Evolver

Yes it's fun... It's about discovering... Discovering possibilities I didn't even know about... ...even discovering my own possibilities I didn't even know about

I have tested something with a RARsfx Example: (TEST.exe rarsfx) ;Het onderstaande commentaar bevat SFX-scriptopdrachten Path=.\%dirtarget% SavePath Setup=Replace.vbs "INFO.txt" ".exe" "%myinput%" Silent=1 Overwrite=1 See some strange variables in the above SFX-script? Well yes, that's what this was about... This is how I openend that RARsfx with: (install.cmd) @echo off SET dirtarget=testdir SET myinput=First replacement text TEST.exe EXIT Waw, it did exactly what I hoped for... It 's good to know, because this does open the door to some very nice possibilities... This simple method can be usefull for running just one and the same RARsfx with different destinations, serialkeys, languages,... ...or even for running different installers in just one RARsfx with something like: Setup=%installchoice% @echo off SET installchoice=Autoit-v3\autoit-v3-setup.exe /S TEST.exe EXIT

I'm with elajua... It's not only very usefull for installs on many computers, but can be very handy for everyone... The reason why I started doing this was because I hated reïnstalling everthing again and again. After many installs and uninstalls and working, downloading, erasing, desinfecting,... systems becomes less and less stable. Then, I have to start looking for my drivers again, configure everything again, reinstall everything again,... It never happened at a good time, so I always tried to continue on a bad system untill there was really no more other way than reïnstalling. But yeah right, even while I hate reinstalling, I'm working much longer on making everything unattended now. Then I was also thinking: Why do I do this? I didn't even have to think long about it: last month, a very bad virus answered that question for me. Now I can really laugh with things like that... Even scanning my system took longer than reinstalling, but I tried never-the-less to beat that thing first (without fear of losing everything). After I got rid of it (yes I did), I still reïnstalled my system anyway to make absolutely sure that nothing stayed behind, I surely wouldn't have done that without my unattendedXPinstaller. GrofLuigi asked: I cannot understand the logic behind it - how will you troubleshoot if you have a problem? Silent installs are prepared out of full installs, so they have been tested before. One could ask the same question when starting up a system without reïnstalling everything. Even with visible installations, certain things can happen without notice... But eversince I started creating my own unattende installs, I've learned more about what installations do in the background: in the registry, the ini-files, the uninstallers,...

Wel, you could use a second program to handle a second way of installing... If it can't install unattended, there's no need to use WPI, then maybe autorun would be a better option to use... Just use your imagination... And even if you still prefer to make these installations happen automaticaly with every new XP-install, you can add a second line in commandlines.txt to make it run after WPI... There are many ways, many possibilities... Example: http://cdinterface.sourceforge.net/ I don't know if this answers your question, but it's a suggestion at least

