXE gets installed on Windows. ​When you click on an installation executable, ​what happens next depends on how the developer of ​the program has set their application up to be installed.

​If the EXE contains code for ​a custom installation that ​doesn’t use the Windows installer system, ​then the details of what happens under ​the hood will be mostly unclear. ​This is because most Windows software is ​distributed in closed source packages.

• Closed source packages: A source code that does not allow public access

You can use certain tools to check ​out the actions the installer is taking. ​ One way to do this would be to use ​the process monitoring program ​provided by the Microsoft Sys internals toolkit.

• This will show you any activity ​the installation executable is taking, ​like the files it writes and any ​process activity it performs.

What about an MSI file or an executable wrapping and MSI? Installation packages that use ​the MSI format have a set of rules and standards they ​need to conform to so that ​the Windows installer system can understand ​their instructions and perform the installation. ​

•  ​If you’re curious about the details of what goes into ​an MSI file or want to ​create a Windows installer package yourself, ​check out the orca.exe tool that Microsoft provides.
  • Orca can help you edit or ​create Windows installer packages.

Download the Windows settings panel reference guide to learn about each settings panel.

For more information about various ways you can create and edit Windows installer packages, check out the following links: Process Monitor, Windows Installer Examples, and Orca.exe.