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Happy New year to all
I've been following with this site for quite sometime until i decide to switch from HP 6365 to o2 Mini/Magician.
I've successfully mod my Mini to BS with TMob 1.13 rom & 1.13 Radio. I'm just wondering if there's any possibilities to hack the default My Documents which resides in RAM to Storage. After all I still have 17MB free Storage after BS even having all my apps install in it.
I've tried few apps with registry editor but can't find anything that relates to My Documents location. What i mean is like Windows XP where you can change the default My Doc's from \Doc..& Settings..\User...etc to the folder that you want . eg: D:\My Documents
This will actually save a little time to backup the My Documents contents in the event you get a corrupted or format your C:\ in Windows Xp or Hard Reset in the case of PPC. Simply do a restore & I have the last state that i wanted or backup.
My intention is to configure my PPC with alll the customize apps, settings & etc and do a backup. In the event i need to do a Hard Reset, i'll just need to restore my OS from backup without the needs to backup or lose anything especially the My Documents. Like i said, restore & i have the last state of OS & cofig of the last state that i wanted to.
Been searching this forum but the search functions doesn't find me any results that relate to this. Anyone have such a wild idea?
Here's my apps in storage.
SPB Pocket Plus 3
Sprite Backup 3
PocketX Photo Contact Pro 4
Cab Installer
Vcard Receiver
Flexwallet 2006
Resco Explorer
Sk Tools
Tweaks2K
Ampda Camera
kanryu said:
I'm just wondering if there's any possibilities to hack the default My Documents which resides in RAM to Storage. After all I still have 17MB free Storage after BS even having all my apps install in it.
[...]
My intention is to configure my PPC with alll the customize apps, settings & etc and do a backup. In the event i need to do a Hard Reset, i'll just need to restore my OS from backup without the needs to backup or lose anything especially the My Documents. Like i said, restore & i have the last state of OS & cofig of the last state that i wanted to.
Been searching this forum but the search functions doesn't find me any results that relate to this. Anyone have such a wild idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wild Idea: Leave your "My Documents" folder where it is. Use Sprite Backup to do regular (scheduled, automatically running) backups of your device and save this backup to storage as an compressed exe. That way, after a hard reset you only have to launch File Explorer, start the backup file, restore, reset, takes less than 2 minutes. Depending on how many programs are stored in RAM (non-BS) and how many/how large documents are on your device it should work flawlessly.
Thanks for the info & kind attentions. I do practice a good backup.
I'm just looking at the hack/mod as a "bonus" if it is possible.
Cheers!
kanryu: since you suggested it, try to test this out.
I suggest you do this before installing any other app, because My Documents is a system setting used in many installations and they may get confused.
HKLM > Explorer > Shell Folders > My Documents
The storage card isn't always available at boot up, so again, it might cause problems. Storage might be a better idea then storage card. But this can already be configured in the options menu in Notes, at least.
V
Perhaps you can move all of the stuff to the storage ( not the card) and then put a shortcut from main memory to the storage card directory?
with some registry modifications as well. Some software only default the storage of data to \My Documents folder so merely moving everything to Storage and creating a shortcut won't do.
O2mini_noob: which registry mods did you use?
Have you guys tried the registry keys above?
V
I have tried this hack long time ago, wishing I counld change BT dir, but it did not work.. Storage Card & Storage, both failed...
Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"Templates"="\\Storage\\My Documents\\Templates"
"Windows"="\\Windows"
"StartUp"="\\Windows\\StartUp"
"Recent"="\\Windows\\Recent"
"Programs"="\\Windows\\Programs"
"Program Files"="\\Program Files"
"My Documents"="\\My Documents"
"Fonts"="\\Windows\\Fonts"
"Favorites"="\\Windows\\Favorites"
"Desktop"="\\Windows\\Desktop"
"Application Data"="\\Application Data"
as you can see.. only templates works ( since it's not related to the OS it self )... I tried changing Fonts dir as well, did not work either
I guess this has to do with the OS it self... so it is impossible to change it..
sorry Vijay, I was merely adding to stevedebi's quote of moving the entire \My Documents to storage. Obviously you have to do some registry changes to make it happen but wouldn't be as easy as that.
To OP.
I *think* I have a similar problem to you.
Basically I want to sync my files to/from my PC/PDA but the ram on my blueangel is way to small where as my 1 gig SD ram has vastly more than I need.
Now, i have managed to relocate my Sync briefcase on the PC to d:\briefcase. All well and good, this now trys to sync to the Pda's volatile ram way to much data .... so, im half way there.
