Maelstorm

That was exactly what I was looking for. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu

That was one of the first sites I found when searching. The script doesn't work on XP even though there are 3 different versions of it. Thanks for responding though.

Is there a way to find out what the current video resolution is in Windows? I'm running a script that needs to know that the current resolution is. In the workstation, I found a regkey that changes values when the resolution changes, but this is missing on another machine. So, it seems that the value is machine specific and quite possibly installation specific. So, how do we do it?

Wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the tip.

When I do a search for Ad-Aware SE, I get an error stating that one or more of my search terms are less than 4 characters long. How are we supposed to search for a specific application when parts of the application's name is less than 4 characters? Note: I've also tried AdAware SE and it gives me the same result. [EDIT] Well, I found that by using this term: "Ad-Aware SE" with the quotes and it gave me what I was looking for... Maybe I need to RTFM (Read The Fine Manual). [/EDIT]

If I under stand your question, you wanted to know if I was at the command line when I started it? And the answer is... Yes, I was. As in the SECOND post above, this is the command line to use: i_view32.exe "WallPaper to show" /wall /killmesoftly I haven't burned a DVD yet, so I haven't tried it from the unattended install. I'm going to tonight once I get the install scripts for the applications finalized. I'll let you know then.

I've come across a new (to me) installer called Ghost Installer. The command line switches are as follows: -s - silent mode -r - repair -c - add/remove -u - uninstall And according to the board that I got this from, any and all options can be disabled when the installer is built. Just great. Fortunately, it seems that only WinPcap 3.0, which is a required component of Etheral, uses this installer. But, considering that there is a company behind this one, there's probably more software distributions out there that uses it. I've also recently come across a FkWare installer. Still haven't been able to locate the switches for that one. Any ideas? The major ones that I'm aware of are: Windows Installer Installer VISE Inno Setup InstallShield WISE Installer Some of the minor ones that I know about: NSIS Now a few one offs and custom jobs: Ghost Installer FkWare Sonique (Custom?) Sonique2 (Definately Custom) Mozilla Installer It's amazing how many different installers are out there considering how small the market is. If you are developing software, it doesn't take much of a stretch to also make your own installer too. The program gets run once, maybe twice, and that's it. I guess it just depends on your build environment and installation requirements.

After much googling, I beleive that I found something. Something called IrfanView. It hosts a whole lot of command line options. The ones that I'm interested in is this format: i_view32.exe "WallPaper to show" /wall /killmesoftly As an added bonus, it supports a number of file formats. And it works *WITHOUT* explorer.exe running. Download Link All I did was just copy the contents of the program directory over to another computer and run it there. No registry settings and other BS required to run, so far. I need to burn a DVD to try it out and see how it works. Later. [EDIT] After some experimitation, I have discovered that this program is self-contained. All you need is the .exe file. It does create a .ini file though for it's settings in the same directory, so maybe it would be a good idea to move the program to a writable medium such as a harddisk. More experimentation is warrented. I'll continue to post here as needed.

Is there a way to set a background image while RunOnceEx executes? I want to have something a little more spiffy than the default blue. Even a peice of software would work. Thanks. [EDIT] Basically, a Windows equivilent of the Unix XV would be great. If you don't know what XV is then go here. Any info, links, or leads will be GREATLY appriciated. Thanks [/EDIT]

True, but I'm used to a Unix environment, and rmdir is the Unix command to remove directory. Later

And it looks like the documentation is complete too. Cool. My hat's off to you and your efforts.

To delete a folder RMDIR "Folder" Or you can use RMDIR /S /Q "Folder" /S - Removes subdirectories as well /Q - Quiet mode (No Prompting) HTH