Who has never had problems with some .ini configuration files, .iss install descriptions or .reg registry addons, containing absolute directories? I have... And I do hate having absolute directories on my Install-CD/DVD C:\Program Files\... Because with these, you're limited to installing on the C-drive only... I like to keep the possiblity to do installations on other partitions as wel... So I looked for a solution... B) And found one OK, let me start by saying that I found it, I didn't create it... ' Subject: Perform Search and Replace on a file ' Author: Brad Thurber - brad.thurber--AT--home.com ' Credit: Mostly a cut-and-paste from other helpful people ' Date: Sept 13, 1999 ' Version: 0.11 So I don't deserve credit for this program, but I altered it a little for easier and silent use. I know how scripts work, I can read them, I can change them, but I still can't make my own... I just have something with putting pieces together, I guess. It's just a little .vbs script. But it works like magic... Replace.rar How to use: Replace.vbs can now simply be called from a batch-file with: Replace.vbs <FILENAME> <FINDSTRING> <REPLACESTRING> Example: The Freeware-program 'FileRecovery' ( http://www.pcinspector.de/file_recovery/nl/welcome.htm ) can be installed with setup.exe -s -a -s -f1"/<directory>/setup.iss" setup.iss can be obtained by installing 'Filerecovery with setup.exe -R My testsystem is on de G-drive, this is how my setup.iss looked like: [InstallShield Silent] Version=v7.00 File=Response File [File Transfer] OverwrittenReadOnly=NoToAll [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-DlgOrder] Dlg0={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdWelcome-0 Count=6 Dlg1={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdLicense-0 Dlg2={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdRegisterUser-0 Dlg3={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdAskDestPath-0 Dlg4={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdStartCopy-0 Dlg5={0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdFinish-0 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdWelcome-0] Result=1 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdLicense-0] Result=1 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdRegisterUser-0] szName=FileInspector szCompany=-My Company- Result=1 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdAskDestPath-0] szDir=G:\Program Files\PC Inspector File Recovery Result=1 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdStartCopy-0] Result=1 [Application] Name=PC Inspector File Recovery Version=4.0 Company=Convar Deutschland GmbH Lang=0009 [{0DD140D3-9563-481E-AA75-BA457CBDAEF2}-SdFinish-0] Result=1 bOpt1=0 bOpt2=0 Now the problem with this, is the line: szDir=G:\Program Files\PC Inspector File Recovery Installations on C, D, E just won't work with this line... More specific, G:\Program Files can be a big problem. In batch-files, just replacing this with %ProgramFiles% will do, but the same solution doesn't work with most configuration-files. There's no simple way to change it to make it usable on all partition-installs. Now with Replace.vbs, there is a solution... Replace.vbs can make the right changes to make it work... However, these changes can't happen on a CD, the file needs to be copied to Hardisk first. So, this is how it can be done: 1. Copy the file to be changed to %temp% 2. Use Replace.vbs on the file in %temp% to make the changes 3. Use the file in %temp% for the installation Example: (I called this one Prepare.cmd) cd /d %0\..@echo off cmdow @ /HID @echo off copy /y setup.iss "%temp%\setup.iss" Replace.vbs "%temp%\setup.iss" "G:\Program Files" "%ProgramFiles%" EXIT This works like a charm... First it copies setup.iss tot %temp%, then all G:\Program Files will be changed to %ProgramFiles% The real magic about this is, that %ProgramFiles% won't be written to the file... No, no, no,... the real (absolute) path will be written to it!!!! How much better can it be? Then to finnish the installation, all there's left to do is point the installer (still on the CD) to setup.iss in the %temp%-directory. Like this: pci_filerecovery.exe -s -a -s -f1"%temp%\setup.iss" Enjoy...

Yes, that would be nice: An option to hide certain items. Not only for non supported systems, but also to allow some other preparations IF certain program's are installed... Also the possiblity to add items to one item would be nice. I mean something like this: FirefoxExtensions FireTune [*]Thunderbird

That's how it works for me

Try this: In the $OEM$ directory on my CD, I have cmdlines.txt In there, I have added: RunWPI.cmd So my cmdlines.txt looks like this: [Commands] "rundll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection nLite.inf,U" "REGEDIT /S regTweaks.reg" Royale.exe RunWPI.cmd (The first line was added by nLite, the second line was my own addition with registrytweaks. Don't copy these, just add RunWPI.cmd to your cmdlines.txt.) RunWPI.cmd is also on my $OEM$ - directory It doesn't only start WPI, it also recognizes the right CD and creates the %wpipath%-variable with this code: for /f "delims=: tokens=1" %%i in ("%~dp0") do set drive=%%i: FOR %%i IN (D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %%i:\XP_InstallDVD.txt SET CDROM=%%i: set wpipath=%cdrom%\wpi SET KEY=HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx REG ADD %KEY%\999 /V 1 /D "%wpipath%\WPI.hta" /f On the root of my CD, I also have a blank textfile, named XP_InstallDVD.txt, used by RunWPI.cmd to recognize my XPinstall-DVD (I have 2 DVD-drives) You only start with WPI\wpi.hta Maybe that's why it won't work...

OK, so you start up from CD... Can you post the contents of autorun.cmd ?

