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View Full Version : What are "cab" Files?


johnnymk
10-11-2002, 12:06 PM
Several years ago, before I knew anything about computers, a friend of mine loaded Windows 98 onto a home-built computer. He came back and told me he wanted to load cab files onto that computer.
What exactly are they?
Ladogaboy
10-11-2002, 12:10 PM
From what I've heard, they are basically just all the drivers, programs, etc. If you want to upgrade a piece of hardware, Windows will search the cab files for the drivers. It is just like having the Win98 CD in your computer.

I'm sure someone can come up with a more thorough answer, but that is the gist.
i6s1
10-11-2002, 01:23 PM
Cab are compressed files and can be opened with Winzip. The entire installation of Windows is in them. Once you put the cab files on a drive, you wouldn't be asked for you Win9x disc, a handy thing before burners. I remember many times having get "my" Win95 disk from a friend I had "lent" it too. (Back before I bought software.)
Tommy Boomfiger
10-12-2002, 06:28 PM
cab files are a microsoft format for compression and grouping files together. windows 95 was a pretty much a shell for dos, which didnt support long file names. files with long names were stored in the CABinet files so that they could be read in dos and extracted for use in 95.
johnnymk
10-13-2002, 04:02 AM
IF I remember when I checked Windows Explorer, there were 11 cab files approx, 10 MB each for Windows 98, but I will have to check to make sure.
Ladogaboy
10-13-2002, 12:15 PM
Originally posted by johnnymk
IF I remember when I checked Windows Explorer, there were 11 cab files approx, 10 MB each for Windows 98, but I will have to check to make sure.

That sounds about right. I thought that there were a few more, but I could be wrong.
eSDee
10-13-2002, 12:31 PM
From whatis.com


cabinet file

In Microsoft program development, a cabinet is a single file created to hold a number of compressed files. A related set of cabinet files can be contained in a folder. During installation of a program, the compressed files in a cabinet are decompressed and copied to an appropriate directory for the user. A cabinet file usually has the file name suffix of ".cab".
Microsoft uses cabinet files in distributing its own products, such as PowerPoint, Microsoft Office for Windows, and Microsoft Money. Cabinet files save space and time during software distribution. They are decompressed during installation. Large files can be compressed and included in more than one cabinet file, each of which logically points to the next file, with all contained in a logical folder.

Development accountability for cabinet files is ensured by providing a signed digital certificate with the cabinet file. One "signature" covers all the files in a cabinet file. Cabinet files are created using Lempel-Ziv compression.


Pretty much what you guys said. I just wanted to point out that http://www.whatis.com is a great resource for questions like this. I use it all the time.