[How To]: Send To>UPX Compression for EXEs

[SiMoNsAyS]

This is a consecuence of the thread "Hacking WinRAR SFX for customized installers".

Well you are a fanatic of "hex editing" or "resource hacking" so you'll find interesting the idea of a Send To> shortcut for UPX compression. You just need to download UPX for Windows and place UPX.EXE on System32. Then place the next 2 batch files on "%USERPROFILE%\SendTo".

For MakeUPX.cmd

@ECHO OFF
@ECHO.
SET EXT=%~x1
SET LCEXT=%EXT:~-1%
SET FSIZE=%~z1
IF %FSIZE%==0 GOTO END
:COMPRESS

%WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\UPX.EXE -k --best --crp-ms=999999 --force %1
:END

For ExpandUPX.cmd

@ECHO OFF
@ECHO.
SET EXT=%~x1
SET LCEXT=%EXT:~-1%
SET FSIZE=%~z1
IF %FSIZE%==0 GOTO END
:DECOMPRESS
%WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\UPX.EXE -k -d --force %1

:END

Options:

-k: switch will keep a backup of your original file like "file.xyz > file.xy~"

--force: will force de comp./decomp. of your original file

:END: down this line you can place a PAUSE line to see the result, errors and ratio.

Unattended:

You can place the files unattended by locating UPX.EXE on "$OEM$\$$" and "$Docs\YourUsername" but this last is known to have some problems so let me recommend to create a RAR-SFX archive or a self-destructing batch file to copy both cmds.

Hope that it is clear enough . If you are interested on a direct rightclick menu entrie contact me, it will be easy.

Credits:

Well I personally don't like to have any credit on those things, first because I only had the idea and based it on a @jdoe's similar code ("Send To>MakeCAB") and @totoymola's thread

Edited January 3, 2005 by SiMoNsAyS

[MCT]

i never thought of this, nice idea

EDIT:

u dont really need

%WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\ do u? cuz it looks there anyways for the file

[SiMoNsAyS]

@MCT true, you don't need it. it's just to prevent a "possible issue" and because the original code had it .

edit: this opens a new world in the unattended installations as RAR-SFX and 7ZIP-SFX did... i've reduced my firefox.exe file from 6mb to 2mb , once compressed on a rar it only saves a few kb but is a nice way to start...

Edited January 3, 2005 by SiMoNsAyS

[totoymola]

Nice! Really fast!

However, I don't know the purpose of this switch.

--crp-ms=999999

[MCT]

i dunno if its me, but i cant get it 2 work

i didnt alter any of the coding

[SiMoNsAyS]

However, I don't know the purpose of this switch.

--crp-ms=999999

me neither

i just found it googl'ing here. i used the same command line as the script did for a win32 app and supposed it will work better

edit: @MCT try to add a PAUSE at the end of the script to see what happens

[totoymola]

Simon, I'm not good on these things, but this is another way that I figured out.

I placed UPX is in the my system32 folder, and I just added this shortcut to my %userprofile%\sendto

The "Close on exit" must be checked.

I think it does the same thing. Any ideas?

SendTo_UPX_Shortcut.zip

[Martin Zugec]

IMHO crp-ms means usage of memory - better compression, but need more physical memory...

[totoymola]

IMHO crp-ms means usage of memory - better compression, but need more physical memory...

Makes sense. So what are the other options on using it?

[MCT]

-d --force

was the problem

[Martin Zugec]

Well, if I remembed right, there was no profit from using lesser value than 999999... Even with this value the amount of requested ram is really small...

[totoymola]

I tried using the -k --best switch on the shortcut, but it ignores the -k. I don't know why. But anyway, the --best works.

[prathapml]

this opens a new world in the unattended installations as RAR-SFX and 7ZIP-SFX did... i've reduced my firefox.exe file from 6mb to 2mb , once compressed on a rar it only saves a few kb but is a nice way to start...

Nice, but keep this in mind:

1. A UPX'ed file will run slower.

2. If you will anyway RAR/7zip some file, then don't UPX it (because that will lead to recursive compression, thereby increasing total file size).

For example, if RARing a file of 6 MB makes it deflate to 3.5 MB, UPXing that file and then RARing it will result in 4 MB (i.e., not as small as it could have been if directly RAR'ed).

[bucketbuster]

This method worked great on firefox.exe.

But when using it on thunderbird.exe, the exe-icon got removed; thunderbird still worked.

The exe-icon became the same as regxpcom.exe and xpicleanup.exe.

[SiMoNsAyS]

@MCT , strange those switches works perfect for me

@totoymola, maybe it ignores the -k switch because you used the shortcut and not the .cmd file

@prathapml:

1) slower... maybe, but i preffer to open a program 1 sec later and save 4mb. the term slower does not make justice on nowdays computer

2) the mainly use of that information is the ability to reduce an .exe non-rared setup.

i won't use it to reduce all of my installed programs, i want to reduce setups and it will be very helpful.

about the compression ratio, well firefox.exe got down from ~6mb to ~2mb and the original xpi (firefox inside) was ~4mb and after UPX ~3,9mb so size got decresed but not too much.

@bucketbuster, yeah i observed it on some .exe files. icon got compressed to and "disappeared", that's why i recommend to use UPX'ing with installers and not main programs