How do apps reside on memory card?

[mr_yellow]

non-ppc owning newbie question:

I understand that ppc apps need to be 'installed' on the handheld just like software on the desktop. How is it then do you get the app to install onto the memory card? Do you just pick the card as if it was another drive?

If this is true, then is it possible to copy the app back and forth between the main memory and card memory without any conflicts?

Lets just say i have an app on a memory card that I need to run. But i also need to plug in a peripherial that takes up the memory card slot. Can I simply copy the program to main memory and swap out the memory card for the peripherial no problem?

[PetiteFlower]

In theory it's possible but it would be a big pain in the butt. It would be better to install apps that will need you to have something in the memory card slot, directly to the RAM on the handheld, and just install apps on the memory card if you'll be able to run them with the memory card in place all the time.

Some apps do need to be installed as you'd install anything on a desktop PC, but there are a few that you can just copy directly to a folder on your handheld and run it right away.

When you install programs though, Activesync will ask you if you want to install into the default program directory. If you want to install to a card, you just click "no" and then it will bring up a list of places you can install it--memory card, main memory, or "built in storage" if your PDA has any.

[spursdude]

You can't just really copy between storage card and internal storage. Most of your shortcuts will be thrown off, registry entries screwed up, and uninstall features will probably have troubles.

The program itself will probably run all-right, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Cracknell]

It would behave just like if you have 2 HDs in desktop. You can install an app in D: drive, but you most probably won't be able to run the apps if you move the app manually to C: drive. There are whole lotta setting that the computer uses to remember where all those bits and pieces for that apps are located.

Having said that, most of PPC apps, except for the complex and big one really don't have that much registry problem when moved around. You can toss them around and it will still run since it only have 1 file or everything is in neat one folder.

[spursdude]

Having said that, most of PPC apps, except for the complex and big one really don't have that much registry problem when moved around. You can toss them around and it will still run since it only have 1 file or everything is in neat one folder.

This is true; just be careful about your uninstallations.

[jd4science]

Why is it that some programs say they won't run on a card?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Why is it that some programs say they won't run on a card?
Depends on the program. In some cases, the programmer just hasn't customized that support in the the app. But for programs such as Today screen plug-ins where the program needs to be launched immediately following a boot-up, it's best to have the necessary files installed in RAM for stability purposes. Storage cards can be swapped in&out and they there is a delay involved in powering them up.

[jd4science]

Why is it that some programs say they won't run on a card?
Depends on the program. In some cases, the programmer just hasn't customized that support in the the app. But for programs such as Today screen plug-ins where the program needs to be launched immediately following a boot-up, it's best to have the necessary files installed in RAM for stability purposes. Storage cards can be swapped in&out and they there is a delay involved in powering them up.
That makes sense! Thanks! :D

[mr_yellow]

Thanks!

that clears things up... I *really* have to get out of the palmOS mentality and switch back to x86 style filesystems and the way windows handles programs....

So if moving around the directories may potentially corrupt the registry keys and config files, can i assume there is still a built in way to cleanly uninstall apps from the ppc?

Actually, let me backtrack here...

how exactly(or what are the multiple ways) to install an app on the PDA? I'm assuming ppc apps have 1 single self-extracting install file... do you copy that onto the pda, and run the install from there? or do you run it from the desktop machine and the installer will 'search' for the pda and install it there?

Thanks,
[if you haven't already guessed, i've got my first ppc enroute to me.. just need some help with some of the basic concepts].

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Actually, I think there are several apps which are quite independent, meaning they don't install dlls to Windows or enter any critical data into the registry. So in many cases, you can move a program folder from RAM to a storage card (or vice versa), and run the program directly from there without too many hassles. Games are *almost* always an independent install, so I often move all my Game programs to a special Game folder and then reset my shortcuts.

If you really want to do this, I'd try to copy (not move) the folder from the card to RAM (or vice versa) and then try to launch the program directly from the new location (using explorer). If it runs fine, then you only need to be wary of your shortcuts.

As for installation, probably about 99% of all programs run as an executable from your PC and then installs through an ActiveSync connection. In many cases, all it's really doing is moving a CAB file to your machine and then invoking the CAB file from there. There are a few cases (particularly with freeware or very tiny programs), where all you do is copy an executable directly to your PPC and then run it directly (PocketNav operates like this).