The VideoLAN Forums

Hello. I just downloaded the Zip package of VLC - 2.0.7 and there is a file called "spad-setup.exe" inside the main "vlc-2.0.7" folder. What is that file? The previous version I used (2.0.5) did not have that file.

If possible, I would like to use the player without installing anything (that's why I downloaded the Zip package instead of the installer package).

I did a quick search of the forums and the only mention I saw of "spad-setup.exe" is from Jean-Baptiste Kempf here indicating that it is a foreign file not by VideoLAN.

That was a mistake. It's a mess for registration. We hope that it will die in 2.1.0

Thank you for the reply, but I'm afraid that I'm a little confused by your comment. What do I need to register, and why is it messed up? While we wait for 2.1.0, what should I do with that file? Delete it? Or should I redownload VLC 2.0.7? Sorry for the newbie questions.

ignore it.

Hello again. I just downloaded VLC 2.1.3 (vlc-2.1.3-win32.zip) and I want to alert the developers that spad-setup.exe is still there.

What exactly is spad-setup.exe anyway? I don't like downloading .exe files that I am unfamiliar with.

Hello again. I just downloaded VLC 2.1.3 (vlc-2.1.3-win32.zip) and I want to alert the developers that spad-setup.exe is still there.

but not in x64 7z file

but not in x64 7z file

I'm going to sound like a total idiot, but I never noticed that a 64-bit version existed. And I use Windows 7 64-bit too!

viewtopic.php?t=111851

viewtopic.php?t=117541

I'm going to sound like a total idiot, but I never noticed that a 64-bit version existed.

Intended?

Intended?

Oh, so the 64-bit version only officially came out of "experimental" a few months ago. No wonder I didn't notice.

I like this:

More bugs, more Ram, and a bit faster.

Hello again. I just downloaded VLC 2.1.3 (vlc-2.1.3-win32.zip) and I want to alert the developers that spad-setup.exe is still there.

but not in x64 7z file

now spad-setup is in 7zip

Hi,
As a newbie to this forum, I realise that I must tread with respect,
however I look at this thread dating back years and still cannot seem
to satisfy myself that this issue has been explained.
I have searched with some diligence and come across the following:
http://www.herdprotect.com/spad-setup.e ... 26c42.aspx
which seems to explicitly suggest that this block of files within the install packages is not good news.
Please, would someone from the design team:
(1) explain the purpose of these files and offer firm reassurance that they are supposed to be there?
(2) explain why it seems that there is no effort to deal with such malware rumours?
I had used VLC for some years before ceasing to need it for a long period.
When the need to use it returned, I was startled at first glance to find that VLC
seemed to have gone the way of so many excellent free software packages that have given way to
inescapable financial pressures and started to bundle 'back door' ware with it's installation packages.
Believe me, I don't wish this to be true, but please guys help me out,
because I will not use VLC again without this reassurance and I really do not want my first post to be my last.

hello,
i´ve compared the Win10-Registry before and after VLC installation.
I noticed that there are still some entries with spad-setup.exe.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Media\VLC\InstallInfo]
"HideIconsCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /HideIcons /S"
"ShowIconsCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /ShowIcons /S"
"ReinstallCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /Reinstall /S"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Clients\Media\VLC\InstallInfo]
"HideIconsCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /HideIcons /S"
"ShowIconsCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /ShowIcons /S"
"ReinstallCommand"="\"D:\\Programme\\VideoLAN\\VLC\\spad-setup.exe\" /Reinstall /S"

Are they obsolete?

I know I am late to this party, but what you're all discussing basically resolves [documented] way in Windows to register certain kinds of applications (Web browser, media player, instant messenger etc):

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/shell/reg-middleware-apps

VLC is a media player, and Windows allows to register one as such. "spad-setup.exe" may be a remnant file (3.0.8 doesn't install it, although some registry keys installed by VLC installer refer to it) but it is designed to actually follow documentation.

If you want a media player to be known to a Windows system, there is a way for it to advertise itself to the user as documented above, which requires at least 4 registry values to be present -- "ReinstallCommand", "HideIconsCommand", "ShowIconsCommand" and a variable "IconsVisible" value. These values demand an application responds to certain system requests. "spad-setup.exe" conforms to this specification.

I suspect Windows 10 deviates from its own documentation, but I just wanted to point out that all of this revolves around that.

That said I have no idea what or who has generated and is the vendor of "spad-setup.exe" file. Might be InnoSetup or however else VLC packages their installation these days. It is not part of VLC, not today, it seems.