Un-zips and 3x the storage space

When downloading a program from the interwebs, I typically get a 
self-extracting EXE. It creates a number of CAB files and a setup.exe on 
my hard disk. It, in turn, will extract the cabs or msis into the 
install location. This means that I need three times the storage space 
on my hard disk, which for a laptop and modern 4G+ games sometimes is a 
problem (and will be more so once flash drives become commonplace!)

Is there any real reason why you can't bundle all your game assets into 
the .EXE file in the first place? Thus, when downloading, you don't even 
necessarily need an installer (although the Windows model of an 
installer right now pretty much requires at least 2x the storage space). 
After the PE executable data, if I create my own section/sections, could 
I store more than 2 GB or 4 GB of data? Will the OS be unhappy because I 
have such a large image? (I would assume not, given that the 
self-extractors seem to work fine)

If this is feasible, why does nobody do this?

Cheers,

          / h+

-- 
-- Revenge is the most pointless and damaging of human desires.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express
Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take
control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now.
http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/
_______________________________________________
Gamedevlists-windows mailing list
[email protected]
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gamedevlists-windows
Archives:
http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_id=555