Extract text from InstallShield uninstallation logs (ISU)
To convert ISU Uninstallation logs to another format, you need InstallShield or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Uninstallation Script Log" file type, you need software like InstallShield or a similar tool.
The .ISU file is an InstallShield Uninstallation Log generated during a software installation on a Windows operating system. It acts as a comprehensive map, recording every single file path, system directory, and Windows Registry key added or modified by the setup program. The typical use case is exclusively for the corresponding uninstaller executable to read this log and cleanly reverse the installation process.
Originally developed by Stirling Technologies (now managed by Revenera, formerly Flexera Software), InstallShield is a dominant industry-standard installer engine for Windows. The .ISU file works silently alongside the main uninstallation tool (often named uninst.exe). You can learn more about its underlying technology on the InstallShield Wikipedia page.
Users usually need to interact with or convert .ISU files when a software uninstallation fails, returns an 'invalid log' error, or becomes corrupted. The major disadvantage of the .ISU format is its rigid, proprietary structure. Because it relies on internal formatting meant only for the installer engine, users cannot easily read it to manually clean up broken installs. Opening it directly in a basic text editor often results in garbled, unreadable binary characters mixed with plaintext paths, making manual registry cleanup incredibly frustrating.
The most practical solution is to convert the .ISU file to TXT to salvage any readable file paths and registry keys for manual deletion. Converting to PDF or CSV is also recommended if you need to document the leftover system traces for IT troubleshooting. Note that while you will lose the executable uninstallation capability by converting it, you will gain human-readable text that you can actually use.
This file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert because it is a closed, proprietary format designed specifically for the InstallShield engine, not for human consumption. Standard online converters fail because they expect common document types, completely failing to parse raw installer metadata. If our analysis detects the supported underlying embedded text, viewing or converting the raw installation paths is still highly possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ISU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RUL, BOOT and ISS files.
If you want to convert ISU file to EXE, MSI, APP, DMG, DEB, RPM, PKG, RUN, SH, BAT, CMD or COM, you can use InstallShield or similar software from the "Uninstallation Log and Script" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert JAR, APP, SCR, IPA, COM, AAB, PS1, DMG, VBS, EXE, XAPK or MSI files to ISU, try InstallShield or another comparable tool in the "Uninstallation Log and Script" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our ISU converter.