Using Command-Line Switches

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You may want to control the way that the setup program is run. You can use command-line switches to choose the installation mode, specify a quiet mode (which removes or reduces the prompts the user receives), or control whether the computer is restarted after installation.

You can have users include these switches when they run the setup program, but a more typical scenario is packaging Internet Explorer with another program for a batch installation.

You can use the following Internet Explorer switches:

  • /B: iebatch.txt - Specifies the batch file to use.

  • /Q - Specifies a quiet "hands-free" mode. The user is prompted for information that isn't specified.

  • /Q:A - Specifies a quiet mode with no user prompts.

  • /Q:C - Specifies a quiet mode with the Cancel button not displayed, so the user cannot cancel the setup program. The Internet Explorer Customization wizard uses this switch if you select the Install package silently option when you are installing as a corporate administrator.

  • /M:[0|1|2|3...] - Specifies the installation mode. For customized IEAK packages, 0 refers to the first installation choice, 1 refers to the second choice, and so on (for example, 0=minimal, 1=typical (default), 2=full).

  • /E:ComponentID,ComponentID - Specifies extra components to be installed regardless of the installation mode. Use this switch to specify components that aren't a part of the installation type you specified in the Customization wizard. This switch also overrides settings in the batch file, if used. The ComponentID is a string that uniquely identifies a component; you can find the corresponding string in the component sections of the IESetup.cif file.

  • /S:""#e"" - Designates the source path of IE5Setup.exe. The ""#e"" refers to the full path and name of the executable (.exe) file. Note that the path must be surrounded by two pairs of double quotation marks.

  • /R:N - Suppresses restarting the computer after installation. If you suppress restarting, your program should take care of restarting the computer. Internet Explorer is not configured correctly until the computer is restarted.

  • /D - Specifies that you want to download only the files for the current operating system.

  • /D:1 - Specifies that you want to download files for Microsoft Windows and Windows NT operating systems.

  • /G: - Runs specified installation sections in IESetup.inf. Separate sections with commas.

  • /X - Installs Internet Explorer without the shell, icons, or links. This option is useful for hosting browser controls in your own application.

  • /X:1 - Installs Internet Explorer with the shell, icons, or links, but does not take over default browser or HTTP protocol associations.

  • /P - Reports the required component and disk-space cost for an installation. It enables you to see how much disk space will be used based on the installation options selected.

  • /F -(Fix) - Reinstalls all items on the user's computer that are the same version or newer. Using the /F switch ensures that no component is replaced with an earlier version.

IExpress Switches

The following switches are frequently used IExpress switches that control the extraction process during the setup. They are not specific to Internet Explorer.

  • /Q - Specifies quiet mode.

  • /QU - Specifies user-quiet mode, which presents some dialog boxes to the user.

  • /QA - Specifies administrator-quiet mode, which does not present any dialog boxes to the user.

  • /C:<> - Specifies the path and name of the Setup.inf or .exe file.

  • /R:N - Never restarts the computer after installation.

  • /R:A - Always restarts the computer after installation.

  • /R:S - Restarts the computer after installation without prompting the user.

  • /T: <directory path > - Specifies the target folder for extracting files.

Examples of Switches

Here are some example scenarios:

  • The following expression runs the third installation option: IE5Setup.exe /C:"ie5wzd /S:""#e"" /M:2" 


    

  • The following expression performs a quiet installation. It does not prompt the user, and the computer is not restarted after installation: IE5Setup.exe /C:"ie5wzd /S:""#e"" /Q /R:N"
    • 



Command-Line Parameters for Starting Internet Explorer


In addition to using command-line switches to customize Setup, you can use command-line parameters to customize how Internet Explorer is started.


For example, you can start Internet Explorer in Kiosk or full-screen mode by adding a parameter to the Internet Explorer executable file name by using the following syntax:


/
path
/Iexplore.exe -k



The following is a list of parameters you can use for starting Internet Explorer:


-new - Launches the browser window in a new browsing process.


-remote - Starts a remote instance of Internet Explorer on UNIX platforms only.


-k - Starts the browser in Kiosk or full-screen mode.


-nohome - Starts Internet Explorer without its home page.


-embedding - Starts the Web browser control (no home page is displayed).


-channelband - Displays the channels folder.


-e - Starts Internet Explorer Help on UNIX platforms only.


-v (also -version) - Can be used to specify the version on UNIX platforms only.


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