Extract NSIS installations with 7-zip (4.40 beta and up)

[onad]

If you want to be sure of security you can write an Plugin for special functions.

As said before, 7Zip is not able to decompile your installer fully. 7Zip users have no access to your .nsi script.

Idea: Use an uncompressed NSIS installer and pack with UPX. (which is also unpackable, but not with 7ZIP

* But better make a plugin if you want to be sure of security via special functions *

Or, since one has the NSIS source, one can alter the code and take some measure one think are useful (e.g. reversed/scrambleblock of LZMA format). That is one of the main advantages of having Open Source!

BTW
- MSI is "un-packable" also, MS own ORCA tool helps there
- NSIS is an installer tool, not a protector tool

[No login]

This shouldn't be a surprise

This shouldn't surprise anyone - I routinely extract NSIS, InstallShield and MSI files before I install them as a precautionary measure. When some ambitious developer thinks he'll disguise his installer, I use a virtual machine to make before/after snapshots to double-check, then package up the snapshot differences as a replacement for the faulty original installer.

Look, it's an installer. It's little more than a dressed-up self extracting archive. There are legitimate reasons for end users to browse installer .exe files, and I'm glad Igor implemented NSIS support into 7-Zip as the tool I was using was quite unfriendly. Depending on how modular his code is, I may adapt 7-Zip to support MSI and InstallShield as well.

Those of you trying to disguise your installers or convince Igor to cripple 7-Zip must have little experience in computer security - no matter what you do to your installers, you can't thwart a before/after snapshot from a virtual machine. If a user has bad intentions, this is what they'll do anyway - it doesn't matter what you do to the installer. And if they really want your script, they'll just attach a debugger and grab it from memory, or run the installer in a full CPU emulator.

[toffo]

I know this is an old thread, but it may be useful for others..
Normally I dont post just because I found a solution, but here I am..

I want my WinAmp so stripped I can, I have a license
for the Pro so I've used the full rock-on edition..
extracted it with 7zip and then just used the files in
the base folder..

winamp.exe, dll files and then started it up..
it created the ini file and such.. and I just saved my
settings.. now I have a perfect working fully stripped
and configured WinAmp just like I want it..

and the best of all.. just copy those files to a fresh
install of Windows and it works out of the box =D
no need to install it..

perfect for unattended windows xp

// Chris

[ducvinhbp]

the installation I created was extracted using 7z successfully. please help me with better security so that I cannot extract

[Anders]

https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Can_I_decompile_an_existing_installer#Protection_against_Decompilers

[ducvinhbp]

can you guide me in more detail? I watched it many times but didn't understand it

[Anders]

You need to be able to compile nsis from the source code to do this.

[ducvinhbp]

thank you !