Now, how can I tell the sync software or PDA's OS to sync to a folder on the SD RAM card?
I know I can put the SDcard into my PC but this is not what I want to achieve, i want it to be seemless and done in the craddle much like contacts etc are done.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!
vijay555 said:
kanryu: since you suggested it, try to test this out.
I suggest you do this before installing any other app, because My Documents is a system setting used in many installations and they may get confused.
HKLM > Explorer > Shell Folders > My Documents
The storage card isn't always available at boot up, so again, it might cause problems. Storage might be a better idea then storage card. But this can already be configured in the options menu in Notes, at least.
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried this before. Everything under this tree has been rename to \storage\my documents But after a soft reset, some of the key will revert back to default. ???
Seems like only those template folder are moveable. I'm started to suspect \My Documents are not fully handled by registry.
I'm wondering how clean the system can be if you need a 3rd party software to edit the registry such as Resco, PHM & etc. I know it's best to do it with a clean system but.... unless there's a way to edit the registry out of the PPC, or there's a standalone executeable software, which I have yet to found.
I'll see what can be figured out next. Hopefully this idea is not a 'fat hope' :?
Don't you guys try to create another "My Documents" folder in the BS and link to it a shortcut (from today)?
I have put to c-launch a link to /storage card/my documents and all is well!!!
Is possible to group several cabs in one cab?
I want it to save in the Extended Rom of my TyTn, so that when I do a HardReset, automatic it starts to install all the modifications of registry and some programs that I have in several cabs from the pocket, without need of pc.
I search on the forum, but I don´t find any solution.
Thanks
Well first off, if you use the autorun.exe that already exists in the extended ROM and modify its configuration file (the name may be different for different devices, but it is usually a plain text file) you can get it to install several cabs in sequence.
Combining cabs is not always possible unless you are the one who created them in the first place.
Get a program called CE Cab Manager. It will show you everything that a given cab includes and let you edit it. As long as it's just files and registry settings there is no problem stuffing them all in one cab.
But if a two cabs contain a setup.dll there is no way of combining them without knowing exactly what that DLL does (it could be anything) and thats almost impossible (unless you can read ARM assembler well).
tristan1412 said:
Is possible to group several cabs in one cab?
I want it to save in the Extended Rom of my TyTn, so that when I do a HardReset, automatic it starts to install all the modifications of registry and some programs that I have in several cabs from the pocket, without need of pc.
I search on the forum, but I don´t find any solution.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what levenum said is correct... so the best thing for you to do is to edit the config.txt file in your extended rom to have them install... HOWEVER if the cabs you are using arent digitally signed then they wont install using that method, you would need to disable the security first... Since no one has a signed disable security cab that works with the tytn the only option would be to do this on a hard reset; soft reset before the customization, when it boots run the tweak program to disable security, then go to the windows directory and manually launch the preautoconfig.exe
software alternatives
tristan1412, you can also use a software dedicated to this task.
check spb airsetup (www.spbsoftwarehouse.com, i'm not sure if it allows more then one cab), or even better airwizard (http://www.teksoftco.com/index.php?section=airwizard)
the advantage of these programs is in my opinion the compression. then you also get several options like readme/eula (with airwizard you have spash image support and even sd card output support - that creates autorun content for the sdcard)
hope this helps
RM
shogunmark said:
....HOWEVER if the cabs you are using arent digitally signed then they wont install using that method, you would need to disable the security first...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks for the answers.
now, How can signed digitally my own cabs??
The only solution for a random ringtone now is Random Ringtones, MortScript by oblyvaeon. I made a simple application to do just that - randomize your ringtone. It scans your storage card (or any other location you specify) for music files and every time after an incoming call your ringtone will become one of those. Unlike the mentioned script, it does not require to be running all the time, so there is zero CPU and memory usage.
Features of version 1.2.1:
Select many folders to get ringtones from
Exclude some ringtones you don't like in those folders
Download
The program requires Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 3.5. If your device is complaining about wrong .NET version or missing assemblies, [re]install it first. Install only from the site mentioned above, because other packages have been reported as broken.
If something doesn't work, install the test version first and report what happens.
The program is licensed as GNU GPL v3 (free as in freedom), source code is available.
Seems a good idea; in effect what we have here is a ringtone randomiser.
Will try it out and give you some feedback.
WB
This is what I was looking for... in two ways.
a) For a long time I wanted a random ringtone.
b) And recently I want to know how to make apps for WM5 or 6. I know basic programming and i learn easily, i'm interested in making some apps, but how? what tools do you use? Could you explain? Could yoy PM me or email me? or here?
Regards.