NOTES I have figured out how to install QuickTime silently and install the additional plugins without the need to be online. Quicktime registers components in the registery in two places: Files are registered under HKLM\Software\Apple Computer, Inc.\Installed Files. Plugin names are registered under HKLM\Software\Apple Computer, Inc.\Installed Plugins. Under that key, there is a value called Names. This contains the names of the files used in the browser plugin. The delimiter that separates the names is two pipe symbols ( || ). It seems that registration is optional. What I have found is that even if you don't include the registery entries, it will still find the plugins. The plugin directory is generally %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\QuickTime. There you will find multiple files with the .qtx extension. I say generally because there is 1 plugin that does not go into this directory. That is the Intel Indeo 5 plugin. The files related to this plugin are located %SYSTEMROOT%\System32, the .qtx and three .dll files. ATTACHMENT The attachment contains registration entries, the .ini file to the QuickTime installer, and a couple sample installation script which you will need to modify to suit your environment. The install scripts also checks for and installs the updated browser plugin as well for the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Sunbird, and Netscape. The difference between the scripts is the way that the browser plugin is installed. The first script extracts the required files from a .cab file into the broswer's plugin directory. The second script just copies the files from the source media into the browser's plugin directory. To obtain all the needed files, follow the procedure below. For system environment variables, open a command window and type SET. PROCEDURE Step 1 - Install Quicktime Step 2 - Update Quicktime, download, and install updates using the Quicktime Updater from the Start Menu\Programs\Quicktime menu. Step 3 - Get the QuickTime plugin files. Here is the list of files that you will need: %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\ACTLComponent.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\BeHereiVideo.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\IPIXSupport.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\MicrocosmDecode.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\On2_VP3.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\QTFbx.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\QTPulse.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\QuickTimeAXEL.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\ZoomifyHandler.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Quicktime\ZyGoVideo.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ir50_32.qtx %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ir50_32.dll %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ir50_qc.dll %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ir50_qcx.dll Files that are not on the above list are part of the Quicktime installation itself. If you have chosen not to install a certian component, then the associated file(s) will not be available. Also, you will need to modify the .reg files and delete the reference to the missing files as well. Note that this list is for all available plugins and is current as of 02-26-2005. Step 4 - Get the browser plugin files. You will also need to copy the browser plugin if you want that functionality as well. I have researched this, and I have found that the plugin files are the same for each browser that I have tested. If you are using a browser that is not listed (such as Opera), then you will need to verify if the plugin files as the same for that browser as well. Navigate to the plugin directory of your browser (Most, if not all browsers use the directory plugin or plugins right below the browser program directory.) and copy the following files: npqtplugin.dll npqtplugin2.dll npqtplugin3.dll npqtplugin4.dll npqtplugin5.dll npqtplugin6.dll npqtplugin7.dll QuickTimePlugin.class This is optional, but what I did was package the browser plugin files into a compressed .cab file using the I-Express packaging utility that comes with Windows XP. If you choose not to compress the files into an archive, then the second install script example shows how to copy the files over. Step 5 - Finishing Up Place the QuickTimeInstaller.ini file into the same directory as the file QuickTimeFullInstaller.exe. Place all other files in the attachment and the files obtained in step 3 and 4 into the same directory. When the script runs, the files will be copied to their correct locations and will be registered. QuickTime.zip

How do you do it? I've searched through google, but the only things that I find require WISE installation studio. ORCA is mentioned, but I need to extract the files themselfs.

