LKBEN11586: Howto silently install an EXE file.
Symptom
The setup program is an EXE file and you need a silent installation.
Cause
EXE files do not have their parameters standardised.
Solution
There is no standard set of parameters for setup programs using and EXE file format.If you are lucky, the parameters can be shown by using /? or /help. If that is not the case, you can look at the support page of the software and look for "silent installation".
When you are out of luck, here is a list of frequently used switches. You can just try the out.
In some rare cases, it might not be possible to silently install an EXE file. In this case you will need to repack the application.
Frequently used parameters and some examples:
| /s | silent installation (used by Installshield) |
| /q | quiet installation (used by WiX) |
| /quiet | same as above (used by WiX) |
| /silent | same as /s |
| /verysilent | even more silent than /s |
| /SILENT | same as /silent (used by Inno Setup) |
| /VERYSILENT | same as /verysilent (used by Inno Setup) |
| /S | same as /s (used by NSIS) |
Here are some real world examples:
| Software | Installation |
|---|---|
| Audacity | audacity-win-3.0.0.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /LOG="%temp%\Audacity.log" |
| Shotcut | shotcut-win64-210321.exe /S |
| Kdenlive | kdenlive-21.04.2_standalone.exe -o"%programfiles%\kdenlive" –y |
| CamStudio | CamStudioSetup.exe /VERYSILENT |
| OpenBoard | OpenBoard_Installer_1.5.4.exe /VERYSILENT |
| VS2010 Redist. | vcredist_x64.exe /q |
If you want to install silently, you might also want to uninstall silently. Here some examples for uninstallation:
| Software | Uninstallation command |
|---|---|
| Audacity | %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Audacity\unins000.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Shotcut | %ProgramFiles%\Shotcut\uninstall.exe /S |
| Kdenlive | ? |
| CamStudio | %ProgramFiles%\CamStudio\uninstall.exe /S |
| OpenBoard | %programfiles(x86)%\unins000.exe /VERYSILENT |
| VS2010 Redist | vcredist_x64.exe /q /Uninstall |
Have fun.
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this document is intended for your information only. Lubby makes no claims to the validity of this information. Use of this information is at own risk!About the Author
Author: - Keskon GmbH & Co. KG
Wim Peeters is electronics engineer with an additional master in IT and over 30 years of experience, including time spent in support, development, consulting, training and database administration. Wim has worked with SQL Server since version 6.5. He has developed in C/C++, Java and C# on Windows and Linux. He writes knowledge base articles to solve IT problems and publishes them on the Lubby Knowledge Platform.
Latest update: 13/07/2022