How to Add Free Download Manager to nLite (Step-by-Step)

How to Add Free Download Manager to nLite (Step-by-Step)

Adding Free Download Manager (FDM) as an nLite addon lets you include the downloader in a customized Windows installation image so it’s available immediately after setup. This guide assumes you have a Windows installation source folder, nLite installed, and a copy of Free Download Manager’s offline installer (EXE or MSI). Follow the steps below.

What you need

• Windows installation source (folder or ISO extracted to a folder)
• nLite installed on your PC
• Free Download Manager offline installer (preferably the MSI or an EXE that supports silent install)
• A temporary working folder for addon files

Step 1 — Prepare Free Download Manager installer

1. Put the FDM offline installer (e.g., FDM-setup.msi or fdm-setup.exe) into your working folder.
2. If you have an EXE without documented silent options, try to obtain the MSI or a silent switch (commonly /S, /silent, /verysilent, or /qn for MSI). Test the silent install on a spare machine:
   • For MSI: msiexec /i “FDM-setup.msi” /qn /norestart
   • For EXE (example): “fdm-setup.exe” /S
3. Confirm FDM installs silently and to the expected path.

Step 2 — Create addon folder structure

1. In your working folder create this folder tree:
   • addon\ (root for this addon)
     • Files\ (place installers here)
     • Unattend\ (optional: include unattended install scripts)
     • Script\ (nLite addon INI file goes here)
2. Copy the FDM installer into addon\Files</li>

Step 3 — Create the addon script (INI)

1. Inside addon\Script\ create a file named setup.inf (or another .ini name). The script tells nLite what to copy and which commands to run during setup. A minimal example (customize values and GUIDs) — save as setup.inf:
   [VERSION]signature=”\(CHICAGO\)“AdvancedINF=2.0 [AddOn]Name=Free Download ManagerDescription=Installs Free Download Manager after Windows setupCategory=ApplicationsSize=50000 [Files]fdm-setup.msi=Files\fdm-setup.msi [RunOnce]; Command to run installer silently after first boot1=msiexec /i “%SYSTEMDRIVE%\%ProgramFiles%_nLiteAddons\fdm-setup.msi” /qn

   Notes:

   • Adjust the Files key filename and RunOnce command for an EXE or different silent switches.
   • nLite typically copies addon files to a temporary folder — adapt the path if needed (some addons use %WINDIR%\inf\ or a custom folder).

Step 4 — Package the addon for nLite

1. Zip the contents of the addon folder so the archive contains the Script, Files, and Unattend folders at the root (some nLite versions accept a folder instead of a ZIP).
2. Name it clearly, e.g., “FreeDownloadManager_Addon.zip” or leave it as a folder.

Step 5 — Add the addon in nLite

1. Launch nLite and point it at your Windows installation source folder.
2. Proceed to the “Add-ons” step in nLite.
3. Click Add and select your addon ZIP or the addon folder. nLite will validate and import it.
4. Continue with the usual nLite options (drivers, tweaks, etc.) and finally create the new bootable ISO or copy the modified source to media.

Step 6 — Test the customized install

1. Install Windows using the nLite-generated ISO (preferably in a virtual machine).
2. After first boot, verify that Free Download Manager is installed and that it runs correctly.
3. If it didn’t install, check the RunOnce command, installer file location, and silent switches. Review Windows setup logs and the addon script for path mismatches.

Troubleshooting tips

• If EXE won’t run silently, extract MSI from EXE (many installers wrap MSI) or find an MSI build.
• Adjust RunOnce ordering if other post-setup installers interfere.
• Use absolute paths during testing