Writing a non-portable app converter: need apps to test with

[redllar]

xplorer2lite hangs when I exit the program

This only happens on my WinXP SP2 home machine. It does not happen when running on Win2K on my work machine.

It's the same with both the older and latest version of PortaPotty. It's also the same whether I create a portable EXE, or run via PortaPotty.exe.

I am running xplorer2lite V1.5.0.2.

Thanks for the specifics. I'll give it a go, along with the other apps that have failed, with the new version I'm working on now.

FYI, Foxit Reader is now working. Quick test with a couple of docs and changing window position worked fine on restarting and stopping the app several times. I turned off that advert via the menu but it came back as green on the next app start. Is that normal or did the setting not get stored correctly?

Also as a heads-up, at some point I'm going to have to change the structure of the ini for a number of important reasons. So the portaPotty.ini files will need to be scrapped and recreated. I hope that's not going to be too much of a bother.

[redllar]

Another test, Soulseek Homepage
Unfortunately, it fails miserablyError
The prog installs and runs fine ( WinXP_SP1 ) though.

Soulseek looks to be working with this new version. At least I'm able to start/stop the app w/o any problems as well as make some mods to the settings that stick (window pos and size didn't stick though.)

I was also able to connect, get a rooms list, connect to a room, get its users list, etc. That's as far as I went because these types of apps scare me. :)

You MUST run the installer through PP because Soulseek checks to see if it has been "properly installed," and won't work w/o those installer-created settings in the ini.

[Fluffy]

FYI, Foxit Reader is now working. Quick test with a couple of docs and changing window position worked fine on restarting and stopping the app several times. I turned off that advert via the menu but it came back as green on the next app start. Is that normal or did the setting not get stored correctly?

Also as a heads-up, at some point I'm going to have to change the structure of the ini for a number of important reasons. So the portaPotty.ini files will need to be scrapped and recreated. I hope that's not going to be too much of a bother.

Firstly, you have to turn off each of Foxit's adverts to disable them, turning off the advert just removes the current one from the list of advertisements to display. If you set all of the keys for the advertisements to 0 in the .ini they should be knocked out completely.

Secondly, we were all aware (or should have been) that many things were subject to change when using pre-alpha software, so the need to scrap already present .ini's shouldn't be a big deal. That's how development goes as far as I can tell - things change, hopefully for the better.

[redllar]

xplorer2lite hangs when I exit the program

This only happens on my WinXP SP2 home machine. It does not happen when running on Win2K on my work machine.

It's the same with both the older and latest version of PortaPotty. It's also the same whether I create a portable EXE, or run via PortaPotty.exe.

I am running xplorer2lite V1.5.0.2.

I just downloaded 1.6 and it looks to be working with the new version of PP here. I started/stopped the app at least 6 times w/o hanging. Changed settings and window size/pos were all restored except I couldn't get it to save a layout. The PP ini doesn't have any value name "layout" either, so I don't know if this is a PP bug or this app's bug. I also searched the system registry and there are no settings stored with the string "ZabaraKatranemia" in them.

[redllar]

Firstly, you have to turn off each of Foxit's adverts to disable them, turning off the advert just removes the current one from the list of advertisements to display. If you set all of the keys for the advertisements to 0 in the .ini they should be knocked out completely.

Heheh, okay, thanks for the tip.

Secondly, we were all aware (or should have been) that many things were subject to change when using pre-alpha software, so the need to scrap already present .ini's shouldn't be a big deal. That's how development goes as far as I can tell - things change, hopefully for the better. :)

Yeah, I know. I'm just not used to working with people on such a raw app. Thanks for understanding.

Okay, I'm off for tonight. I'll do some more testing tomorrow morning to make sure I haven't bunged up things for the other apps that used to work, and then upload this latest version, probably around noon -5 GMT.

[portable-freak]

.....
You MUST run the installer through PP because Soulseek checks to see if it has been "properly installed," and won't work w/o those installer-created settings in the ini.

It sounds really good redllar but you got me lost there.
I am d-n-ding the installer -> PP, now the installation process launches and the prog installs fine.
An .ini file is generated inside the same directory where the installer is, and it looks right.
How am I supposed to go on? I mean, I've tried several ways but haven't succeeded yet ( getting the same error )
Sorry if I misunderstood anything but could you enlighten me a little

[nycjv321]

yea but for soulseek did u check if the settings where still in the registry becuase it is configured during install isnt it? and these configured settings are put in the registry and portapotty conpletely ignores the registry not touching it or leting the the app touch it

btw
there is a portable launcher for soulseek in portalbeapps.com search the forums for the launcher

[nycjv321]

Test...
just tested UltraExplorer pran portabily
but wouldnt make portable exe
msgbox said
"unable to "portabilize" this file detours cannot see the IAT (1)"

App found here
http://www.mustangpeak.net/

[portable-freak]

yea but for soulseek did u check if the settings where still in the registry becuase it is configured during install isnt it? and these configured settings are put in the registry and portapotty conpletely ignores the registry not touching it or leting the the app touch it

According to redllar, I must use the installer thru PP, that's what I am doing, no registry entries are made during installation, just the ini file.
Now, I simply cannot launch the application. There's a step I am missing.

btw
there is a portable launcher for soulseek in portalbeapps.com search the forums for the launcher

I know that site well and to be quite honest I am not very keen on their policy there.
I have made my own Soulseek launcher using QuickPortTemplate_v1.1, I don't need 'em to do this for me.

