# Extracting the entire contents of an open installer package or archive.

- Select the “Package Contents” item that appears at the top of the package’s file listing.
- Continue with the directions available here.
  - NOTE: Pacifist is not intended to be a complete replacement for the Installer that comes with Mac OS X, and should not be used for very large installations, such as installing the entire OS from scratch. Pacifist does not automatically run the pre-install and post-install scripts, and this can have ramifications when attempting large install operations with it. Pacifist is best used for its core purpose, which is inspecting packages and archives and installing individual files from them.