A program for opening cab files. Opening CAB files. What is the .CAB file format used for?

Recently, in the news about the latest cumulative updates, we began to provide links where you can download .cab or .msu files of assembly data. In this article we will figure out why they are needed and how to use them.

What are CAB and MSU files

In Windows 10, there are several file formats used to update certain system components. This:

ESD files. They are an encrypted and highly compressed ISO image. They are used to install major updates (assemblies in which not only the index, but also the main number changes). With their help you can, for example, .
CAB or MSU files. They are, one might say, archives. Used to install small updates - cumulative updates, security updates, Adobe Flash Player updates, and so on.

All mechanisms for working with these files are built into the system. This is what the Update Center uses - it simply downloads the required file, and then automatically does what is described in these instructions. The disadvantages of this approach are the inability to install any updates offline, which some users need from time to time.

Let me immediately note that in Windows 10, a CAB or MSU file of some cumulative update also contains all previous cumulative updates! There is no need to first, for example, install assembly 14393.187, then .189, then .222. It is enough to immediately install the latest package.

Where to download Windows 10 update MSU file

How to install CAB and MSU

Download the CAB or MSU file.
Move it to a folder with some shortcut. That is, it is better that the path to the file is, for example, C:\CAB\update.cab, but not C:\Users\Public\Downloads\Folder\CAB Files\CabFile1\update.cab.

Installing CAB files

Installing MSU files

Everything is a little easier with them. They can be installed even by simply double-clicking on them. But there is a way to do this through the console.

- Extension (format) is the characters at the end of the file after the last dot.
- The computer determines the file type by its extension.
- By default, Windows does not show file name extensions.
- Some characters cannot be used in the file name and extension.
- Not all formats are related to the same program.
- Below are all the programs that can be used to open the CAB file.

Bandizip is a convenient archiver for Windows operating systems. The program supports most different formats and has a unique algorithm for skipping incompressible files. Bandizip is integrated into the context menu of Explorer, which greatly simplifies the management of the program itself, because all necessary operations, for example, creating archives or unpacking data, can be performed directly from Explorer. In addition, it has an encryption algorithm that allows you to protect the file from unwanted opening. In addition, the program has the function of setting a password for a file. This password is known to be impossible to hack...

Universal Extractor is a convenient utility for unpacking various archives, as well as some additional file types. This program is primarily suitable for those users who create archives on a computer, but only download various archives from the Internet and then unpack them. The Universal Extractor utility copes with this task quite well. It allows you to unpack all known archives, as well as dll, exe, mdi and other types of files. In fact, the program can serve, to some extent, as a kind of program installer, because it allows you to unpack some of the installers and then run...

HaoZip is a Chinese clone of the popular Winrar archiver, both in terms of functionality and interface as a whole. The archiver can work with all popular formats, including 7Z, ZIP, TAR, RAR, ISO, UDF, ACE, UUE, CAB, BZIP2, ARJ, JAR, LZH, RPM, Z, LZMA, NSIS, DEB, XAR, CPIO, SPLIT, WIM, IMG and others. In addition, using Haozip you can mount ISO images and view images through the built-in viewer, which is a very useful feature for archivers. As for the interface, the Chinese developers have done a good job here. They not only copied the design and functionality from the Winrar archiver, but also added...

A beautiful and simple program for archiving files. It works without any problems with any archive. An excellent replacement for old WinRAR or 7zip style programs. Includes all the functionality of the previous ones and has a new improved algorithm that will allow you to create archives more than 2 times faster. It is also good because it uses the capabilities of multi-core processors in the best possible way, optimally tuning compression and performance. It has special functions for splitting large files, which makes it easy to pack an archive of the required size. The archiver is very good with its intuitive, understandable and accessible to everyone interface...

WinRAR is a well-known program designed to work with archives. The utility includes a wide range of built-in capabilities. WinRAR compresses data faster than its competitors, saving disk space and user time. Supports well-known archive formats and is suitable for compressing multimedia files. Automatic file format recognition, a special data compression algorithm and an optimal packaging method are the advantages of the application. WinRAR can compress executive, multimedia files and object module libraries. The application allows you to divide archives into separate volumes and save them on different storage devices.