Well, after reading lots of different information on here about different silent method installs for Mozilla software: Mozilla, Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, and Netscape 7.2. Below is the procedure that I used for each one to install the software. Where to download: Mozilla 1.7.5 Thunderbird 1.0 Firefox 1.0 Sunbird 0.2 Netscape 7.2 Because the installer program for Firefox, Thunderbird, and Sunbird has a bug in it, you will need to extract the Mozilla setup.exe program and repackage the other software. To install Mozilla 1.7.5 itself silently, use -ms and -ira options on the command line. To install Netscape 7.2 silently, use -ms -ira -ispf. See examples below. mozilla-win32-1.7.5-installer.exe -ms -ira NSSetup-Full.exe -ms -ira -ispf Step 1 - Extract setup.exe from the Mozilla browser suite. 1. Download Mozilla 1.7.5 from the link above. 2. Run the installation program. 3. When the first dialog box pops up, open My Computer and navigate to %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. 4. Note that Local Settings is a hidden folder, so you may need to adjust your folder views accordingly. 5. There will be a subdirectory under the temp folder that has a random name. If you see .xpi files in that directory, then that is the correct one. 6. Copy setup.exe to another location for future reference. 7. Cancel the installation for Mozilla. Step 2 - Firefox - Modification of Firefox Installation 1. Download Firefox 1.0 from the link above 2. Run the installation program. 3. When the first dialog box pops up, open My Computer and navigate to %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. 4. Note that Local Settings is a hidden folder, so you may need to adjust your folder views accordingly. 5. There will be a subdirectory under the temp folder that has a random name. If you see .xpi files in that directory, then that is the correct one. 6. Copy all files in that directory to a different location for futher use. 7. Close the Firefox software installation program. 8. Working with the copy, locate the file called CONFIG.INI. You may need to use wordpad to edit the file as it uses <CR> instead of <CR-LF> to terminate lines (Unix text file format). 9. Locate the line "Run Mode" and change "Normal" to "Silent" 10. Replace the setup.exe file with the one that you extracted from Mozilla in step 1 above. 11. Repackage the files using a self extraction installer program. I personally use IExpress. If you use something else, then the command line to execute to start the setup is "setup.exe -ms -ira" to launch the setup. Step 3 - Thunderbird - Modification of Thunderbird Installation 1. Download Thunderbird 1.0 from the link above 2. Run the installation program. 3. When the first dialog box pops up, open My Computer and navigate to %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. 4. Note that Local Settings is a hidden folder, so you may need to adjust your folder views accordingly. 5. There will be a subdirectory under the temp folder that has a random name. If you see .xpi files in that directory, then that is the correct one. 6. Copy all files in that directory to a different location for futher use. 7. Close the Thunderbird software installation program. 8. Working with the copy, locate the file called CONFIG.INI. You may need to use wordpad to edit the file as it uses <CR> instead of <CR-LF> to terminate lines (Unix text file format). 9. Locate the line "Run Mode" and change "Normal" to "Silent" 10. Replace the setup.exe file with the one that you extracted from Mozilla in step 1 above. 11. Repackage the files using a self extraction installer program. I personally use IExpress. If you use something else, then the command line to execute to start the setup is "setup.exe -ms -ira" to launch the setup. Step 4 - Sunbird - Modification of Sunbird Installation 1. Download Sunbird 0.2 from the link above 2. Run the installation program. 3. When the first dialog box pops up, open My Computer and navigate to %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp. 4. Note that Local Settings is a hidden folder, so you may need to adjust your folder views accordingly. 5. There will be a subdirectory under the temp folder that has a random name. If you see .xpi files in that directory, then that is the correct one. 6. Copy all files in that directory to a different location for futher use. 7. Close the Sunbird software installation program. 8. Working with the copy, locate the file called CONFIG.INI. You may need to use wordpad to edit the file as it uses <CR> instead of <CR-LF> to terminate lines (Unix text file format). 9. Locate the line "Run Mode" and change "Normal" to "Silent" 10. Replace the setup.exe file with the one that you extracted from Mozilla in step 1 above. 11. Repackage the files using a self extraction installer program. I personally use IExpress. If you use something else, then the command line to execute to start the setup is "setup.exe -ms -ira" to launch the setup. Step 5 - Repackaging Software using I-Express Setup. Note: I run I-Express from a shortcut that is in My Documents and the working directory is My Documents. You may need to adjust your settings accordingly. 1. Start the I-Express wizzard. 2. Welcome to IExpress 2.0 - Make sure that "Create new Self Extranction Directive file." is selected and click next. 3. Package Purpose - Make sure that "Extract file and run an installation command" is selected and click next. 4. Package Title - Input a name for the package title. I put the program name like "Mozilla Firefox 1.0" in here. Click next when done. 5. Confirmation Prompt - Make sure that "No Prompt" is selected and click next. 6. License Agreement - Make sure that "Do not display a license." is selected and click next. 7. Packaged Files - Click Add and in the open dialog that pops up, navigate to where your copied/modified files are. You can do <CTRL>-A to select all files in the directory. Click Open, then click Next. 8. Install Program to Launch - Under "Install Program" enter "setup.exe -ms -ira" and click next. 9. Show Window - Select "Hidden" and click next to continue. 10. Finished Message - Make sure that "No Message." is selected and click next. 11. Package Name and Options - Type a name for the package. I also select "Hide File Extracting Progress Animation from User" and "Store files using Long File Name inside package." When you select the second option, click Yes on the popup, then click next. 12. Configure Restart - Make sure that No Restart is selected. Click next. 13. Save Self Extraction Directive - Select either option and click next to contine. 14. Create Package - Click next to create tha package. 15. Wait for it to finish 16. Click Finish to exit. Hopefully, this will help someone. This was compiled from my own reasearch as well as multiple posts from multiple people. Credit is given where credit is due. [EDIT] 02-26-2005 It seems that Firefox 1.0.1 is out now and it has been reported that the -ms switch for a silent install now works. I have not tried it myself, but if someone has confirmed this, I would like to know. I have confirmed that the workaround procedure for Firefox 1.0 does work on 1.0.1, just in case anyone is interested. [/EDIT]

When is the application database due to be deployed on the site? Just curious.

There is one additional point that I forgot to mention. I have discovered the following registry key which holds the user's preferences. This is a per-user setting, so if you make it into an INF or REG file, then you will need to either apply it during the GUI mode install or apply it later to each user individually. The reg key is: HKCU\Software\RealNetworks\RealPlayer\6.0\Preferences There is also a preferences key under HKCU\Software\RealNetworks as well, which covers some things, but the bulk of the config options are in the other above mentioned key. Now, we can install RealPlayer silently, add plugins, and set user preferences. My next project will be Quicktime and iTunes. Later.

