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Fix 7-Zip SFX RunProgram Failure: Correct Stub Selection and Diagnostic Matrix

1) Typical Error Description

  • "I wrote RunProgram, but double-click only shows Extract to."
  • "Silent=2 / GUIMode=2 are written but have no effect."
  • "Double-click does nothing — no window at all."

2) The Single Most Important Cause

7z.sfx (Standard SFX) does not implement the install execution pipeline. When the stub is 7z.sfx, the following fields are effectively non-existent:

  • RunProgram
  • ExecuteFile
  • InstallPath (not processed as installer semantics)
  • Silent / GUIMode / OverwriteMode

You will always see the "plain extractor UI".

3) Diagnostic Matrix

Symptom Check Immediately Conclusion
Always shows "Extract to…" Stub filename/size (should be 7zSD.sfx ~120–160KB) Wrong stub → Replace
Double-click, no window, no error Is stub official 7zSD.sfx? Unofficial/corrupted → Use LZMA SDK or 7-Zip official bin\
Extracted but script doesn't run Does the file exist in archive? Case sensitivity? bat working directory? Use cd /d "%~dp0" + verify relative path
"Parameters seem无效" Config file encoding Must be UTF-8 without BOM (BOM degrades parsing)

4) Verify Config File Encoding (PowerShell)

$b = [IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("configs\sfx_config.txt")
if ($b[0] -eq 0xEF -and $b[1] -eq 0xBB -and $b[2] -eq 0xBF) {
  Write-Warning "BOM detected — save as UTF-8 without signature"
} else { Write-Host "No BOM (OK)" }

5) Minimal Fix Steps (in order)

  1. Obtain official 7zSD.sfx (from 7-Zip installation bin\7zSD.sfx or LZMA SDK)
  2. Ensure config = UTF-8 without BOM
  3. Use PowerShell concatenation (don't trust copy /b magic)
  4. Use the "cmd.exe self-check" below to confirm the stub is correct

6) Self-Check Stub (Diagnostic Anchor)

;!@Install@!UTF-8!
RunProgram="cmd.exe"
;!@InstallEnd@!
  • CMD opens → Stub OK
  • Extract to dialog → Stub WRONG (Standard edition)