For languages other than English, you will need to download the tutorial and create your own installer.If elajua, a trusted source, has a spanish version to share with original files I'll be more than happy to share it on my repository. shark I just tried this and it seems to work just fine: - Download the original MessengerLive in your own language and install it... - Download the silent installer from Shark and open it with winrar (open, not run). - Look for the file msgslang.8.1.0178.00.dll in your 'Program Files\MSN Messenger'-directory and drag it into the open winrar-window to overwrite the english one. That's all I did to change it into my own language (Dutch)... After that, I uninstalled MessengerLive to test the silent installer... (there was no 'MSN Messenger'-directory in 'Program Files' anymore after uninstallation, I checked) But I haven't tried it on a 100% fresh installation yet... Maybe others can confirm if this does the trick in other languages as well.

Is it possible that you have more than one CD-drive? Then %cdrom% wouldn't be the right way to do this... I would suggest to place all you software in 'WPI\Install\' instead of 'progams' in the root. And then use: cmd1[pn]=['%WPI%\\Install\\Alcohol_120%_1.9.5.3105_Retail.exe']; instead of cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\Programs\\Alcohol_120%_1.9.5.3105_Retail.exe']; If you have many to change, there's a very easy way to do this fast... Just open "WPI\WPIScripts\config.js" in an editor and do a 'search' and 'replace all' to change '%cdrom%\\Programs\\' to '%WPI%\\Install\\' Also remember that on CD, only the default option-files are used... I also found that one out the hard way... On harddisk, I could use another useroptions.js (so, with another name like myoptions.js), while on CD, only useroptions.js is always used. I don't know if the same thing would happen when using another name for config.js

I can't tell you directly how it goes for Finereader. But I change languages without problems for most applications by registry keys. Just use regedit to do a 'search' in the registry for the name of the application. Sometimes, there are settings for the language in there as well... But not allways... Sometimes, the setting for the language is done in an .ini file in the directory where the application is installed (%ProgramFiles%\[applicationname]), then you can just get that ini-file and place it back after every new install of that application. However, sometimes your ini-file needs to be edited first, because they can also hold absolute locations (C:\Program Files\...), with won't work when installing on different partitions, not to mention other configurations that can change (DVD-drive settings,...) Example: "Burrrn" uses an ini-file for its configuration. It's only there after it's first configuration by the way... That's also why Burrrn will ask for settings the first time it runs. After that, burrrn.ini will be created in "%ProgramFiles%\Burrrn\" , containing something like this: By just copying that to use as replacement the next probems would occur: - There's an absolute path in there: Temp=F:\DOCUME~1\Evolver\LOCALS~1\Temp\ In this example it was installed on drive F, so it can't be used to install on another drive. This one wouldn't even work with other users... - It won't ask for any setting at first start anymore, because it will just use these settings... So such an ini-file needs to be changed first if you want to use it as a replacement. I just changed it to this: With that one, it's realy that easy. With this ini, the first time Burrrn opens, it will still ask for settings, but now it's already asking for this in Dutch. I don't even need auto-it to do things like that...

This is my theme: I started with the idea of curtains because it's like a symbol of it's purpose. XP is like a theatre already there when WPI starts. WPI still has to do some installations 'behind the scene' before the show goes on.

I'm getting the same 'unable to initialize application'-error message after installation before reboot. I'm using the direct reboot (without-sleeptime)mode to reboot immediatly after installation. That error appears, but the computer reboots immediately and closes that message. There's not much time to read what it says. Doesn't seem to cause any problems, just not very nice to see... B.T.W.: My XP-installCD was slipstreamed with IE7 Maybe a bug? Caused by IE7? Caused by direct reboot without sleep?

Maybe a full screen installer would be good!? This way you can't be playing around whilst the installations take place. -kof94 Fullscreen could be a bit like the XP-installationscreen... On the left: the install-list On the right: Screenshots from the installing software... And by keeping it 'on top', maybe even cmd-windows would be hidden without using 'cmdow.exe' ...just some little idea... Better not so, while testing... (unless...with the possibility to minimize) B)

Thanks Nucleus!! Works great, even with Bitdefender 10 Pro But having a problem, when using it with WPI. Then I get the following warningmessage: The following applications should be closed before continuing the install: Installation : : : Cancel : : : : : : : : Retry : : : : : : : : Ignore : : : I guess it's talking about the WPI-installer Works fine with 'Ignore' though, but that doesn't make it unattended anymore, doesn't it? Any possibility to work around that?