Certianly. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=606 For some reason, that is the only thread that I could find for the time being that has broken links. I know there are more because I ran into them. Some come up with 404 errors, others come up to search engines. I'll post here again when I stumble across them. [EDIT] Ok, I found the other thread that I was looking at. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=8041 That one has a number of broken links, and not just the ones that are tagged as invalid.

Now here's an interesting trick. We all know that to install the latest version of RealPlayer silently, we do RealPlayer10-5GOLD_bb.exe -S. But, if you want to also install plugins, you have to download them from RealPlayer's site. I have discovered how to install RealPlayer and associated plugins. The plugins are registered in the registry at HKCR\Software\RealNetworks\6.0\Preferences\Components. There is a master registry key at HKCR\Software\RealNetworks\6.0\Preferences\Components value @ (Default) that is a pipe (|) separated list of all the components that RealPlayer knows about. All subkey data from here is for the actual components themselves and is referenced from this master list. In the attached .zip file, you will find registery entries to register various components, as well as the master list and some preferences and an installation script. RealComp.reg - Contains the master component list. RealPlayer.reg - Contains some user preferences. All other .reg files are for their respective components. You can find the files that make up the components themselves by looking at the install script and checking out what the filename is and where it get's copied to. Unfortunately, I did not install the Rhapsody plugin, but it should follow the same convention. In my previous experiance, the Rhapsody plugin also installs some kind of lockdown component that can be downloaded off the web. I haven't played with it for a couple of years though. Furthermore, I have discovered a log file at %CommonProgramFiles%\Real\Update_OB called RealPlayer-Log.txt that documents what files get placed where and what components these files belong to. I found it quite usefull when taking RealPlayer apart. Note that %CommonProgramFiles% equates to C:\Program Files\Common Files on most systems. Open a command prompt window and do set to see what your's is. There are registry entries associated with the visualizations, but RealPlayer generates these on the fly when it finds new visualizations in the visualizations directory, so there is no need to include registry settings for these. This directory is located at %CommonProgramFiles%\Real\Visualizations. This directory contains .rpv files, and on my system there are also .jpg files there as well. Your system may be different. It seems that RealPlayer and a couple of other programs install settings to HKCR\Software as well. I have never heard of this location before, so it was a learning experiance for me tracking down where in the registry that RealPlayer registers its plugins. Hopefully, this gives you enough information to add your own plugin sets for RealPlayer. To use this, just put all files that are in the .zip file into the same directory that has all the files to be installed. Then run the install.cmd and it does the rest. Enjoy. RealPlayer.zip

Thanks for the compliment. In more than one instance, this script has helped me to compress lots of files (>1500) in a very short time. Much faster than building the makecab directive files manually or using IExpress. Hopefully, someone will find it useful. Later.

I figured out the problem with the first one where the text is getting cut off. Seems that ResEdit has a limitation on how long text strings can be. This limit seems to be 255 characters. I've emailed TGTSoft's support telling them about this, so I'll wait to hear from them. FWIW, Resource Hacker does not have that limitation.

Ah. I didn't know it was on the website itself. Seems there's a number of new items on the site. Thanks for the tip.

I have written a batch script that will take a list of files and compress them into cab files based on the first letter. All the files that start with 'A' will be compressed into a cab file that is in the format of fnameA.cab. Same with B, C, and so on. Files that have their names lead off with numbers 0-9 is also handled. When it's done, there will be a new sub-directory that contains the cab files. The script will also generate another script that will unpack the cab files, which you will need to modify to suit your environment. The script will take 1 command line parameter, and that is the base filename to use for the cab file. If you do not specify one, then the default a, b, c, etc... is used. Place all files in the .zip into the same directory as the files that you want to compress and run the script. It does the rest. You will need to obtain GNU grep for this to work. Download sites can be found here. Enjoy. buildcabs.zip

Ok, I see what it's complaining about now. Normally, I wouldn't fess up to it, but you helped me. I didn't correctly interpret Microsoft's documentation. Set is used to assign an object reference to a variable or property. I was trying to assign a regular value to it. Now at least I know why it wasn't working. Thanks for the tip.

Hello, I've modified the WinNTBBU.DLL file and included some customized text as well as graphics. The graphics display correctly, but it seems that the text strings that I have added are getting cut off. Is there a limit on how long a text string can be? I have made sure that all words except for the first one in the string lead off with the pipe (|) symbol, and that all CR-LFs are properly escaped. Also, when the header of the billboard prints, it slightly distorts the background graphic image. What causes this and what can be done to correct it? Furthermore, I seem to recall that there was a program that would allow you to view what the setup screen would look like before it was actually burned onto a disk. Anyone know what this program is called? Thanks.