Logo
Cookies: Choose:

This site uses cookies for better functionality, and to be able to continuously improve it.
There are only cookies to maintain the functionality of the site and Google ads.

Installing programs in silent mode

Windows Tips & Tricks

Installing programs in silent mode

»» 26.MAI.2016 / updated: 03.mar.2024/

Installing programs in silent mode: Unfortunately, when you reinstall your Windows system, you must reinstall all your favorite programs, but this may take up to several hours. How good it would be to reduce this installation time to say, to 30 minutes, but it would be good to reduce it to 20 minutes.

Installing programs quietly: I install over 50 programs after reinstalling Windows. However, my pre-installed programs will self-install in a little over 20 minutes without any intervention. All I have to do is click on the setup.cmd file stored on the other drive, not in the C\ folder, but in the D:\, where I previously typed the program names, one below the other with the "silent switches" on which I searched for them with the USSF program.

Installing programs quietly

From the inside, this is the content of the setup.cmd file with the name of the program. It's so simple.

content of the setup.cmd file


More details

The trick is to create a single command file that contains the additional commands needed to start all programs. Just click once on the created command file (setup.cmd) and then automatically launch the programs you want to install.

VERY SIMPLE. It only takes a few minutes. You just have to do two operations. Let's start with the first one:

1.) The first operation. Nothing complicated. All you have to do is collect your favorite programs, downloading them from the Internet or gathering from files stored on your computer. Put all the programs in a folder. NOT SEPARATE! Make sure you have the latest version. Ready!

2.) The second operation. Click the following link setup.cmd. Will download the ready-made file. After downloading, unzip it because it is compressed and copy it to the same folder with programs. Among the programs collected.

Right-click on the downloaded file and select Edit from the mouse pop-up menu, as you will need to enter the names of all the programs you want to install.

Quick Tip: You can copy the program name by right-clicking on the program and selecting the Rename link from the mouse menu. This name turns blue, then click the blue name again and select the Copy link with the left mouse button.

With this method, the installation file (the setup.cmd file) automatically starts the programs one after the other, but you must click the Next button in each window during the installation, however it significantly reduces the installation time. As one installation runs, it automatically gives you the following.

Quick Tip: You can Paste by clicking the appropriate line in the open file setup.cmd with the left mouse button, to show the Windows system where you want to paste the copied text into the clipboard, then right-clicking and selecting the Paste link from the mouse pop-up menu.

There is no numeric limit to this option (it can be up to 100 programs or more). After you have entered all the program names, close the setup.cmd file (right, top, white X on a red background) and in the warning (save) window select OK.

There is no numeric limit

After closing, click setup.cmd. Installation will begin immediately. What lasted an hour or more, now only installs in minutes, depending on how many programs you want to install. It's so simple.


Installing in «silent» mode

If you insist on a silent installation, below is a description of how to install all programs automatically (without intervention). Programmers usually include a silent switch (which installs invisible the program in the background), which is offered to those who like this type of installation, but the "silent switch" is hidden in the program. Usually, if you type /S, /s or /q after the program name it will work. For example: cCleaner.exe /S (there is a space after the exe, before /S).

Try manually entering the switches by the name of each program. Many programs contain this switch, but there is a "silent" switch different from these, which starts installing the program in the background, of which you will not notice anything, except that the icon of this program appears on the desktop.

This method already requires additional utility. The program is called USSF (Universal Silent Switch Finder), which is designed to help you find the silent switches for programs you would install without intervention.


How use the USSF program

Download: Universal Silent Switch Finder 1.5.0.0

After downloading, copy it to the folder where is the programs and setup.cmd. Open the setup.cmd file for editing using the method described above. Also open the USSF program. Click the character > at the end of the File line in the program. Look for the program you want to install quietly in the file explorer that appeared, (in our example always cCleaner.exe). Click Open in the USSF program to upload the parameters. If the program has a silent switch built-in, it is highlighted in green next to the USAGE line. Select this line with the mouse and right-click on the name, then select the Copy link from the pop-up menu and paste it into the setup.cmd file.

Quick Tip: Copy the name with the extension and switch to the setup.cmd file as described above. Just the name of the program is not enough. For example: cCleaner. You will need the .exe file extension and the associated switch. Eg: /S or /s or /q.

Silent Switch Finder

Note that newer versions can sometimes appear. Replace old programs with new ones. If this method does not work, try another program. It's called cMenu.


Use of the cMenu program

Create silent programs using cMenu. Download CMenu 2.6... Attantion: The description always contains the cCleaner program in our example.

Once installed, the program will be integrated into the right mouse button menu, so look for it here every time. Right-click on the selected program and you will find the cMenu options in the drop-down menu.

Quick Tip: Antivirus software sometimes reports a virus infection, but this is because of the file extension. Maybe you should stop the antivirus for this short time?

Right-click the program you want to run "quietly". Then select the link: More Options / Installer Tools / Identify Installer from the mouse menu. Here you can see what the program switches are. If it does not show anything, the specified program does not have a silent switch, so it cannot be installed in silent mode.

» If there is no "silent" switch, do the following:

Right-click on the program you want to run "quietly" and select the link: More Options / Installer Tools / AutoIT MacroGenerator from the drop-down menu, as described above. Pressing Record button records each click, in each window where you clicked the "Next" button, and then, during installation, executes this recorded command.