.NET and C# is it, and the APIs used are Microsoft.WindowsMobile.Status (for monitoring incoming calls) and basic registry manipulation. I can release the source excerpts or the whole code later, once I clean everything up.
Koterpillar said:
.NET and C# is it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all I need thanks.
Well while i'm here, do you know a site or thread which has basic instructions about making a "hello world" app for PPC? Just to get me started.
I don't want to mess your thread, I'll post a new one for this.
Thanks!
This works great, and its only 8kb! Thanks a lot, I've wanted something like this for a while.
Updated it, see first post.
not work
it's a great idea but not work. i reset my htc 3300, install compac netframewor 3.5 and then install the program. the first time, it work but when i change the path and i put autorun the program crash.
i apologise for my english
Can you please post the crash details? A screenshot, or just the error message text.
description
in my first configuration i put 2 songs in the folder "\Tarjeta de almacenamiento\songs\" of the system.
in my second configuration i put 2 songs in the folder "\temp\" of the system.
thanks
Hi, i installed to Storage Card, and got this error:
File or assembly name
'System.Windows.Forms,
Version=3.5.0.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=969DB8053D3322AC',
or one of its dependencies, was not
found.
Cheers
-edit- just tried installing to device instead, same error.
sigc, I will try myself and post back. But you must not select any other folder than WM sees already (SD root is OK, but not sub-folders).
mugglescuop, install NET CF 3.5. In the future, i might rewrite the program without that dependency, but right now it's like that.
Pardon me if this is a stupid question, but how hard would it be to make this program recoginze a subfolder on the storage card instead of just the root? There's already so many other things I must put in the root (all my themes and sms tones etc.) it would be ten times worse if I moved all my ringtones in here too. Especially since many of them have the same names as my SMS tones, just longer versions.
Koterpillar said:
mugglescuop, install NET CF 3.5. In the future, i might rewrite the program without that dependency, but right now it's like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cheers i thought about it afterwards and thought that it was probably the problem... i'll post back if it works.
AlternaGirl said:
Pardon me if this is a stupid question, but how hard would it be to make this program recoginze a subfolder on the storage card instead of just the root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
AthenaGirl, can you select those tones you have in a subfolder as your ringtone in Settings-Phone?
Koterpillar said:
AthenaGirl, can you select those tones you have in a subfolder as your ringtone in Settings-Phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have to have my ringtones in '//windows/rings' usually
To make it clear:
There are several folders Windows Mobile searches ringtones for in. These (usually) are:
\Windows\Rings
\Storage Card\
\Storage Card\My Documents\
Maybe I'm missing something.
As stated in the first post, the program does not copy any files. Therefore, do not put them where you don't see them yourself when selecting ringtone the usual way.
In the next version, you'll be just presented with a choice of where to choose random ringtones from.
oh right ok cheers
Still downloading NET CF 3.5... taking a while on a GRPS connection
sigc, your problem should be fixed now, download the new version.
I keep all mine in \Storage Card\My Documents\My Ringtones and they show up in the settings. In playing with this just now I discovered my SMS tones still appear if I move them from the root of the card to My Documents. You all probably knew this already but I somehow missed it. This cleans up my root a good bit. Now if I could only move those tsk files...
Development of User Customization/Provisioning App
In setting up my Kaiser, I want to use User Customization, to auto-install cabs and provisioning files for my personal settings. And to save precious device memory, non-essential apps are installed to the Storage Device, and only critical or continually running apps are stored in main memory. I believe this is a common setup.
Have other people found that getting this kind of setup is not trivial? Retargeting cabs for auto-installation to the storage card, and testing if this actually works for that application is a non-trivial task given the number of cabs available, and these efforts don't seem to be shared much between users. I've seen just a handful of SD-retargeted apps at xda-developers.
Keeping up with all the latest updates and tweaks also takes considerable effort and searching. The excellent chefs do a truly fantastic job with cooking ROMs with the latest apps built in, but burning a whole new ROM to get the latest update is inconvenient, particularly if your settings are not yet set up for easy restore via provisioning. The HTC cab collections by Dutty and others make this process easier by putting it all in one place, but you still have to download each cab install it and then try to keep track of which version you last installed, and of course this doesn’t address all the non-HTC apps that you might have on your device.
Building provisioning files for your persinalized settings is challenging to say the least, as the documentation for provisioning service configuration providers is sparse and doesn’t cover all the features. Making these provisioning files by hand can be involved (e.g. see the description for getting the Owner ID details into an XML file in the main UC thread.)
