Original Poster: The One
Post Date: 10-11-2004
For Installsheild cabs You need the ICOMP cab editor which can be found here
http://cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/files.shtml
I have used this program many times to insert the cracked game executable into the setup cab and make a cracked setup and it will also extract files.
Use InstallShield 6.x Cabinet Util v0.2, This version will edit most newer InstallSheild cabs. There is no GUI, you have to use command lines. I always just use a bat file and just change the filename for each game. Here is how the bat file looks
@echo off
i6comp r data1.cab game.exe
echo.
echo All done
echo.
pause
Just put all the data.cabs and data1.hdr in the same folder with the i6comp.exe, the bat file, and the game.exe file
The "r" is the command for inserting the specified file into the cabs, the extraction command is "e" or "x", either one will work. I always extract the file first to make sure it is actually in the cabs and is named the same. Also it's a good idea to save the original file because some updates will not work with the cracked file.
Most times if the setup is on multiple CDs, this will not work because the file order is not the same. The setup will ask for CD2 almost imediately because the exe file is in the last cab, then the setup will fail because the rest of the files are not found. With all the cabs on one disc such as a DVD this isn't a problem. There have been a few games where this did work for me. Probably because the exe file was already in the last cab.
For non InstallSheild cabs, you can use CabPack, Cabinet Manager, or IZarc to create new cabs. I haven't yet found a program which will edit an existing standard cab file. You must save as a new cab after editing.
TIP: There is a front-end for iXcomp, Winpack, from snoopy, but i preffer to make it by DOS. It is safest and always more powerfull than Winpack is.