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📦 WinRAR Auto-Installer Script

This PowerShell script automates the process of downloading, installing, and adding WinRAR to the system PATH on Windows machines 🪟.

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📥 How to Download the Repo (First-Time Users)

Click the link to read Instructions 📄.

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✨ Features

• Automated Download: Downloads the WinRAR installer directly from the official website 🌐.
• Silent Installation: Installs WinRAR silently without requiring user interaction 🛠️.
• PATH Update: Adds the WinRAR installation directory to the system PATH, allowing WinRAR commands to be run from anywhere in the command line ✅.

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🛠️ WinRAR Silent Installer Script - Logging Information

This script includes robust logging mechanisms to ensure detailed tracking of the script's operations and for troubleshooting 🔍.

📝 Logging

• The script logs all actions and errors to a file named winrar-install.log located in the temporary directory.

📁 Log File Location

The log file is saved in the user's temporary directory. The typical path is: C:\Users<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Temp\winrar-install.log

🛠️ Log-Message Function

The script includes a custom function Log-Message to handle logging. This function logs messages with a timestamp and a message type (INFO, ERROR, or WARNING).

Log-Message Function Definition

function Log-Message {
    param (
        [string]$message,
        [string]$type = "INFO"
    )
    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
    $logEntry = "$timestamp [$type] $message"
    Write-Host $logEntry
    Add-Content -Path $logFile -Value $logEntry
}

• message: The message to log.
• type: The type of message (INFO, ERROR, WARNING). Default is "INFO".

📊 Example Log Entries

• Info Message:

2024-07-18 14:32:01 [INFO] Starting download of WinRAR from https://www.win-rar.com/fileadmin/winrar-versions/winrar-x64-701.exe

• **Error Message:

2024-07-18 14:32:45 [ERROR] Failed to download WinRAR installer: Exception calling "Invoke-WebRequest" with "2" argument(s): "The remote server returned an error: (404) Not Found."

• Warning Message:

2024-07-18 14:33:10 [WARNING] Failed to remove the downloaded installer: Exception calling "Remove-Item" with "1" argument(s): "Cannot find path 'C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\winrar-installer.exe' because it does not exist."

🛠️ Logging Steps in the Script

1. Starting Download: Logs the beginning of the download process.

Log-Message "Starting download of WinRAR from $url"

2. Download Complete: Logs the completion of the download.

Log-Message "Download complete."

3. Download Failure: Logs any errors during the download process.

Log-Message "Failed to download WinRAR installer: $_" "ERROR"

4. Starting Installation: Logs the beginning of the installation process.

Log-Message "Starting silent installation of WinRAR."

5. Installation Complete: Logs the completion of the installation.

Log-Message "WinRAR installation complete."

6. Clean Up: Logs the removal of the downloaded installer.

Log-Message "Cleaned up the downloaded installer."

⚙️ Prerequisites

• PowerShell 5.0 or higher 🖥️.
• Internet connection to download the installer 🌐.
• Administrative privileges to install and update the system PATH 🔒.

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🔧 v7.4.6 Release of PowerShell - Latest (recommended)

Select the version that matches your system specs:

• For Windows 64-bit systems: Download 64-Bit Installer
• For Windows 32-bit systems: Download 32-Bit Installer

🚀 Usage

1. Open PowerShell (Run as Admin) 🔒.

2. Navigate to the directory containing the script using cd.

3. Run the script:

   .\WinRAR-7.01-auto-installer.ps1
   

4. The script will handle the rest, providing output messages to indicate progress and completion status.

❓ If Usage Fails

If the script doesn't run, change the execution policy by running:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process

• if a message pops up red type Y click enter.

Then, run the script again without closing PowerShell.

.\WinRAR-7.01-auto-installer.ps1

🛠️ How It Works

1. Download: The script starts by downloading the WinRAR installer using Invoke-WebRequest.
2. Install: After downloading, it proceeds to install WinRAR silently using the /S switch.
3. PATH Update: Finally, it checks if WinRAR's installation path is in the system PATH. If not, it adds it, allowing WinRAR commands to be run from the command line.

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📝 Note

This script is for educational purposes and should be used responsibly. Ensure you have the right to install software on your machine ⚠️.

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📜 License

This script is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Use it at your own risk.