Start the program you want to run in "silent mode". Attention: cMenu records every mouse click. So, click nowhere, just in the install window of the program you want to install, so close the useless windows or send it to the taskbar, because it can hide the cMenu program window, and if you don't see it, you'll have to Click anywhere else that will be registered in cMenu, resulting in a failed installation. If possible, position the windows as follows:

AutoIT program

Start the program in two steps: First step: Start the program (eg cCleaner.exe) as if you would like to install it, but when the first window appears, stop and leave it open because you have to start the cMenu automatic generator in the same time. Second step: Launch CMenu MacroGenerator. Right-click the program you want to create "quietly" (cCleaner.exe in our example), and select the link: MORE OPTION / INSTALLER TOOLS / AutoIt MacroGenerator, from the mouse drop-down menu. A window appears. Click the Record button.

Click the Record button

The program automatically adds 2 lines, which will be the start code (required). Enter the word Run after this line (cCleaner.exe). Attention!!! Enter the real name of the program, which is above the program icon, is always enclosed in parentheses. (cCleaner.exe) is just one example, do not enter this name, but the name of the program you want to install.

Enter the word Run

Then you can continue until the program is installed. Each mouse click is recorded by cMenu, so don't click anywhere else, just in the program window you opened (cCleaner in this case). In the cMenu window, you can also click any key using the keyboard (do not register it). Once you have selected the installation options, do not close the "registration" window, but type: --- End --- between these lines. This indicates the end of the program installation. Close the AutoIt MacroGenerator window. A window will appear asking you to save. Enter the program name here and then click OK. (cCleaner.au3 in this example).

File conversion follows

The cMenu program generated a .au3 file extension that must be converted to a .exe file extension.

File conversion follows

This operation requires the installation of AutoIT (if you have not already done so). Download AutoIt. Like cMenu, it is embedded in the menu on the right mouse button, so after installation, right-click on the .au3 file (image above) and select COMPILE SCRIPT from the drop-down menu.

COMPILE SCRIPT

The end result is three files. Choose the cCleaner.exe file.

Choose the cCleaner.exe file

Finally, enter the name "cCleaner.exe" under the rem Silent Install line in the "setup.cmd" file.

setup cmd

When you are done, copy the SETUP.CMD and cCleaner file to a common folder. Just click on SETUP.CMD and it will install without any intervention. This method allows you to install up to 100 programs, or more with one click. Enter the "silent switch" for the programs in the SETUP.CMD file, one after the other, and if you need to reinstall Windows, you can install all your favorite programs in minutes.

SETUP CMD fájl

If you can't find a built-in "silent switch" for a program, you can try a simple copy. This procedure allows you to create a new program from the files already installed. The new program is called SFX (Self Extracting Archives).


Create SFX files

In this case, all you have to do is create a so-called SFX file from the installed program in the Program Files folder. For this operation, you will need the program Win RAR.

Create a folder somewhere, no matter where, because we only use it temporarily, it can be on the desktop and give the name of the program you want to copy. As you know, programs are usually stored in C:\ drive \PROGRAM FILES after they are installed. Install the desired program on your computer as usual. Go to: This PC \Local Disk (C:) \Program Files and locate the program folder you want to run in the SFX file extension. (eg. cCleaner setup.exe). Click the folder to open it. Use the left mouse button to select the contents of the folder, while holding down the left mouse button while dragging until the contents of the folder are completely blue. Then release the left button and right-click anywhere in the blue box. From the drop-down menu, select COPY.

sfx program

Quick Tip: If it looks like nothing happened, in the background the Windows system copied the selected section to the clipboard, all you have to do is paste it in the right place.

Click the temporary folder you created with the left mouse button and open it, and then click anywhere in that folder, pointing to the Windows system where you will be working (copy). From the drop-down menu, select Paste, and the content of the program will be copied from the clipboard.

Then, create a so-called SFX installation file from the contents of this folder, without the folder, just from the program you copied. Now select this program copied with the left mouse button as described above and right click on one of the blue files and the WinRAR mouse menu will appear.

Select ADD TO ARCHIVE option. A window appears, where you select the Create SFX Archive check box, (do not click the OK button), then click Advanced at the top, and then click in the middle the button SFX Options. Appear a new window.

Stop when the next window appears. We return to the place where we copied this program. You know: C:\ drive \PROGRAM FILES and click the folder of this program to open it. You just had to open it to copy the path (from the top of the window) to the browser address bar, such as: C:\Program Files\cCleaner. With the left button of the mouse, select it, then click with the right button of mouse, in blue area and select option COPY. Now, the text has been copied to the clipboard.

copy the path

Close this window, and return to the WinRAR program, where insert copying text in The path to extract line.

insert the path

In the next window, select: Hide Starting Window / Overwrite all files. Finally click OK.

Now WinRAR creates a file with the sfx extension, and if you did everything right, clicking on this "sfx" file will automatically install the program from this compressed file.

Quick Tip: Try the program, if it works well, it can stay finally.

Attention: There is an option in Win RAR to place a program icon on the Desktop. If you do not create a shortcut, you will need to copy the command icon from the installation folder (in this case cCleaner) to your desktop.

Place the program in the installation folder, between the other programs and enter the name in the setup.cmd file.

END

at the top of the page