The Real Ultimate Way to Install AIM:

Method 1 (Best) - SFX

BEFORE XPCD:

1) Install AIM 5.9.3690 by hand (untick all options you don't want)

2) Install AIM Ad Hack Light 3.66

3) Copy msvcr71.dll from C:\Program Files\AIM\Sysfiles to C:\Program Files\AIM

5) Create aim.reg (below), and place it in $OEM$\$1\Install

6) Right-Click your AIM folder (in Program Files), and select "Add to Archive" (WinRAR)

7) Check "Create SFX Archive", "Create Solid Archive", and change Compression Method to "Best" (drop-down list). Also select a name for your archive. For this example, I am calling it "AIMInstall.exe".

8) Switch to the "Comment" tab, and paste the SFX code (below) into the "Manual" box.

9) Click "OK"

10) Move "AIMInstall.exe" and "AIM.reg" to your XPCD.

For XPCD:

11) Run AIMInstall.exe to 'install'.

Method 2 - CMD

BEFORE XPCD:

1) Install AIM 5.9.3690 by hand (untick all options you don't want)

2) Install AIM Ad Hack Light 3.66

3) Copy msvcr71.dll from C:\Program Files\AIM\Sysfiles

to C:\Program Files\AIM

4) Create a shortcut to AIM.exe in the AIM folder (C:\Program Files\AIM - same folder with all the files in it)

5) Create aim.reg (below), and place it in $OEM$\$1\Install

6) Create AIMInstall.cmd (below), and place it in $OEM$\$1\Install

7) Copy C:\Program Files\AIM into your $OEM$\$1\Install\AIM folder.

For XPCD:

8) Run AIMInstall.cmd (below) to 'install'

Method 3 - ZIP (Note: File no longer hosted...)

1) Download AIM_Install.zip .

2) Extract the included .zip file to your XPCD folder.

3) When you want to install, run AIMInstall.cmd

- This will install AIM to: %systemdrive%\Program Files\AIM

- AIMInstall.cmd, and aim.reg will be deleted via your cleanup file (by deleting %systemdrive%\install)

Files

;The comment below contains SFX script commands

Path=AIM

SavePath

Setup=REGEDIT /S %systemdrive%\install\AIM.reg

Silent=1

Shortcut=P, "AIM.exe", "AIM", "AOL Instant Messenger Chat Client", "AIM"

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\AOL Instant Messenger]

"DisplayName"="AOL Instant Messenger"

"UninstallString"="C:\\Program Files\\AIM\\uninstll.exe -LOG= C:\\Program Files\\AIM\\install.log -OEM="

//Copy AIM Files

MKDir "%systemdrive%\Program Files\AIM"

XCOPY "%systemdrive%\install\Applications\aim\*.*" "%systemdrive%\Program Files\AIM\" /E /Y

//Ad AIM to Control Panel Add/Remove

REGEDIT /S %systemdrive%\install\AIM.reg

//Install AIM Shortcut to Desktop and Startup

XCOPY "%systemdrive%\install\Applications\aim\AIM.lnk" "%AllUsersProfile%\Desktop\" /Y

XCOPY "%systemdrive%\install\Applications\aim\AIM.lnk" "%AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\" /Y

Much thanks to Sourcer for the web space!

if anyone wants to host the file for me, let me know, so ppl can use the 2-step method (#3)

otherwise just follow the firsth method.

I can host the file....pm with your AIM sn...

ok, updated first post with .zip file

sorry for my newbness, but can you post the batchfile command?

hehe

thanks

is this it?

ECHO.
ECHO Installing AOL Instant Messenger
ECHO Please wait...
start /wait %systemdrive%\install\AIMInstall.cmd

looks good to me...

just make sure AIMInstall.cmd is in the $OEM$\$1\Install folder.

oh thanks

np

when i tried my install for the first time today, it didnt work

can you check it? this is from cd btw

REG ADD %KEY%\004 /VE /D "AOL Instant Messenger" /f
REG ADD %KEY%\004 /V 1 /D "%CDROM%\Software\AIMSoftware.cmd" /f

//Copy AIM Files
MKDir "%systemdrive%\Program Files\AIM"
XCOPY "%CDROM%\Software\AIM\*.*" "%systemdrive%\Program Files\AIM\" /E /Y

//Ad AIM to Control Panel Add/Remove
REGEDIT /S %CDROM%\Software\AIM.reg

thanks for any help

well, first of all, i don't personally use RunOnceEx, so I can't check that part (I use WPI).

however, the rest of your code SEEMS ok....

ASSUMING, of course, that you renamed the included file AIMInstall.cmd to AIMSoftware.cmd, and that, of course, your paths are correct?

If that's correct, then I'd say make sure your RunOnceEx is correct.

alright, thanks

i'll double check everything

I actually went and took this a bit further. I did the SFX compression of the AIM folder, but I used these settings:

;The comment below contains SFX script commands

Path=AIM

SavePath

Setup=REGEDIT /S %systemdrive%\install\AIM.reg

Silent=1

Shortcut=P, "AIM.exe", "AIM", "AOL Instant Messenger Chat Client", "AIM"

That both saves space AND eliminates the need for the clumsy XCOPY and MKDIR commands.

thanks, improvements are ALWAYS welcome!

(updated first post)

humm just include the reg file inside the archives and here's mine

;The comment below contains SFX script commands

Path=AIM
SavePath
Setup=REGEDIT /S AIM.reg
Silent=1
Shortcut=P, "AIM.exe", "AIM", "AOL Instant Messenger Chat Client", "AIM"

humm just include the reg file inside the archives and here's mine

if you do that, then when you uninstall, the reg file doesnt delete.