What is the ASMS folder and contents used for?

[HeyMister]

What is the ASMS folder and contents used for?

It is with scant hope that I will get an answer, but y'all have been very good on so many other things I had to try.

READ THE QUESTION. I did not ask about fixing a problem.

Thank you,

[Kelsenellenelvian]

It's for very important runtimes files that windows HAS to have. You Cannot remove it. You can however compress most of the files in it. nLite can do this.

[HeyMister]

OK, Kelsenellenelvian doesn't know what it is ( they are? ) for, and assumes I have a problem.

Please forgive me in my frustration, but I swear before God that I am fluent in English and I asked exactly the question I intended.

All of my google searches have been for naught. I have read through a hundred pages of posts at Microsoft support, Elder Geek, Minasi.com, Microsoft TechNet, eggheadcafe, wincert.net, and here. I'll be monitoring this thread as closely as possible, because I am very, very interested in the answer.

Everybody knows how to fix it. Nobody seems to know what it's for.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

VISUAL BASIC RUNTIMES!!! C++ RUNTIMES!!!

GDIPLUS FILES! (Needed for thumbnail viewing and other advanced explorer stuff like button skinning.)

It's nearly all just runtimes... The .cat files are the digital signatures for the other files.

The .man files tell windows things like the hash of the other files and where they need to go...

You can open a .man file with notepad and see the contents.

You can select EACH individual file and most of them tell you EXACTLY what they are. Then google the files name if you need to know more.

You are trying to find info on the asms folder when you want info on the files contained inside...

Edited June 29, 2008 by Kelsenellenelvian

[Oleg_II]

Interesting....

But why when I use Miranda without placing GDIPLUS.DLL in SYSTEM32 or program folder it can't find this file? And I know for sure there are a FEW(!) GDIPLUS.DLL files on ASMS folder in distro and in some of folders inside WinSxS folder

And why there are different versions? I could guess - for compatibility But why none of these versions are working with Miranda then? Why should I place one more the same file into SYSTEM32 folder?

PS And the same with other runtimes - they ARE in WinSxS folder but some programs complain that my system doesn't have them... Maybe because I mostly use programs without installation (standalone versions)? But then I don't understand the role of these files in WinSxS

Edited June 29, 2008 by Oleg_II

[CoffeeFiend]

There's no need to be rude like this towards forum members. It's not exactly the best way to get help.

ASMS = assemblies

assemblies like GDI+ (a graphic API), ComCtl32 (common controls used by GUI apps), the very old MC Visual C++ 7 runtime (we're up to v9, which is actually the 10th version), various Real Time Comms assemblies, etc

.CAT files are catalog files (signed), and the .MAN files are the manifests.

VISUAL BASIC RUNTIMES!!!

Nope

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Sorry I got mad..

Yeah its not visual basic its just c++..

[CoffeeFiend]

But why when I use Miranda without placing GDIPLUS.DLL in SYSTEM32 or program folder it can't find this file? And I know for sure there are a FEW(!) GDIPLUS.DLL files on ASMS folder in distro and in some of folders inside WinSxS folder

And why there are different versions? I could guess - for compatibility But why none of these versions are working with Miranda then? Why should I place the file into SYSTEM32 folder?

As of WinME, windows has used WinSxS -- side by side assemblies. This way you can have multiple version of the very same assembly at the same time, and apps can load the specific version they need to work (updating to the latest would sometimes break some apps, or apps would often overwrite the newer ones with older dll's and break a lot of stuff -- the old DLL hell problem)

I don't use Miranda (don't think I even heard of it actually), but I never had to replace/add GDI+ DLL's myself. If it badly needs a specific version of it, and doesn't ship with it, then you can blame the devs of that app pretty much.

[Oleg_II]

Miranda doesn't need specific version, it just need one for some functions (graphics?). And as I said - some other programs need some other files that are in the system, but need to be placed either in SYSTEM32 folder or in a program folder.

PS Miranda is a small, easy and not resource hungry IM client:

Miranda IM is an open-source multi protocol instant messenger client for Microsoft Windows.

Something like Trillian. Edited June 29, 2008 by Oleg_II

[HeyMister]

AHA! Information!

On the second try, too. Obviously my patience, kindness, understanding, and encouragement in my previous efforts to get questions answered on other forums were counter-productive.

OK, so ASMS is structured like an old style extension for Firefox 1.x. MAN files are manifests, not like Unix MAN pages. CAT files are catalogs, but not in the sense I have understood a catalog before. So now I can ask a better question.

I'm seeing two approaches to assembling ( putting together, not symbolic replacement ) Windows XP. First TXTSETUP.SIF - your basic find it in box A and put it in slot B approach, and then ASMS secured insertion into a framework.

Why are there two systems?

[CoffeeFiend]

In fact, there's probably more than 2... Different ways to get different things done.

And why things are done like this? (as in design decisions) You'd pretty much have to ask the team that made the installer for Windows NT 3.1 to know for sure. XP's installer is the same, they made it prettier and all, added some screens and what not, but it's essentially the same (just look at the blue screen where it copies files, F6 to load mass storage adapter drivers, etc -- hasn't changed at all).

Either ways, they got rid of that crusty old outdated installer altogether as of Windows Vista & 2008.

[HeyMister]

Crahak,

First, being rude worked. Kelsenellenelvian thinks I'm an id*** for not googling the files within ASMS, and I think he's an id*** because he can't read English. Honestly, we're both right. The good news is I have the information I needed and I now know that the CEO of his company isn't just a salesman.

Being nice has gotten me long threads of posts answering questions I didn't ask and others telling me that I shouldn't ask at all because there is a workaround, lots of evasion and no information.

What I understand you to have said is that there are two systems because either two design teams got in a ****ing match, or it was just another industrial accident at Microsoft. Either way, all the evidence has been destroyed and nobody is going to confess. Have I understood you?

[CoffeeFiend]

the CEO of his company

Yeah, CEO of a 1 or 2 guy "spare time scripting project". As far as I know, there is no company even (even the domain name is registered to an individual's name), no product for sale, there's no official executive board, and it's not exactly publicly traded (no shareholders)...

I dunno, perhaps it's meat as some sort of funny title... (no offense) Lots of micro-ISV guys give themselves that title to feel self-important though (I've seen so much talk about things like that, e.g. joelonsoftware), but often comes across as amateur-ish rather. CEO sounds like you're the big boss at the top of an big place like IBM, talking to the board of directors and such.

What I understand you to have said is that there are two systems because either two design teams got in a ****ing match, or it was just another industrial accident at Microsoft. Either way, all the evidence has been destroyed and nobody is going to confess. Have I understood you?

I don't think there really was 2 different design teams. Just different ways to get different tasks done, perhaps some added in a "ugly hack" way... Why exactly they did things precisely this way? I don't think we'll ever find out.

Either ways, that ancient installer is now history, thanks god for that.

Edited June 29, 2008 by crahak

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Besides being disabled WPI is actually the only real important thing I do (Besides being a husband and a father)

Yeah its kinda over the top.

Your just jealous

Edited June 29, 2008 by Kelsenellenelvian