Does an .exe file size affect if its icon is shown?

Question

Hello,

I have a large cluster of files that I'm trying to pack into a single self-extracting executable and have so far been able to accomplish this with both Installshield 10.5 and Winzip Self-Extractor 4.0, however I cannot get the icon to appear for the final .exe file (right now, windows default white window/blue title icon is being shown)

I tried using the utilities built into NSIS, Installshield, Winzip Self-Extractor and even used Reshacker and eXe on the final .exe file to change the icon. According to each solution, the icon files are indeed embedded in the .exe, but they refuse to show in explorer.

So, I figured this problem may be related to the large file size of the .exe (1.39 GB), prehaps in scanning the file for .ico's it could not parse the whole file and gives up.

I tested this using Winzip Self-Extractor to create a smaller .exe (10 MB) and indeed, the icon shows up, working as intended.

However, this does not solve my problem, and I'm stuck at this point. There might be a way to get that icon to show up despite the operating system's trouble but I have not found it yet. If anyone can provide any insight or point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

I have tested this on: Windows XP Home, 2002, SP2 Windows XP Pro, 2002, SP3

Answer 1

Yes, large .exe's will not show their icon.

Is there a reason you're packing everything into a single .exe? Consider other options for your installer, like storing the files in a folder and having the installer copy files from that folder (with NSIS - the CopyFiles command).

Answer 2

No, it's not file size. I have a 4GB ISO image that correctly displays its icon in Windows Explorer, as well as zip files > 2GB (Win XP, SP2, and Win XP, SP3).

What is the icon index in the file once the self-extractor is created? By default, Windows uses the first icon as the one to display in Explorer.

Answer 3

Program icons are taken from program resources, which may be bloated by installer payload. Maybe some resource editing application or packer settings could move icon towards file start to ease Explorer's work.