Peazip is a universal and powerful archiver with a graphical shell. An excellent replacement for its paid counterpart - Winrar. PeaZip supports data encryption, creating multi-volume archives, working with several archives simultaneously, exporting a task as a command line, and installing filters on archive contents. In addition, the archiver supports all known and even unknown archive formats including 7Z, 7Z-sfx, BZ2/TBZ2, GZ/TGZ, PAQ/LPAQ, TAR, UPX, ZIP and others. The PeaZip interface is very primitive and at the same time full of useful functions. You can use the assistant to integrate it into Windows Explorer or return it back, install...

When developing the FreeArc archiver, the author decided to create a program that compresses files at maximum speed. This required the best qualities of the LZMA, PPMD and GRZipLib compression libraries. During the packaging process, the archiver forms files by type and performs compression using the most appropriate algorithm. When working, the archiver uses more than ten different algorithms and filters. If you compare this with common archivers, then 7-zip has only three, and RAR uses only seven algorithms. The archiver is easily adaptable for installation on various systems. It is developed on an open platform giving...

TUGZip is a convenient archiver that has a clear user interface and also has a number of additional features. The TUGZip program allows you to work with almost all popular archives. However, the capabilities of the TUGZip program are not limited to this. The TUGZip utility allows you to work with optical disk images, for example, img, nrg, iso, etc. Also, the TUGZip program can be integrated into the context menu. But if most archivers only add submenus to it, then the TUGZip program boasts the ability to use various scripts to automate the process of creating archives, or decomposing them...

7-Zip is a well-known open source archiver. This feature allows you to make changes to the structure of the program, adding certain functions to it. The program has a clear and simple interface and has unique algorithms that speed up data archiving and unpacking. Also, this program can perform standard operations with the archive, for example, you can set a password for the file, or set the compression level of the archive. Also, if necessary, you can create a self-extracting archive with the necessary parameters, which are specified in special comments to the archive.

ExtractNow is a convenient program that allows you to unpack zipped files quickly: with just the click of a button. This option will be especially convenient for those users who regularly have to unpack many files. The only negative is that the program does not support creating archives, because... is exclusively an unpacker (high-quality and convenient), and not an archiver. To unpack a file, you need to drag the archives into the program window and click the Extract button. Supports popular archive formats. Thus, the program can unpack all the popular and most frequently used...

Simplyzip is a convenient archiver with all the necessary functions that most users use. The program works with almost all popular archive formats, including rar or zip. However, due to the fact that the developers of the winRar program do not allow the use of algorithms for their format, Rar archives can only be unpacked or their contents viewed. However, Simplyzip supports the installation of various modules and plugins that can expand the functionality of this archiver. If you install the necessary plugin, the program can be taught to create both Rar archives and archives of other formats...

Ashampoo ZIP is an archiver program that helps you compress and store the necessary information. Works with a variety of formats, allowing users to send large documents in a compressed form. Ashampoo ZIP has a wide range of different functions. Using the application, you can create, unpack and split archives. In addition, the program supports reading, recovery, encryption, and instant conversion. The list of formats supported by Ashampoo ZIP is quite impressive. In addition to creating archives, the program supports unpacking documents in more than 30 different archive formats.

JZip is a convenient archiver with a fairly simple interface and a set of necessary functions for everyday use. The archiver allows you to create archives in 5 different formats, for example, zip. There are many more formats available for unpacking. This is due to restrictions imposed by other developers. jZip supports multiple encryption algorithms, making it easy to protect your archives from being opened or unzipped. Also, jZip can create multi-volume archives. This can be used if you need to transfer a file over the Internet, or if the created...

IZArc is a convenient program for working with archives, featuring a clear and simple interface, as well as a number of additional features. IZArc supports a huge number of formats, including the most popular rar and zip. Unique algorithms used in the program allow you to increase the speed of working with archives. However, the main feature of IZArc is that it can easily convert archives from one format to another. This is especially necessary if you need to transfer some files to another user who does not have the appropriate archiver. In addition, IZArc allows you to view...

ZipGenius is a program for working with archives. In other words, an archiver. The ZipGenius program already has all the usual features of an archiver. Thus, it can open archives of almost all formats (21 pcs.), supports full work with several of them, and also allows you to view the contents of the archive. Another feature is the creation of password-protected archives, which ensures reliable safety of your data, because in most cases, it is almost impossible to open an archive without knowing the password to it. You can, of course, use password guessing programs, but their speed is quite slow.

We hope we helped you resolve your CAB file problem. If you don't know where you can download an application from our list, click on the link (this is the name of the program) - You will find more detailed information on where to download the secure installation version of the required application.

What else could cause problems?

