Puppy Linux Windows Users: exe installer programs

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steve_s
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#16 Post by steve_s »

Sylvander wrote:p.p.s How about also supplying an exe file to make a WakePup2 floppy?

That so anyone who has a PC with a BIOS that doesn't boot USB, would be able to make that also [from within Windows].
Hmmm...ok, you caught me at the right time as I've got an opportunity to make it. Hopefully it is small enough to just add as an attachment. (I had to zip it up as exe files aren't allowed as attachments.)

BUT YOU ARE THE TEST SUBJECT SYLVANDER! :D You have to tell us if this works. I confirmed that it adds all the files to the floppy disk, but you have to tell us if it works as well as the floppy version of WakePup2 that you already have and that it boots the same.

By the way, all prop's for WakePup2 (at least the exe file I did) goes to forum member pakt on this thread and all information is listed out thoroughly there. Excellent job on this, pakt!
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T_Hobbit
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#17 Post by T_Hobbit »

You put the ISO inside the .exe file?
Why not asking for the location of the ISO?
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#18 Post by steve_s »

T_Hobbit wrote:You put the ISO inside the .exe file?
Why not asking for the location of the ISO?
Nope. I loaded everything onto a floppy disk per the windows install instructions...then I took all that was on the floppy and put it back into an exe.

The general reason that I am doing any of this is that most Window's people I know don't have experience with iso files, but they have installed stuff using exe files, for sure. So, this is trying to play to their strengths. 8)

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#19 Post by T_Hobbit »

I mean... instead of putting the ISO inside the exe, you may create a more flexible exe, that can use any Puppy available.
Can you make an exe that ask the location of the ISO? The rest is the some, but using the ISO you just "locate"...
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#20 Post by steve_s »

T_Hobbit wrote:I mean... instead of putting the ISO inside the exe, you may create a more flexible exe, that can use any Puppy available.
Can you make an exe that ask the location of the ISO? The rest is the some, but using the ISO you just "locate"...
That would be the next evolution/step. It would require an exe within another one. So far all this one does is unpack all the stuff required to run puppy; no other programs are run. Let me think on that, T_Hobbit...

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#21 Post by T_Hobbit »

One inside the other? Are you talking about unpacker?
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#22 Post by steve_s »

T_Hobbit wrote:One inside the other? Are you talking about unpacker?
Yep; very easy to do in Linux, needlessly complicated in Windows. Right now all this one does is unpack everything. Very small, nothing else installed.

To do that it would be having one thing unpacked, run it, have it unpack the iso, copy the files to a temp folder then have those added to the flash drive. At least one other program in there to get that done, probably a couple.

The problem at first glance that I see: unpacking an iso in Window's isn't standard fare. Sure, I have programs that will do that but I haven't looked at one that can be used within this exe to unpack what you want, then have it all copied to a temp file. And writing code for this is going to jack up the size, yeah? Again, easy to unpack in Linux, not so much in Windows.

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#23 Post by Sylvander »

1. Downloaded the zip file for the WakePup2 floppy.

2. Unzipped the exe file.

3. Used the exe file to write the files to a blank formatted floppy.

4. Rebooted the PC with that WakePup2=(b) floppy in the drive.

5. It was reported that the floppy was not a bootable disk.

6. Compared the contents of my original WakePup2=(a) floppy with the new WakePup2=(b) floppy.
On (a) as compared to (b):
There were LOTS more files, and also 2 folders that were not on (b).
The drivers folder had a long list of files inside numerous sub-folders.
See the screenshots below of the contents of (a).
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#24 Post by steve_s »

Sylvander: wow! I missed that one, huh? :shock:

So, when you put the stuff on your floppy disk, how are you doing it and where are you getting your information from? Knowing that I can do what I did before and get all the necessary files and put them into the exe file...

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#25 Post by Sylvander »

1. "when you put the stuff on your floppy disk, how are you doing it"
To make the original WakePup2=(a), I had:

a. Used "Menu->System->Format Floppy Disk" to format the floppy.

b. With wakepup2-20070910 installed:
I then ran "Menu->Setup->WakePup" and supplied the formatted floppy.

2. "where are you getting your information from?"
(a) What information do you mean?
Why/how to make a WakePup2 floppy?
This thread chronicles my Puppy learning/discoveries.
See at the bottom of post #1 where I say that this Wikipedia page [looks like it has been updated since then, but the portion quoted is still there] said that Puppy can boot from a ""floppy boot disk that loads the rest of the operating system from a USB drive"."
I was advised in post #2 to go here for instructions.

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#26 Post by steve_s »

Sylvander wrote:1. "when you put the stuff on your floppy disk, how are you doing it"
To make the original WakePup2=(a), I had:

a. Used "Menu->System->Format Floppy Disk" to format the floppy.

b. With wakepup2-20070910 installed:
I then ran "Menu->Setup->WakePup" and supplied the formatted floppy.

2. "where are you getting your information from?"
(a) What information do you mean?
Why/how to make a WakePup2 floppy?
This thread chronicles my Puppy learning/discoveries.
See at the bottom of post #1 where I say that this Wikipedia page [looks like it has been updated since then, but the portion quoted is still there] said that Puppy can boot from a ""floppy boot disk that loads the rest of the operating system from a USB drive"."
I was advised in post #2 to go here for instructions.
Ok...I'll check it out. I'm having to do all of this from Windows so I may have to go back and forth...I'll post back....

