How can I edit an exe's resources (File Description, Icon, etc.) using a command line utility?

Question

The whole story: I have created a fancy .NET program which has an installer created by the Visual Studio Installer (VSI). The VSI creates 2 files (setup.exe and MyProgramSetup.msi). I understand the reasons for both files being needed, however, I only want to distribute a SINGLE executable installer to users. I do not want them to see 2 files and have to choose between them.

In order to do this I have merged the 2 files into a self-extracting archive using IExpress (as seen in this answer: Merge msi and exe). This works well, however, the self-extracting archive that gets created has an ugly icon and confusing file info (the File Description is "Win32 Cabinet Self-Extractor" with 43 blank spaces after it).

I need to replace the icon with my custom one and change some of the file properties like "Description", "Company", etc. I would like to have this automatically done as a build step so having a program which is a command line/console utility would be great.

I've searched for a while now and can only find one program which does exactly what I want (ResourceTuner Console: http://www.heaventools.com/command-line_resource_editor.htm) but it costs an arm and a leg and my budget is $0.

Does anyone know a better way to achieve what I want, or know of a program which can replace an executable's resources without having to use a GUI?

By the way, I have also tried SiComponents' Resource Builder 3 which can't even open the executable, and ResEdit which just crashes when I execute the command:

resedit.exe -convert "Modified Resources.rc" "MyProgramSetup.exe"

Answer 1

Answering just the file version information question, you may include your own version information in the IExpress .SED file. This site provides additional details on the IExpress .SED file sections and attributes. Using the built-on functionality seems easier than post-processing the setup exe.

Basically, in the .SED file, include the VersionInfo reference in the Options section. Then create the section containing your version info.

[Options]
VersionInfo=VersionSection

[VersionSection]
FromFile= ;Uses the version info in this executable file
; or specify each attribute 
; or specify the FromFile and override individual attributes
FileDescription=
CompanyName=
FileVersion=
ProductVersion=
OriginalFilename=
LegalCopyright=
ProductName=
InternalName=

BTW, the FileVersion does not work for me. YMMV,