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How to install Orca - which Windows SDK(s) contain the Orca MSI editing tool?
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According to various web pages, orca.msi/orca.exe is primarily distributed as part of the Windows SDK.

I have Visual Studio 2015 Professional Update 3 installed. I have installed all the "Universal Windows App Development Tools" components, which includes three different versions of the Windows 10 SDK (10.0.14393, 10.0.10586, 10.0.10240).

But I can't find orca.msi or orca.exe anywhere on my machine. Is this tool no longer packaged with the Windows SDKs? Do I need to install one of the older Windows SDKs as well? Is there an optional Visual Studio 2015 component that I can install to get Orca?

An MSDN page for orca.exe eventually leads me to a download page for Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. Is this the most recent SDK which includes orca.msi, or can it be found in newer SDKs such as the Win7/.NET4.0 or Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 SDKs?

Kiethkiev answered 18/1, 2018 at 7:20 Comment(0)
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You can pick it from Windows SDK ISO.

  1. Download the latest SDK ISO Image. Current one is 16299.15.
  2. Mount it with Explorer and open the directory Installers. You can find the Orca-x86_en-us.msi.

Downloads Windows 10 SDK

Rhinitis answered 18/1, 2018 at 7:32 Comment(8)
Thanks for the confirmation that the tool is in the modern SDK (and has changed name). – Kiethkiev
I've accepted your answer because it does literally answer the questions I posed. But I've written a how-to which is probably a more convenient way for Visual Studio users to actually install Orca, as a separate answer. Your information was key, though. – Kiethkiev
I had Windows SDK already installed in my Windows 10 PC and I got orca msi in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.17134.0\x86 – Haemato
after installing Orca you use it by right clicking a MSI and choosing "Edit with Orca" (I was searching for it and found answer on some blog) – Saluki
I had C:\Program Files (x86)\orca\Orca.exe which works. – Fumed
The mentioned answer is tedious and not really required. Select "MSI Tools" from installer and install it. Then one could find the orca msi in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.17134.0\x86 – Enhance
Thanks! MSI Tools is available in this download. – Whoremaster
On 22H2 (19045.3930) I found the installer in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.22621.0\x86 and once that msi was installed, Orca was available in C:\Program Files (x86)\Orca (and shows up in Start menu also) – Neils
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Thanks to the confirmation from @pnp0a03 that Orca is still present in modern Windows SDK ISOs, I was able to figure out an install process which does not require re-downloading the full ISO.

It turns out that the Windows 10 SDK can install orca (though the file is now named orca-x86_en-us.msi) but it is not installed by default when you install the SDK via the Visual Studio installer. It is an optional component of the SDK, and the Visual Studio 2015 installer does not offer any control over which SDK components are installed. You have to separately run the SDK installer to install the component which contains Orca.

To do so, go to "Apps and Features", select the most recent Windows Software Development Kit from the installed apps list, and click "Modify".

Modify the existing Windows SDK installation

This starts the installation wizard for the SDK itself.

In the Windows SDK installer wizard, click "Change"

Now you can edit which SDK features are installed. Select "MSI Tools" and click Change:

Select MSI Tools and click Change

After the wizard completes, the Orca installer can now be found in the SDK's install path. On my machine, that's located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\x86\Orca-x86_en-us.msi. Running that MSI package installs the latest version of Orca itself.

Kiethkiev answered 18/1, 2018 at 8:18 Comment(7)
Mine was found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.17134.0\x86 – Combes
Didn't know that the Windows SDK comes with Visual Studio! – Lynnet
Thanks for the detailed steps. Tip: if you have more than one Windows SDK entry in Apps & Features, the latest version is probably the last one in the list. – Conditioning
Thanks! I had already found the right installer and installed the right component, but the documentation was trash and didn't say where to find that msi. It was right where you said it would be! – Undis
Mine found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.19041.0\x86 – Foredo
after installing Orca you use it by right clicking a MSI and choosing "Edit with Orca" (I was searching for it and found answer on some blog) – Saluki
With the new SDK it's "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.22000.0\x86\Orca-x86_en-us.msi" – Yukoyukon
R
30

You can pick it from Windows SDK ISO.

  1. Download the latest SDK ISO Image. Current one is 16299.15.
  2. Mount it with Explorer and open the directory Installers. You can find the Orca-x86_en-us.msi.

Downloads Windows 10 SDK

Rhinitis answered 18/1, 2018 at 7:32 Comment(8)
Thanks for the confirmation that the tool is in the modern SDK (and has changed name). – Kiethkiev
I've accepted your answer because it does literally answer the questions I posed. But I've written a how-to which is probably a more convenient way for Visual Studio users to actually install Orca, as a separate answer. Your information was key, though. – Kiethkiev
I had Windows SDK already installed in my Windows 10 PC and I got orca msi in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.17134.0\x86 – Haemato
after installing Orca you use it by right clicking a MSI and choosing "Edit with Orca" (I was searching for it and found answer on some blog) – Saluki
I had C:\Program Files (x86)\orca\Orca.exe which works. – Fumed
The mentioned answer is tedious and not really required. Select "MSI Tools" from installer and install it. Then one could find the orca msi in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.17134.0\x86 – Enhance
Thanks! MSI Tools is available in this download. – Whoremaster
On 22H2 (19045.3930) I found the installer in C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.22621.0\x86 and once that msi was installed, Orca was available in C:\Program Files (x86)\Orca (and shows up in Start menu also) – Neils
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9

We can download the latest Windows 10 SDK from here

When installing the SDK installer, select below feature alone and proceed installation

"MSI Tools"

Check below folder and look for Orca-x86_en-us.msi

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.19041.0\x86

NOTE: In my C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin folder, I see multiple versions of windows 10 and one can see the orca MSI under the latest version number folder (under x86)

Enhance answered 13/2, 2021 at 8:33 Comment(0)
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6

I was able to successfully download and install it the following way:

  1. Download the Windows SDK as ISO file enter image description here

  2. Right-click on the ISO file (*_release_WindowsSDK.iso) and select "Mount"

  3. Go to folder "Installers", find and extract "Orca-x86_en-us.msi" (drag and drop it to a local folder outside of the ISO)

  4. Do the same with the 3 cab files listed below:
    Orca

  5. Double click the file "Orca-x86_en-us.msi", and Orca will be added to the Windows start menu.

NOTE: In the link provided above, you can find an archive of older, as well as newer Windows versions too - if required.

Cotta answered 29/11, 2019 at 12:51 Comment(0)
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1

How to get orca installed without downloading the entire ISO

  1. Go here: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/windows-sdk/

  2. Click to download the installer (not the .iso)

  3. Follow the prompts until you get this screen, where you uncheck everything but MSI stuff. enter image description here

  4. After the install completes, search the install folder for Orca.msi and install it. It is usually in:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\bin\10.0.22000.0\x86\Orca-x86_en-us.msi" 

Flaxman answered 6/1, 2023 at 20:25 Comment(0)

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