I like redllar's application a lot more

[redllar]

.....
You MUST run the installer through PP because Soulseek checks to see if it has been "properly installed," and won't work w/o those installer-created settings in the ini.

It sounds really good redllar but you got me lost there.
I am d-n-ding the installer -> PP, now the installation process launches and the prog installs fine.
An .ini file is generated inside the same directory where the installer is, and it looks right.
How am I supposed to go on? I mean, I've tried several ways but haven't succeeded yet ( getting the same error )
Sorry if I misunderstood anything but could you enlighten me a little :)

My fault pf. Sorry about that. You are doing things the right way. But you also need the new version of PP to get SS working via PP. I'm uploading the new version now and will post a link to it in a few minutes.

[redllar]

Okay, a new version is now available here.

I didn't get done with the coding so I've noted what doesn't get emulated in the changelog. It's a bit techie so just ignore it unless you're interested. But I was able to run each of the following apps several times w/o hang ups or crashes (as far as I recall all of these are the latest versions available off of the web):

Foxit Reader
Future Pinball (File->Table Launcher still doesn't work)
HD Tune
Image Burn
Marine Aquarium 2 + Time (a screen saver)
MetaPad
PSPad
RegPad
Soulseek
Scorched 3D
UPX Shell
xplorer^2 lite

With a bit of PP ini tweaking, I was also was able to launch RegEdit from PP and have it make use of the PP ini's contents as if it were the registry. :) But I have turned off that capability for now since I still have some coding to do.

I hope you all have the same luck with the apps that I have had. Cheers.

[portable-freak]

Thanks for the update mate.
SoulSeek seems to be working fine now.
Foxit Reader 2.0 Beta is running fine ( Foxit Reader 2.0 Beta_portable.exe created as well )
Power Tab Editor 1.7 ( http://www.power-tab.net/ ) seems to be working flawlessly too ( before you remove the original installation, make a copy of powertab.tff which is in the "fonts" directory and d-n-d it back there again, the prog won't launch without its default font )
Brilliant work redllar!

[Andrew Lee]

Tried xplorer2lite with the latest release. Same problem. Hangs on my home machine.

I had the opportunity to try it on my work machine today running Win2K SP4. The behaviour is slightly different. When I hit the close button, the window disappears, but the process is still hanging around when viewed using Task Manager.

I also noticed another thing. I created xplorer2_portable.exe at home, let's say at c:\downloads\pp\test. When I try to run the file on my work machine in a different folder, let's say h:\apps\pp\test, it complains that it cannot find "portaPotty.dll" at c:\downloads\pp\test". Is this a known issue?

You can try download my version of xplorer2lite here: xplorer2.zip

Note that the download link is only valid for 5 days.

[redllar]

Thanks for the good news pf.

Andrew, that's the problem I had initially with that app. I traced it through to an endless loop it puts itself into when it tries to get rid of a reg value. I fixed the bug that caused it to get hung up here but there must be some more bugs that also put it into an endless loop.

Thanks for your version of the exe, but I could also use your portaPotty.ini for that app when it gets hung, just in case it's one of those settings that's giving it a problem. Unless you're just trying it with default settings?

I just tried for the first time to run from a usb stick after renaming the portaPotty dll in the directory in which the portable exe was built. And I got the same error you did. That's pretty useless isn't it?!!!

I'll have to get back to you on why it's doing that. Hopefully it's something I missed when building the portable version of the app and not something inherent with the Detours library.

[nycjv321]

i had the same problem with portaPotty not finding the "portaPotty.dll" with the Marine Aquarium 2 (i used portapotty on the .scr file) it created the portable exe but when i moved it and the dll to another folder it said it couldnt find the dll so then i tried to make the portabilized exe again
but didn't check off use "use executable's directory as current directory" and it then it worked fine hope this helps

Test...
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/
SpywareBlaster 3.5.1
EULAlyzer 1.1 released!

both worked from portapotty! but couldn't create exe due to the orignal exe's check for tampering this is the apps fault not portapotty's fault
and i have another question does portapotty also pick up an app trying to register dlls?