Any ideas ?
If you run the .EXE, it puts the .CAB files in a directory under C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync. There may be a few versions for different devices, but you can usually tell which is the right one by looking for arm or WM5 in the filename. Copy the CAB to your SD card and then install directly to your device.
how can you tell what's in an exe file?
When I try to install real player for mobile, it says I should install Activesync -which I've installed already!
Can I access the cab file for my device from the .exe package that sits in my desktop?
Thanks for any help you may have.
There're some advanced tips & tricks here
thanks a lot
Related
I just got my XDA II and started installing my software onto it. Noting seems to work! Any software that has more than 1 cab refuses to install, if i look on the device the cab files are there but trying to execute them gives a invalid cab file error - i am installing to SD card, installs to ram seem ok. What am i missing?
maybe your cab files are not for the arm processor?
or not for ppc2003?
it is quite strange for a pocket pc application to have more than 1 cab.
You say they install to ram ok but not to sd card, do the programs work once installed to ram? Many programs have an option when downloading to either have an exe file install or a cab file install, have a look at the sites of the software you are installing to see if that option exists for the programs you are trying to install.
ok, to clarify..Dispite the low number of posts i'm not a newbie - been using and developing for ppc for years...The software all installed ok on my ipaqs(3970 + 5450) both with XScale both with WM2003. I am using activesync 3.7.1, and am leaning towards that being the problem, any thoughts?
you don't need activesync to install cabs. if you copy the CAB to your ppc,
and then click on it in the pocket-file explorer, it should install too.
I'm not trying to install cabs. On my pc i click the install program. That launches add/remove programs in activesync, that copies over the cab files to the ppc which are then executed. If install fails they are not removed. that is how i know they are there.
What programs are you trying to install?
based on a post at pocketpcthoughts in august 2003 i changed my todat theme back to windows default - and guess what - no more install problems! no more directory corruption- should i return my device?
Hi,
I just got my MDA II and love it. I've used pocket pc's before but never really got deep into it. I was wondering how, if possible, how to get the .Cab files from .exe's so I can put them in the ext-rom? I want to make my own custom ext-rom but dont have some of the .cab files for certain apps i want in it, I only have the .exe install files. Also...is there a way to save my settings in the ext-rom also? Im away from home and desktop alot so incase of a hard reset Im safe.
Thanks
When you install any program (using a setup program), go, on your desktop PC, to \Program Files\Microsoft Activesync. You will find there folders with the names of the programs you installed, and, in each folder, the related cab file. A few programs install directly in a folder in \Program Files.
thanks for answering.
Or if you are under Windows XP, sometimes you can just right click over the .exe file and select extract, there you will see all the files, including the .CAB ones... :wink:
Hi guys,
I think I don't understand the difference between the desktop (.exe) installation and the .cab installation for a ppc programs....
Is there a possibility to install the program in a dir. of the SD? For example, I'd like to create a dir called "Program files" in the SD.
P.S: How can I change the default location for programs installation from device memeory to SD?
Use cabinst (search on google) to install cabs from PPC to different folders - essential tool!
You need registry tweaks to change the default folder, although this isn't really advisable. See Tweaks2k (i think) for this. But with cabinst, not required!
V
Thanks!
If I understand well... I have to install at first cabinstl on my Jam and after that I must use .cab installation!!? (I have to copy cab file in to particolar path of SD or?)
Using .exe install is not possible?
The .exes you download from sites wil (almost always) be for installation on the PC. You double click that, that'll load up activesync and install that way.
The other way is to copy the .cab to your pocketpc and double click. That will install, but gives little control over custom folders to install to and will also delete the .cab after install.
However, after installing cabinst you can double click on .cabs on the PPC and install anywhere.
V
Yeah! With cabinst I can instll app on my own "Program Files" dir in SD...
That's nice but I can't find all the app I have to install in CAB format so... my question is if is there any method to put the files on a specific dir from .exe installation..
Many thanks guys!
if you've got the .exe for the pc, double click it WITHOUT your pda connected. Activesync will load up and you'll get the Add/remove programs screen, saying the program will be installed next time you connect your pda.
Then, on your pc, you have to hunt around for the cab.
I use a program called filetracer to find files, but generally try looking in (I think, I'm not in front of my pc right now) C:\program files\Microsoft active sync\ (or something like that). There you should find folders, eg
\spb\Weather Panel (that's not a real example!).
Dig through there, and you should find eg
Arm_VJStuff.cab.
This is the file you need.
Sometimes you'll get a bunch of numbered files. eg If you see one like
2577_vjstuff.cab amongst other numbered files, the 2577 is the one you want (2577 refers to ARM, the chip in your PDA).
Copy that cab file to your desktop or wherever you want to store it, and copy a copy to your PDA. When you connect up your PDA activesync will ask if you want to install the installation you aborted earlier. Just cancel it.
From there, just install on your PDA with cabinst!
Sounds complicated, but you'll get the hang of it very quickly!
I keep all of my cabs in a folder for installation from hardreset very quickly.
V
Sounds good!!! :wink:
Thanks!
is there any program to convert .exe to .cab ?
i don't want to use pc for installing files like that .........
what i do,.... use the exe in your pc without the pda,... activesync will try to install the app in the ppc,... dont't touch it....
Go thru my pc to the folder where activesync is installed,... there you will see one folder named usually like the app you wanna install,... open it and you will see the cab ,... done....
Excuse my english ,.... thanks
I've never tried it myself, but presumably the CAB file is just wrapped up in the installer so you can probably open the EXE using something like WinRAR and just extract the CAB file from it yourself.
There is no general solution for this.
In most cases the CAB files are inside an installer EXE. The possibility and effort to "extract" the cab varies depending from the EXE (there are many different packers and installers on the market).
Some of them can be opened with packers like WinRAR or 7zip, others can't.
There is one thing they all have in common: the CAB has to be (temporary) installed onto your harddisk. This might be under "Programm Files\Software Vendor\", ActiveSync directory or an temp directory, for example "C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Temp\<subdir?>" in Windows XP. In some cases the CAB will be deletet when the setup programm ends.
So, unfortunately, there is no generic method to extract the CAB.
open the exe in winrar or a similar archiving program and look for the cab (probably a jumbled up name, though still has the .cab file extension)
just extract the EXE using winrar and copy the CAB file in there to your mobile device.
hi guys..
seems like a n00b question..i know
but i downloaded some cool apps from handango which are made for Xperia..but i was unable to install them.
do i need to use Activesync for such files?...and if yes..i also tried to install activesync 4.5 but it says 'not for Vista'
any tips?
exe files can be
1. pda exe's which is not install files but the program itself
which you yourself have to copy to where ever you want it
and make a shortcut in programs yourself
2. windows exe's which use activesync on xp and Windows Mobile Device Center on vista
to copy the cabs to the pda and auto install them
in many cases those exe files are self-extracting zip files and one can just rename them zip and copy out the cab files one needs typically the arm one
thanks..i installed Windows Mobile Device center on my vista..connected X1 via USB and done!