These are the main issues I’ve experienced trying to set up my Kaiser. Configuring a device with UC, apps installed to the SD and with provisonined settings and keeping the whole updated is a very time consuming task, and requires several tools to accomplish (WceCabManager, RapiConfig, SDConfig Tool etc..). Have others experienced this? If not, I’d like to hear what solutions people have used.
If this is a problem for others, then I would like to start collaboration on an application that can help simplify using UC and SD deployment and creating provisioning files as well as keeping installed applications up to date, and sharing knowledge about the applications.
The key features of the application would be:
• Runs on the PC. Maintains a local repository of CABs and provisioning files. User adds apps and settings to the repository either manually, or by downloading from a repository.
• Provisioning templates – similar to the XML file for KaiserTweak – describes provisioning characteristics that are available for tweaking or querying from the device. Querying settings from the device allows you to configure the device as normal (using the device UI) and then “suck” those settings out of the device into a provisioning file. You can then create a new provisioning file from the provisioning template for deployment to your device. (Anyone who's set up Wifi via hand-written provisioning xml knows what a time-saver this is!)
• metadata for CABs and provisioning templates in remote repositories: e.g. versions available, edition of CAB to install to SD, does installation require user input?, known issues for each version, etc.
• CABs and settings can be bundled into a Recipe for easier management. (E.g. all HTC apps.) Provisioning templates for the application can be bundled in the recipe, so users can install app and get a list of available registry tweaks for that app.
• Connection to a central repository for downloading updates to items in the local repository and discovering new CABs, templates etc.
• User builds their own local recipies containing cabs, provisioning files and other pre-cooked recipes to configure their device with apps and settings as desired.
• Deploy now: deploy selected items device now. (Given that a recipe can contain other recipes and cabs and provisioning files this can save a lot of work manually copying and running these on the device.)
• User customization: Build SDConfig.txt from selected items, and sync all files needed to SD.
• The features above are intended to be used by regular users. There will be tools for recipe concocters (advanced mode):
o Tool to retarget CAB to different installation path, or to indicate in metadata that this does not work.
o Build new Provisioning Templates
o Putting cabs and settings into a Recipe
o Updates to the repository
While there are already tools that can do bits and pieces of this, a turnkey solution would be much easier to use for novice users. The repository metadata allows valuable knowledge to be shared, e.g. versions available, SD-install, installer requires input, known issues etc. and I believe is an important feature that will make provisioning and keeping devices up to date with the latest CABs and registry tweaks much simpler.
In terms of development, I imagine the app will initially be a stringing together of existing tools, with tighter integration implemented as necessary in future revisions.
Does this seem like the right direction? Is it a problem worth solving? Let me know your thoughts. I'd like to kick this off on SourceForge if it resonates with others.
I hope you've done a search, because there already is a program that builds SDConfig.txt's for you. It's actually linked to in Sleuth's thread about UC.
I quick one before I take lunch!
I've done a search (in fact I've been reading and searching the forum/wiki for weeks, with great success in some areas and limited success in others.) SDConfig is a great tool, (I reference it in my post about one of the tools that we might bundle together in the app) but it only paints one part of the picture (Making SDConfig.txt). For a complete solution to SD-installed apps and convenient privisioning, we need more. Much of the solution (apart from the central repo) is available amongst many assorted apps, and that's the problem - users have to grab apps from here and there, figure out how to use them together, and then the work they do is just available on their device. There is no saving of that work for others to share and contribute.
So, when someone makes a version of a CAB that is customized for SD install, it would be great if that can be saved to a repository so other's don't have to replicate that work. Or if the user found the cab didn't work from SD the metadata in the repo indicates that this cab does not work from SD. When using a cab with SDConfig, we need to know if it requires user interaction. Again metadata in a repo can specify this to save each user having to make a note of this when building their UC config.
The repo also makes checking for updates an automatic process.
Finally, anyone that has worked with privisioing files knows what a pain they can be to create and manage. There are many useful tweaks already documented, so provisioning files for these would be useful, to reapply tweaks after flashing. And keeping track of all the tweaks made to a device during normal use and adding them to a provisioning file to making them available after flasing takes much committment. A orovisioning template can ease this task by documenting user-editable parts of the registry and fetching changes from the device.
In a nutshell, I'm looking at creating an app that brings the features from the other apps together, and adds time saving features, and collaboration via a repository. This is motivated by the amount of work it takes to get the common configuration of SD-installed apps and provisioning tailored to an individuals needs, and in keeping with updates to installed applications.
I hope this is clarifying!
Very quiet here!
I'd really like a response, so let's take an example in detail.
How do you install GoogleMaps to your storage card?
