ZipInstaller Modern (ZIM)

A lightweight, modern installer for portable Windows applications distributed as ZIP files. Inspired by NirSoft's ZipInstaller, built with Python and PySide6. Supports Windows 10/11.

🎯 Features

Core Functionality

• 📦 ZIP Installation: Extract and install portable applications from ZIP archives
• 🗑️ Clean Uninstallation: Complete removal with detection of user-created files
• 🔄 Self-Installation: Install ZIM itself as a system application
• 📝 Registry Integration: Full Windows Add/Remove Programs support
• 🎨 Modern UI: Clean interface with automatic dark mode detection

Smart Features

• 🔍 Intelligent Detection: Automatically finds executables and reads metadata (version, publisher, icon)
• 📁 Flexible Structure: Handles ZIPs with executables in root or first subdirectory
• 🖱️ Context Menu: Right-click "Install with ZIM..." on ZIP files
• ⚡ Background Installation: Non-blocking UI with progress feedback
• 🌐 Multilingual: English and Spanish translations (easily extensible)

📸 Screenshots

Main installation window with dark theme support

Uninstaller with additional files detection

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

1. Download the latest release from Releases
2. Run ZIM.exe (portable, no installation required)
3. Optional: Install ZIM itself via the menu (☰) → "Install ZipInstaller Modern in the system"

Usage

Installing an Application

1. Click 📂 Browse and select a ZIP file
2. ZIM automatically detects executables and metadata
3. Configure name, installation path, and shortcuts
4. Click ⬇️ INSTALL

Using Context Menu

1. Right-click any ZIP file in Explorer
2. Select "Install with ZIM..."
3. ZIM opens with the file pre-loaded

Uninstalling

• Windows Settings → Apps → Select application → Uninstall
• Control Panel → Programs and Features
• Installation folder → Run uninstall.exe

🛠️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

# Python 3.12+
python --version

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Dependencies

• PySide6 (GUI framework) - LGPL v3 / GPL v3
• pywin32 (Windows integration) - PSF License
• pefile (Executable metadata) - MIT License
• pyshortcuts (Shortcut creation) - MIT License
• Babel (Internationalization) - BSD License
• Nuitka (Python compiler) - Apache 2.0

Compilation

# Using build.py (recommended)
build.py

# Using Nuitka
nuitka --standalone --onefile --windows-console-mode=disable \
       --enable-plugin=pyside6 --msvc=latest \
       --file-version=x.x.x.x --windows-icon-from-ico=zim.ico \
       --include-data-dir=locales=locales \
       --lto=yes --include-qt-plugins=sensible \
       --noinclude-qt-translations zim.py

Project Structure

zipinstaller-modern/
├── zim.py              # Main application code
├── zim.ico             # Application icon
├── locales/            # Translation files
│   ├── xx/LC_MESSAGES/
├── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
└── README.md           # This file

🌍 Translations

ZIM uses Babel for internationalization. Currently supported languages:

• 🇬🇧 English (default)
• 🇪🇸 Spanish

Adding a New Language

1. Extract translatable strings:

translations.py extract

2. a) Create translation for new language (e.g., French):

translations.py init fr

2. b) Update translation for existing language (e.g., Spanish):

translations.py update es

3. Edit locales/fr/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po

4. Compile translations:

translations.py compile

📋 Technical Details

How It Works

1. ZIP Analysis: Scans for .exe files in root or first subdirectory

2. Metadata Extraction: Uses pefile to read executable version info

3. Installation:

   • Extracts files to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\AppName
   • Creates uninstall.exe (copy of ZIM)
   • Saves install_info.json with file list
   • Generates desktop/Start Menu shortcuts
   • Registers in Windows Registry (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall)

4. Uninstallation:

   • Detects additional files created after installation
   • Removes shortcuts and registry entries
   • Self-deletes via batch script

Registry Keys

ZIM creates entries under:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\[AppName]

Fields: DisplayName, DisplayVersion, Publisher, InstallLocation, UninstallString, DisplayIcon, EstimatedSize, InstallDate

Context Menu Registration

For ZIP files, ZIM registers:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\[ProgID]\shell\InstallWithZIM\command

Where [ProgID] is detected from the system's ZIP file association.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, fork the repository, and create pull requests.

Development Setup

1. Fork and clone the repository
2. Create a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate  # Windows

3. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run from source:

python zim.py

Code Style

• Follow PEP 8 guidelines
• Use type hints where applicable
• Add docstrings to all public functions/classes
• Keep functions focused and modular

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3).

See LICENSE for the full license text.

Third-Party Licenses

• PySide6: LGPL v3 / GPL v3 / Commercial
• pywin32: Python Software Foundation License
• pefile: MIT License
• pyshortcuts: MIT License
• Nuitka: Apache License 2.0

All dependencies are compatible with GPLv3.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This software is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Always verify the contents of ZIP files before installation.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by NirSoft's ZipInstaller
• Built with PySide6 (Qt for Python)
• Compiled with Nuitka

📞 Contact

Author: VM/Studio

Issues: GitHub Issues

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Made with ❤️ by VM/Studio