# Extracting Win 98 cab files?



## Wet Chicken (Sep 11, 2000)

We are working on trying to fix a laptop with a defective CD player. We purchased a new _external _ CD player to replace it, but guess what, the install files are on CD  

Now we can't install it and we need to know how to get 3 Win 98 files which are located in the cab files. We want to put them on a floppy. I think you have extract these files in DOS, but we've only done it once before and it was years ago.

The file names are;

 openhci.sys
 usbd.sys
 usbhub.sys

Can someone please walk us through how to extract these 3 Win 98 cab files located on the Win 98 CD?

Thanks


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## slingshotter (Aug 21, 2004)

Here it is, directly from M$:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;129605

Good luck; let us know if you hit a snag.

-- slingshotter


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## Wet Chicken (Sep 11, 2000)

slingshotter said:


> Good luck; let us know if you hit a snag.


Thanks slingshotter but unfortunately those instructions _won't_ work, because you need to have Windows 98 on your computer for them.

I have Windows XP Pro on our computer, and I am trying to open up a Windows 98 cab file. The only thing that I can think of is maybe some kind of DOS instructions and then maybe do it from safe mode or DOS?


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## bizzt (Jul 15, 2004)

Hello there
Here is the Dos commands for Extracting a Cabinet File

EXTRACT [/Y] [/A] [/D | /E] [/L dir] cabinet [filename ...]
EXTRACT [/Y] source [newname]
EXTRACT [/Y] /C source destination 
cabinet - Cabinet file (contains two or more files).
filename - Name of the file to extract from the cabinet.
Wild cards and multiple filenames (separated by
blanks) may be used.

source - Compressed file (a cabinet with only one file).
newname - New filename to give the extracted file.
If not supplied, the original name is used.

/A Process ALL cabinets. Follows cabinet chain
starting in first cabinet mentioned.
/C Copy source file to destination (to copy from DMF disks).
/D Display cabinet directory (use with filename to avoid extract).
/E Extract (use instead of *.* to extract all files).
/L dir Location to place extracted files (default is current directory).
/Y Do not prompt before overwriting an existing file.

Thanks
Tim


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## slingshotter (Aug 21, 2004)

Well, now that I know THAT, I'm just going to rename those three files with *.TXT extensions, and post them here.

Now, all you have to do is download them to your system, rename them with a .SYS extension, and then copy them onto a floppy disk, and use them at your leisure.

Here they are; good luck.

-- slingshotter


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## bizzt (Jul 15, 2004)

Is it Win98 or SE?


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

Here are the three files in a zip file.


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

I use this bat file to extract mine. You might have to change the path to extract from.



Here's a little batch file to locate & extract any cab file you need.

Open up a new Notepad document and copy and paste these commands into it, just RIGHT click anywhere on the desktop and select NEW, then TEXT ...paste the following into it, , it assumes your CAB folders path is 'C:\windows\options\cabs' ..... change that pathe as needed on line 7, depending on your windows version,


@echo off
md c:\windows\desktop\CabXtrac
if "%1"=="" goto error
CLS
c:
cd c:\windows\desktop\CabXtrac
for %%i in (C:\windows\options\cabs\*.CAB) do extract %%i %1
ECHO.
IF EXIST %1 ECHO %1 successfully extracted.
IF NOT EXIST %1 ECHO %1 not found
goto end
:error
echo.
echo Syntax: CabX file-to-extract
echo Example: CabX Control.exe
echo.
:end 


Now --- Save the file as Cab77.bat in your C:\Windows directory. Make sure you type in the .bat extension, (you can name it anything it doesn't have to be cab77)

Now click on Start / Run / C:\windows

Create a shortcut to cab77.bat by right clicking it in the Windows folder and dragging it to your Desktop and choose "New Shortcut Here",

Right click the new desktop shortcut and select Properties, Click the Program tab. 

On the line Cmd. line: you will see C:\Windows\cab77.bat

Go to the end of that command, skip a space using your space bar and type in a ? mark so it looks like this:

C:\Windows\cab77.bat ?
Click Apply, then Ok,

Your desktop shortcut batch file will search, find & instantly extract any file you type in it from your CAB folders, you'll never have to use System File Checker, if it cannot find it, it's not there,

You can rename your shortcut to whatever you like just don't change the .bat extension,

Any files you extract using this will go to the desktop folder called CabXtrac on your desktop. (CabXtrac can be named anything you like)

Once your in that folder you can copy those extracted files to where ever they are needed, 

The pathe in this batch file is C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS,

NOTE:
FOR OTHER COMPUTERS:
Substitute the path to your CAB files in this line for %%i in (C:\windows\options\cabs\*.CAB) do extract %%i %1

your path may be C:\windows\install\cabs, or it may be C:\win98\cabs, search for your cab folder and check it's path to determine that,

If you want to know the exact CAB file that the extraction occurred in, extract the file a 'second' time that will force the search to stop at the cab's location and ask if you want to 'overwrite' ... that's the cab,

So you spend a little time setting it up but after that it's a laser light show ....


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## Bryan (Jul 3, 1999)

Maybe I'm missing something here but if you have access to any version of Windows and are not stuck at a DOS prompt, you can just open the .cab file using WinZip and extract the files to a diskette, hard drive or any other form of media.


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

Bryan-I thought I was loosing it until I saw you had edited your post.  The way I understand it he is on a XP system trying to extract the files from a W98 CD.

The Base5.cab under Windows\Options\Cabs is the one where all the files you want are.


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## Bryan (Jul 3, 1999)

Not sure I understand your post. Winzip will open any .cab files (CD or harddrive) and then you simply extract the fiiles you need. I only edited my wording on the post. The edit had nothing to do with the actual process using Winzip. 

BTW, I just tried it using XP and it works fine. And as far as I know, it should work with any version of Windows. 

Deke, try opening the .cab file in W98 using Winzip and you should see it works ... I don't have W98 to try it. Hold down the shift key, then right click on base5.cab and select Open With. Now select Winzip. At that point you can extract any files that you need from the .cab file.


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

Bryan I use Freezip so I can't try what you suggested. It might do the same. I will try it later.

I use CabXtract which I alluded to above as I don't have to do a search first for the cab I need then extract it. All I do is click on the icon on my desktop and the below popup opens up and I type in what I am looking for and if it is on my harddrive it will extract it to my CabXtract folder.


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## Deke40 (Jun 27, 2002)

Just tried to extract the cab using Freezip but realized I don't have a actual program file for Freezip just a couple of other files.


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## Bryan (Jul 3, 1999)

Not saying your method won't work because I know it should, I'm just trying to give them an easy way to do it since they can get into Windows and aren't stuck at a DOS prompt and seem to be having trouble using the extract command. Anyway, any zip program should do it but I see your point if you don't know what .cab file it's in. In that case, the Microsoft site at the link below will tell you what .cab file it's in, on any Windows CD and it works for .sys files and others too even though they only mention .dll files at the site. Or you can use Windows Search to search the contents of the .cabs to locate the files.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/servicedesks/fileversion/dllinfo.asp&SD=MSDN&FR=0


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