Here's how I did it:
1. download googlemaps.cab to the PC
2. install googlemaps - when prompted for the install location, choose "Storage Device".
3. Let google maps install.
4. Disspointment that on finding that even after selecting install to storage device, googlemaps is installed to \Program Files and not \Storage Card\Program Files.
5. Download and run WinCeCabManager
6. Open the googlemaps cab in WinCeCabManager
7. Because the CAB does not use %InstallDir% to reference the default installation directory, we much change all file locations, shortcut targets and those registry values that refer to installed files.
8. Save the cab and deploy it to the device.
Step 7 - retarteting all the files, shortcuts and applicable registry values is a real pain. Changing the default installation folder is not enough, because this information is not passed on to the individual files and registry entries.
Does anyone have a quicker solution? Surely most people think it's inconvenient to retarget apps to the SD like this?
This is just one piece of the puzzle, but an app that retargets CABs to the storage device would save much time and energy. E.g. something like
1. right click on CAB on PC. Choose "Install to Device"
2. A dialog offers option to install to storage device, and other install details (remove after install, no UI etc...)
3. Hit OK, and the CAB is retargeted to the chosen location and installed to the device.
I can write this app, but I would like some confirmation that it's the right strategy - I've owned my kaiser for about a month and hope this isn't re-inventing the wheel or that there is already a simple solution available to all this inconvenience with cab installation to SD.
Your feedback appreciated!
auto installer
I had written some basic application to provide auto installation and extraction of provisioning settings. But progress is slower than ideal due to other commitments, so I will probably abandon this effort.
There's an auto installer here that is much along the lines of what I was thinking.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=392983
I hadn't seen this thread before now, but you seem to be going to a lot of effort to find ways of re targeting CAB installers. The easiest way of setting up cabs is install them manually to the Storage Card and then manually get any registry settings/links to files from the device and install those via UC. This saves remaking cabs, and saves time when UC is running as you only need copy the lnks to the device and install an XML file with registry tweaks.
l3v5y said:
I hadn't seen this thread before now, but you seem to be going to a lot of effort to find ways of re targeting CAB installers. The easiest way of setting up cabs is install them manually to the Storage Card and then manually get any registry settings/links to files from the device and install those via UC. This saves remaking cabs, and saves time when UC is running as you only need copy the lnks to the device and install an XML file with registry tweaks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comment. I'm puzzled why you think my approach takes a lot of effort - once the application is written, then it works for all cabs, and it's not really a complex app. (The retargeting part is done.)
My feeling is that manually doing anything with CABs is a PITA when new versions are being released almost continually. Why do anything manually when the device can do it for you?
My vision for the app is more than just retargeting cabs, it would manage applications, track new versions with updates, manage XML provisioning files (updating the XML files when you make changes on the device.) So you can set up the device, and have a zero-effort process to save all settings and apps, and restore those settings to a new ROM.
qmdm said:
Thanks for your comment. I'm puzzled why you think my approach takes a lot of effort - once the application is written, then it works for all cabs, and it's not really a complex app. (The retargeting part is done.)
My feeling is that manually doing anything with CABs is a PITA when new versions are being released almost continually. Why do anything manually when the device can do it for you?
My vision for the app is more than just retargeting cabs, it would manage applications, track new versions with updates, manage XML provisioning files (updating the XML files when you make changes on the device.) So you can set up the device, and have a zero-effort process to save all settings and apps, and restore those settings to a new ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it's partly to do with the fact that what I install changes alot from ROM to ROM, so I don't like to have things already installed. My point is, though, that if you install the cab onto the storage card manually before hard reseting/flashing a ROM, you don't have to do that again until an update is released, this saves reinstalling apps to the storage card each time a new ROM is flashed.
Ok, I see, that's certainly one way of saving time.
My initial impression was that manual tweaking for each app would be inconvenient and time-consuming. Obviously, you are happy with the manual approach, and that's the kind of feedback I was looking for!
If anyone else has thoughts on manually tweaking appsvs an automated solution, I'd be happy to hear them!
Cheers.
Hi all,
Alot of flashing been going on recently, and XDA_UC is pretty handy for getting all the cabs installed back on the device, this coupled with the ability to have my email/bluetooth and various other settings imported is excellent.
But still the main slow down when installing a new rom is that once the programs are installed they still need the program specific settings adjusted. Things like entering registration info for resco and Galarm or seting up tomtom.
Is it possible to automate this part of the install process?
Export the programs' registry value to reg file and put into XDA_UC folder
Try to find them in HKLM and HKCU
thanks,
i'll be flashing another ROM over the next few days, i'll see how this works