There may be more reasons why you cannot open a CAB file (not just the lack of a corresponding application).
Firstly- the CAB file may be incorrectly linked (incompatible) with the installed application to support it. In this case, you need to change this connection yourself. To do this, right-click on the CAB file that you want to edit, click the option "To open with" and then select the program you installed from the list. After this action, problems with opening the CAB file should completely disappear.
Secondly- the file you want to open may simply be damaged. In this case, it would be best to find a new version of it, or download it again from the same source (perhaps for some reason in the previous session the download of the CAB file did not finish and it could not be opened correctly).

Do you want to help?

If you have additional information about the CAB file extension, we will be grateful if you share it with users of our site. Use the form provided and send us your information about the CAB file.

If you have installed on your computer antivirus program Can scan all files on your computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.

For example, in this figure it is highlighted file my-file.cab, then you need to right-click on this file and select the option in the file menu "scan with AVG". When you select this option, AVG Antivirus will open and scan the file for viruses.

Sometimes an error may occur as a result incorrect software installation, which may be due to a problem encountered during the installation process. This may interfere with your operating system associate your CAB file with the correct application software, influencing the so-called "file extension associations".

Sometimes simple reinstalling 7-Zip may solve your problem by linking CAB to 7-Zip correctly. In other cases, problems with file associations may result from bad software programming developer and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.

Advice: Try updating 7-Zip to the latest version to ensure you have the latest patches and updates.

This may seem too obvious, but often The CAB file itself may be causing the problem. If you received a file via an email attachment or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (such as a power outage or other reason), the file may become damaged. If possible, try getting a new copy of the CAB file and try opening it again.

Carefully: A damaged file can cause collateral damage to previous or existing malware on your PC, so it is important to keep your computer up-to-date with an up-to-date antivirus.

If your CAB file related to the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.

This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on successfully opening the hardware inside the computer, e.g. sound card or video card. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.

Advice: If when you try to open a CAB file you receive .SYS file error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be made easier by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.

If the steps do not solve the problem and you are still having problems opening CAB files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of CAB files may require a significant amount of resources (e.g. memory/RAM, processing power) to properly open on your computer. This problem is quite common if you are using fairly old computer hardware and at the same time a much newer operating system.

This problem can occur when the computer is having difficulty keeping up with a task because the operating system (and other services running in the background) may consume too many resources to open CAB file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening Windows Cabinet File. Freeing up all available resources on your computer will provide you with the best conditions for attempting to open your CAB file.

If you completed all the steps described above and your CAB file still won't open, you may need to run equipment update. In most cases, even when using older versions of hardware, the processing power can still be more than sufficient for most user applications (unless you're doing a lot of CPU-intensive work, such as 3D rendering, financial/scientific modeling, or intensive multimedia work) . Thus, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(commonly called "RAM" or random access memory) to perform the task of opening a file.

Updates for the Windows operating system are released in files with the MSU or CAB extension. If Windows Update is not working, you can download and install the necessary updates manually in offline mode. Of course, everything is clear with files with the MSU extension, you can run and install them by clicking LMB as usual and the update installation will start. But some updates are released in files with the CAB extension and cannot be installed by clicking the mouse. Such CAB files can be installed using DISM or PKGMGR, DISM is used on devices running Microsoft Windows 10, PKGMGR running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

DISM and PKGMGR

As I wrote above, DISM is used in 10 WINDOWS and PKGMGR is used in Windows 7 and 8.1, the commands for them will be different, but everything will happen on the command line. If anyone doesn’t know how to open or what the command line is, read the article: . We read, learned how to get to the command line and move on, for Windows 10, if you use DISM to install updates for files with the CAB extension, write in the command line:

DISM.exe /Online/Add-Package/PackagePath: CAB file path

Yes, the command line must be launched with Administrator rights. For earlier versions of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, installation will be using PKGMGR (as previously mentioned). Open the command line as administrator and command:

Pkgmgr /ip/m: Path to CAB/quiet file

There are too many actions, and for ordinary users who are used to doing everything with the mouse, there is an easier option (let’s say), read the continuation below.

Cab Update Installer

Cab Update Installer is a program that can be downloaded below at the end of the article using the links, released by Adguard. With this program you can install update files with the cab extension without having to work on the command line. In short, you launch the Cab Update Installer program, show where the downloaded update file with the cab extension is located, choose, depending on the version of Windows, what you use to install DISM and PKGMGR and click “Update Instal”.

I think now there will be no problems installing updates for files with the cab extension, and if there are any, write a comment below. Below you can download two versions for home and servers.