Installing from memory card...

[caubeck]

I like the idea of carrying my installers on the memory card so I don't have to use the desktop PC every time I perform a hard reset or need to delete an application, especially when I'm travelling.

I am not sure whether there's a way to install every kind of software or just certain programmes. For example, I use Pocket Promt quite a lot, but after adding the usual desktop installer to the memory card it would not install from there. I guess if I knew anything about how this works I'd either groan at my own ignorance or instantly see the solution.

Can someone tell me which type of applications can be installed directly from the SD card onto my iPAQ 19xx?

Thanks.

[npatang]

Well I am not sure about this.

What I think that It depend upon software, if they have given the access to install it on the SD card or not and then later you can install from there.
If I am correct!!!!!

--Npatang

[maikii]

I like the idea of carrying my installers on the memory card so I don't have to use the desktop PC every time I perform a hard reset or need to delete an application, especially when I'm travelling.

I am not sure whether there's a way to install every kind of software or just certain programmes. For example, I use Pocket Promt quite a lot, but after adding the usual desktop installer to the memory card it would not install from there. I guess if I knew anything about how this works I'd either groan at my own ignorance or instantly see the solution.

Can someone tell me which type of applications can be installed directly from the SD card onto my iPAQ 19xx?

Thanks.

No, the installation (*.exe) programs are made to be installed from the desktop computer, connected via ActiveSync.

With some programs, however, you can download the actual .cab installer files. Those you install from the PocketPC itself. You copy them to a location on your PPC (could be on a memory card as well), and execute the .cab file from the PPC. The .cab file is deleted after the installation. I'd suggest you download the .cab rather than the .exe file, when available.

Otherwise, if you execute the .exe installer file on your desktop PC when the PPC is not connected, that should open up the actual .cab installer files that can be installed on the PPC. (Or, even if started when connected, abort the process before it installs to the PPC, but after it has unpacked the cabs.)

I usually find the installation process from the desktop PC more convenient, but one thing I don't like about it--it also installs fileson the desktop PC, even when the desktop PC has nothing to do with that program, does not run the program at all, etc. That just wastes space on my desktop PC HD. (I guess that is supposed to make it easier to re-install, but it's just as easy to run the original installer file again. To me that is just a waste of space on the desktop's HD. I hope it's changed in WM5.)

[caubeck]

Otherwise, if you execute the .exe installer file on your desktop PC when the PPC is not connected, that should open up the actual .cab installer files that can be installed on the PPC. (Or, even if started when connected, abort the process before it installs to the PPC, but after it has unpacked the cabs.)


I'll try that, thanks. How would I find or recognise the cabs after this? For example, I notice that Pocket Promt installs a file full of stuff on the desktop (labelled ARM but it can't be transferred and installed from the card in this form), so would the cabs be found in there?

Chris

[Menneisyys]

Otherwise, if you execute the .exe installer file on your desktop PC when the PPC is not connected, that should open up the actual .cab installer files that can be installed on the PPC. (Or, even if started when connected, abort the process before it installs to the PPC, but after it has unpacked the cabs.)

Well, you don't need to terminate the installation process - the CAB's, unless they are auto-unzipped into some temp directory (very few installers do this; Agile Messenger is the only one that comes into mind; see for example http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116572 on this), will remain in some subdir of \Program Files\, where the subdir is a subdirectory of Microsoft ActiveSync with smaller apps in general.

Please read my posts at http://pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14246 ; you'll find all the necessary info on this subject there.

[Menneisyys]

Otherwise, if you execute the .exe installer file on your desktop PC when the PPC is not connected, that should open up the actual .cab installer files that can be installed on the PPC. (Or, even if started when connected, abort the process before it installs to the PPC, but after it has unpacked the cabs.)


I'll try that, thanks. How would I find or recognise the cabs after this? For example, I notice that Pocket Promt installs a file full of stuff on the desktop (labelled ARM but it can't be transferred and installed from the card in this form), so would the cabs be found in there?

Chris

Please read http://pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14246

[yankeejeep]

You will want to make sure you have an app such as Cabinstl as well. Otherwise, when you install from a .cab file, it will place itself in the default location (that is, main memory). An app like Cabinstl allows you to direct the install to a location of your choosing (an option you get when installing through ActiveSync from your desktop host).

[Menneisyys]

You will want to make sure you have an app such as Cabinstl as well. Otherwise, when you install from a .cab file, it will place itself in the default location (that is, main memory). An app like Cabinstl allows you to direct the install to a location of your choosing (an option you get when installing through ActiveSync from your desktop host).

Speaking of CabInstl, you may also want to read http://www.vancouverpocketpc.com/CAB_installation_tweak.html

[caubeck]

Okay, thank you, I'll start playing around with this very soon.

As I mentioned, it's this Pocket Promt that confuses me somewhat. When I install from desktop, it unzips automatically into folder C:\pocket_promt_ESE_2003. In this I find a Setup icon and a readme, along with and .inf and an .ini. plus a subfolder containing another folder called Arm, and within that 68 items (7mb), including an "application" of 116kb. There seems to be nothing I can cut and paste into my PDA to launch an install from the SD card.

I guess this one wasn't made for launching in any other way.

Thanks for the links, I'll follow them all up this weekend.

[Menneisyys]

Okay, thank you, I'll start playing around with this very soon.

As I mentioned, it's this Pocket Promt that confuses me somewhat. When I install from desktop, it unzips automatically into folder C:\pocket_promt_ESE_2003. In this I find a Setup icon and a readme, along with and .inf and an .ini. plus a subfolder containing another folder called Arm, and within that 68 items (7mb), including an "application" of 116kb. There seems to be nothing I can cut and paste into my PDA to launch an install from the SD card.



I've quickly tested this app (tested the trial, 4.0 version of the French-English app available at Handango (http://www.handango.com/PlatformTrialDownload.jsp?siteId=1&jid=A7F26BXX5DB8XB92DB33X64X9X4A8X9C&pc=list%5B2%5D_title&platformId=2&productId=127689) (6,421,504 bytes, mt62101p_arm_h.exe)). There must be a setup.exe in pocket_promt_EFE_2003_H. Are you sure you don't have it?

There’re no CAB files because the app doesn't use Microsoft ActiveSync at all – it directly copies the files already unzipped into the ARM directory to the PDA. The lack of ActiveSync compatibility also means there is no easy ActiveSync-based un/reinstall/relocation in Tools / Add/Remove Programs (http://www.firstloox.org//forums/showthread.php?t=3705).