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Setup instructions
Ketarin allows you to install applications by creating predefined rules. For example, you can install many applications in a row silently (no dialogs or manual input). Ketarin only informs the user of the install progress and any warnings or errors during install. On Windows, several installer types are being used which are described below along with their appropriate command line arguments to execute silent setups.
First open Ketarin and doubleclick the application you want to edit (or Context Menu
→ Edit
). Select the Setup
tab.
Here you can create, edit and delete setup instructions for your application. In order to create a new instruction, click the Add instruction
button. The following choices are offered, all explained below:
Here you can specify a program to start and any command line arguments to pass to the program, as well as overwrite environment variables (if needed).
Program to start: Select the program to start, typically an executable file (.exe), but can be any other file too.
Arguments: Specify command line arguments. Click the Insert
button to add several predefined arguments (see full list of possible arguments below). Remember that arguments with spaces, like file paths, need to be enclosed in quotation marks.
Here you can copy a file (for example the downloaded application, {file}
) to a specified location. You can use environment variables in paths.
Source file: This is the file being copied. Default is {file}
(the current location of the application setup package). See Special variables for more information.
Target file: This is a copy of the original file. You can specify environment variable by pressing the Environment
button.
This dialog allows you to specify a custom command to run. Please refer to the Commands section for further details. Basically, you can perform more complex actions with this option.
There are several installer types that program authors use. Beware that depending on the type of the installer command line arguments may vary greatly. Since Ketarin is a Windows only application, we will only look at installers that support Microsoft Windows, trying to cover all widespread installers here.
It is very likely that most of your applications use one of the following installers.
Name | Arguments | Examples | File Extension |
---|---|---|---|
Inno Setup (INNO) | /VERYSILENT |
Start Process "{file}" /VERYSILENT |
.EXE |
InstallShield | /s |
Start Process "{file}" /s |
.EXE |
Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) | /S |
Start Process "{file}" /S |
.EXE |
Windows Hotfix (MSU) | /passive |
Start Process "{file}" /passive |
.MSU |
Windows Installer (MSI Installer) | /quiet /passive /q[n|b|r|f] n - No UI b - Basic UI r - Reduced UI f - Full UI (default) |
Start Process "{file}" /qnCustom Command msiexec.exe /i "{file}" /qn Note: You may also want to add /norestart to prevent the installer from rebooting your system unexpectedly. |
.MSI |
Self-extracting archive (SFX) | /s |
Start Process "{file}" /s |
.EXE |
Ultimate Packer for eXecutables (UPX) | -d |
Custom Command upx.exe -d "{file}" |
.EXE |
Here is a very incomplete list of applications and what installer they use. If you don't find what you are looking for, use Universal Silent Switch Finder to find out which installer is being used.
Application Name | Installer Type |
---|---|
7Zip | x86:NSIS/x64:MSI |
AC3Filter | INNO |
Adobe Shockwave Player | NSIS |
Advanced Shortcuts Composer | INNO |
AMD Dual Core Optimizer | Installshield |
Auto Gordian Knot | NSIS |
BlueScreenView | UPX |
CCleaner | NSIS |
Crysis Warhead Framebuffer Benchmark | MSI |
CrystalDiskMark | INNO |
Desktop Icon Restore | MSI |
Driver Sweeper | INNO |
Duplicate Cleaner | NSIS |
EasyBCD | NSIS |
ESET NOD32 Antivirus | MSI |
Estonian ID Card | MSI |
ExplorerView | NSIS |
FFDShow | INNO |
Firefox | UPX |
Fraps | NSIS |
Gmail Backup | NSIS |
ImgBurn | NSIS |
InfranView | UPX |
ISO Recorder | MSI |
Jumplist Extender | INNO |
LockHunter | INNO |
Logitech Gamepanel | Installshield |
Logitech SetPoint | NSIS |
Mega MP3 Split | INNO |
Microsoft Windows Live Communications Platform Component | MSI |
Microsoft Windows Live Messenger Standalone | MSI |
Mp3Tag | NSIS |
Nokia Software Updater | UPX |
Notepad++ | NSIS |
Nvidia PhysX | MSI |
Open Expert | SFX |
OpenOffice | NSIS |
Open With Arguments | INNO |
Pazera FLV to AVI Converter | UPX |
Punkbuster Setup | UPX |
Resource Hacker | INNO |
Restorator | INNO |
SD Explorer | INNO |
SendToToys | INNO |
ShellExView | UPX |
ShellMenuView | UPX |
Smart Defrag | INNO |
SpyBot Search & Destroy | INNO |
SpyBot Search & Destroy Standalone Updates | NSIS |
Universal Extractor | INNO |
USB Disk Eject | UPX |
UxStyle Core | MSI |
VLC | NSIS |
WGET | UPX |
Windows 7 Filter Tweaker | INNO |
Windows 7 Updates Downloader | NSIS |
XRecode | INNO |
Now that you have created setup instructions for your applications, let's see how you can install them. In the main Ketarin window click the Install...
button.
You can then create lists from applications. For example, you can select all security programs from the right column and click Selection
→ Save as new list
to create a new list of security applications.
Note: Ketarin will automatically create lists for categories. So if you assign a category to all applications, you may not need to create further lists.
You can also create a new empty list in the left column by clicking the New
button. You can then add programs to it by clicking the Add
button below the right column.
Once you are finished with creating lists, you can start the installation. For installation you have 2 choices:
-
Install
- Install the local copy of the applications. -
Update and install
- First checks for updates. If an update is available, it is downloaded then installed. If no update is available the installation proceeds with the already existing files.
If you have problems with downloads, refer to Troubleshooting downloads.
In either case the following dialog is shown:
Here you can see the progress of the current installation and any warnings or errors that may occur.