Because the Cabinet file format doesn't track compression by each individual file. The cabinet file itself has a compression level set & all files compiled into the cabinet file are compressed using that compression. The Cabinet file format is outlined in the Windows SDK documentation.
It would be possible to modify WiX to do something similar by utilizing 4 or more media elements but it's probably not worth the time invested for the savings you will make especially since there are better compression algorithms available now than Microsoft's LZX (such as 7-zip's LZMA). If you're really bothered about the size of your installer, building it uncompressed with the files outside the cab & using a bootstrapper for compression/decompression is likely the best solution at present. This does have it's own downsides in that it'll require double the free space on the target machine for installation so caveat emptor. Palbinder Sandher Software Deployment & IT Administrator T: +44 (0) 141 945 8500 F: +44 (0) 141 945 8501 http://www.iesve.com **Design, Simulate + Innovate with the <Virtual Environment>** Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited. Registered in Scotland No. SC151456 Registered Office - Helix Building, West Of Scotland Science Park, Glasgow G20 0SP Email Disclaimer -----Original Message----- From: Alec Taylor [mailto:alec.tayl...@gmail.com] Sent: 18 January 2011 12:04 To: General discussion for Windows Installer XML toolset. Subject: Re: [WiX-users] compression Why isn't there a "best" setting? Like with NSIS; one which tries each one and gives you the best compression =] On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Pally Sandher <pally.sand...@iesve.com> wrote: > Try CompressionLevel="high" as it's better than "mszip" in my > experience. > > Also your MSI itself will be a significant part of that 4.5 depending > on it's complexity. Build with EmbedCab="no" to see what size it is itself. > > Palbinder Sandher > Software Deployment & IT Administrator > T: +44 (0) 141 945 8500 > F: +44 (0) 141 945 8501 > > http://www.iesve.com > **Design, Simulate + Innovate with the <Virtual Environment>** > Integrated Environmental Solutions Limited. Registered in Scotland No. > SC151456 > Registered Office - Helix Building, West Of Scotland Science Park, > Glasgow G20 0SP Email Disclaimer > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ralph Esslinger [mailto:reesslin...@matthews.com.au] > Sent: 17 January 2011 02:30 > To: wix-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: [WiX-users] compression > > I have created a msi file and it seems to work fine but the > compression does not seem to work. If my included files are 3mb I end > up with a 4.5mb msi. > If I zip the files I end up with 1mb. > > > > I have the following line in my wxs file <Media Id="1" Cabinet="CAB" > EmbedCab="yes" CompressionLevel="mszip"/> > > > > Mszip should be default anyway. > > > > What should I do so the msi is about 1mb? > > > > Thanks > > Ralph > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > ------ > Protect Your Site and Customers from Malware Attacks Learn about > various malware tactics and how to avoid them. Understand malware > threats, the impact they can have on your business, and how you can > protect your company and customers by using code signing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------- Protect Your Site and Customers from Malware Attacks Learn > about various malware tactics and how to avoid them. Understand > malware threats, the impact they can have on your business, and how > you can protect your company and customers by using code signing. > http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl > _______________________________________________ > WiX-users mailing list > WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protect Your Site and Customers from Malware Attacks Learn about various malware tactics and how to avoid them. Understand malware threats, the impact they can have on your business, and how you can protect your company and customers by using code signing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protect Your Site and Customers from Malware Attacks Learn about various malware tactics and how to avoid them. Understand malware threats, the impact they can have on your business, and how you can protect your company and customers by using code signing. http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdevnl _______________________________________________ WiX-users mailing list WiX-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/wix-users