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#27 Post by steve_s »

:D Ok, sylvander (and whomever else wants to try it): here is wakepup2 on an exe file.

I went a different route this last time: booted to puppy, installed and ran wakepup2 on a floppy, rebooted to windows, made the exe file from the files on the floppy.

Test run put it on the floppy great but I need you, sylvander, to test it again just like you did last time and give us the results. :D

**CANCEL THAT: it didn't add all the folders i wanted to it...hm....will have to try it again....

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#28 Post by TomRhymer »

T_Hobbit wrote:I mean... instead of putting the ISO inside the exe, you may create a more flexible exe, that can use any Puppy available.
Can you make an exe that ask the location of the ISO? The rest is the some, but using the ISO you just "locate"...
Unetbootin does this, I have used it with several different pups and puplets with any trouble.

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

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#29 Post by steve_s »

TomRhymer wrote:
T_Hobbit wrote:I mean... instead of putting the ISO inside the exe, you may create a more flexible exe, that can use any Puppy available.
Can you make an exe that ask the location of the ISO? The rest is the some, but using the ISO you just "locate"...
Unetbootin does this, I have used it with several different pups and puplets with any trouble.

http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Thanks, Tom, I'll check it out just for that purpose...

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#30 Post by steve_s »

Wakepup2 exe file:

Ok, sylvander and anyone else, let's try this again. I got the right files this time and folders. The last method I used had issues with folders and wouldn't put the whole file path...anyway, here is the latest exe for WakePup2. All my previous comments about WakePup2 and it's creation/creator still apply. :D

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#31 Post by Sylvander »

1. Used wakepup2.exe to write the new fileset to the same floppy.

(a) When I had formatted the floppy in Windows...
When I booted it, the following error was displayed:
NTLDR is missing
Press any key to Restart


(b) When I had formatted the floppy in BoxPup...
When I booted it, an error beginning with the following was displayed:
This is not a bootable disk

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Left a link to this topic at http://www.portableapps.com

#32 Post by WB7ODYFred »

http://portableapps.com/node/17855 Here at this forum a left a link to your discussion here. Sylvander, thanks for your testing efforts. I really hope you do get a single .EXE file to download that will install to a USB FLash disk and write a correct boot floppy, too.

This will make building a bootable USB Flash Disk while operating under WINDOWS a no-brainer!

When it all works properly, POST a follow up link to the portableapps.com web under the forum topic

For people who want linux http://portableapps.com/node/17855

Keep up the work and the testing!

WB7ODYFred

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Re: Left a link to this topic at http://www.portableapps.com

#33 Post by steve_s »

WB7ODYFred wrote:http://portableapps.com/node/17855 Here at this forum a left a link to your discussion here. Sylvander, thanks for your testing efforts. I really hope you do get a single .EXE file to download that will install to a USB FLash disk and write a correct boot floppy, too.

This will make building a bootable USB Flash Disk while operating under WINDOWS a no-brainer!

When it all works properly, POST a follow up link to the portableapps.com web under the forum topic

For people who want linux http://portableapps.com/node/17855
Thanks! So far the exe that does the usb flash should work fine for computers that can boot directly to usb.

As far as the exe that is needed for wakepup, it needs help: we are missing a file. I can't figure out what it is, at least not using Windows.

In other words, there is a hidden file or a file missing in the exe to make it bootable and I don't know what it is.

Anyone have ideas? :? I can't check it again until later today or tomorrow...we gotta figure out what it is before I redo the exe to get it going...love Windows and those hidden files... :wink:
Keep up the work and the testing!
Last edited by steve_s on Mon 23 Nov 2009, 02:37, edited 1 time in total.

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#34 Post by Sylvander »

1. "we are missing a file. I can't figure out what it is"
The only file in the root of my WakePup2=(a) that isn't included in the root of WakePup2=(b) is...
autoexec.bat

I have given a copy of that file a zip extension [which extensions are allowed?] and attached it below.
Just download it and change the extension back to bat.
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#35 Post by steve_s »

Sylvander, good catch, but that wasn't enough.

I realized that, just like copying the resulting contents of an iso image is not the same as reading a disk that has a burned iso image on it is, so it is with a floppy disk image.

So I ran a program that converted a floppy disk directly to an exe.

In Windows

Extract this WAKEPUP2.EXE from the zip file I've attached to the base folder in your system. By base folder I just mean the default folder that comes up when you run Start>Run and type in "cmd" (without the quotes of course).

So, if I type in cmd I might get a command prompt that pops up and defaults to:

Code: Select all

C:\Documents and Settings\Steve S>
If I saved WAKEPUP2.EXE to this directory, when I run dir from that prompt, WAKEPUP2.EXE will be listed.

To copy the image of wakepup2 to a new, already formatted floppy disk that is ready to go and inserted in the A: drive, I type this command at that Window's prompt:

Code: Select all

WAKEPUP2.EXE A:
I've tried this, it copies the image like a champ and I've booted to the new floppy and wakepup boots up as intended.

PLEASE TEST though. I hope my instructions are clear enough. Tell me how it goes. 8)

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