Can someone show me how to use JPE?

Discuss anything related to JauntePE, the utlimate utility to help you tame non-portable applications. Share your experience about the apps that work with JauntePE, and the apps that don't.
Message
Author
SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Can someone show me how to use JPE?

#1 Post by SlowLearner »

*Sorry if this should have been posted in another section*
*Oh - and I really love the PFC site*

Hi

I'm new to JauntePE, and managed to download it just before it was removed (I hope this is OK).

I'm not sure what has been happening on the forum, but it has caused a lot of interest...it even got me willing to try it out; if so many people feel so pasionate about it, it must be good.

Especially when I read redllar's comment that he's only ever asked for are 2 things: don't be disrespectful (of anyone, not just me), and help out your fellow users where you can.

Well, I can do the first, if someone will do the second :D

I have two programmes that I would like to be completely portable (without a trace) but can't do either - even when I use the Wizard (Jpe autowizard_v2.0.2).

I must admit - I've tried to work through the help on the forum, but any bits on changing the ini files and registry entries are beyond me.

I would eventaully like to learn (and intend learning) to program in some computer language (I would also be grateful for any suggested languages - I'm thinking C++, but only because I see it everywhere. Everytime I ask someone what language I should learn - they ask me what I want to do...and as my answer is, well, I don't know - then you can guess the rest).

Anyway one of the programmes is:

MagicDisc Virtual Drive (FREEWARE)

Home page
http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso- ... erview.htm

Download link
I use the "Download for Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista" one

It allows you to run disk images without burning them to disk.


The other is Bloodshed Dev-C++ (FREEWARE)

Home page
http://www.bloodshed.net/dev/devcpp.html

Download
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/dev- ... _setup.exe

The second one has some tutorials on, which I intend working through - to teach myself.

Strangely - I installed Bloodshed Dev-C++, then copied the Program Files onto a USB pen - and I think it works, but I know this is not the same as being portable, so I tried using the JPE Wizard, and it made the files - but they didn't do anything when I clicked the portable icon.
They do work if I click on the norml icon (which in my case is in the same folder - but I think that has just bypassed the portable aspects).

Anyway - if someone could get me started with these two pieces of software, and point out what I've been doing wrong - I would really like the lessons.

Thank you for reading my post

redllar
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:52 pm
Contact:

#2 Post by redllar »

Welcome.

I can give Dev-C++ a go as I already have it's install around somewhere. It could take a bit of time as my plate's pretty full right now, so please don't be in a hurry. But I'll give it a quick go just to see what issues crop up.

Do you own the other app? If not, there won't be any way for you to defeat its registration process with JPE. If you own it we might be able to help you get it portablized. But you're going to have to do some work on your own as well, unless someone else here owns it.

User avatar
Firewrath
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:36 pm

#3 Post by Firewrath »

well, oddly enough, i havnt tryed Bloodshed with JPE,
but there is a entree in the TPFC database,

http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=417

But, i just did a quick test,
and it worked fine for me,

ok, from the TPFC database,
How to extract: Download the installer and install to the default folder C:\Dev-Cpp. Then copy all files (except uninstall.exe) into a folder of your choice. Finally, uninstall the program.
open JPE run the build portable wizard, and follow through the menus,
tell it to redirect the registry and the file system,
then copy the jauntePE.dll and madCHook.dll into the Dev-Cpp folder,
it should work then,

and crownixx made a rather nice auto-wizard for JPE, that will copy the .dlls and such for you, if your feeling lazy, ;)
(i use it alot, :P)

http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... php?t=1824


Now,
as for what type of coding you should get into,
well, ...its all evil, ;)
C++ is about the easyest and hardest to learn at the same time, :P
but its the most widely used language, and easyest to get help with in terms of guides, tutorials, and books,

so yeah, thatd be a good one,
also Java and the like have a similar code structure making it easyer to learn if youve done C++ before,

though, id stay away from things like .Net and VC++,
VC++ seems to compile somethings that programs like Bloodshed wont, which effects the compatibility of any code you might release,

personally, i like assembly,
i seem to understand it better, and i like having apps as small as possible,
...unfortunately, i cant code anything workable in it either, *sigh* :P

but in the end,
it really comes down to what your more comfortable with and understand better,

SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Thank you

#4 Post by SlowLearner »

Thank you for the quick responses

1) redllar
Do you own the other app? If not, there won't be any way for you to defeat its registration process with JPE. If you own it we might be able to help you get it portablized. But you're going to have to do some work on your own as well, unless someone else here owns it.
Yes I do own it, and anyone can download it from the Home page
http://www.magiciso.com/tutorials/miso- ... erview.htm
using the link "Download for Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP/2003/Vista".

I like the idea of helping me to portablize it - I would much prefer to learn the skills, rather than just have a portable version...so thank you for the offer.

2) Firewrath
I had only ever tried it using the crownixx auto-wizard (because I know it makes the ini and registry files - that scare me a bit).

However, I used the "build portable" you suggested...and it worked.

It has a cool red box around it and everything - this is great!!!

Also thank you for the advice, now I have a portable Dev, I can start working through the tutorials in my lunch-hour.

Thank you both

Chris
Posts: 106
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:08 am

#5 Post by Chris »

It looks like that MagicDisc needs a driver to be installed. Not sure if installing driver could be made portable. Hopefully, redllar has idea to overcome this.

redllar
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:52 pm
Contact:

#6 Post by redllar »

Firewrath, I was going to suggest that you might have the answer but I didn't know if you would be around. Thanks for helping. Have you actually compiled and linked and debugged via a portablized Dev-C++ and made sure no reg entries or file system mods are not getting portablized?

SlowLearner, re: what language to learn. My suggestion would be to pick something that helps you learn the concepts first. Then any future language you need/want to learn will be that much easier to pick up. If you plan on being a professional programmer this is especially critical as you'll need to stay current or risk either losing your job or getting stuck in a dead in one. I think there's a saying, "adapt or die." That is doubly true for a programmer.

So I'd like to suggest BASIC. I think there's at least one portable entry here at TPFC. You'll be able to learn the basic concepts of branching, looping, arrays, etc. Then you could move on to something else. There are literally thousands of languages to choose from.

As far as the other app goes, JPE works well with apps that do the driver installs/uninstalls automatically themselves. If the driver needs to be installed separately, then JPE can't portablize that yet. The code's in there, just commented out.

User avatar
Zach Thibeau
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:26 pm
Contact:

Re: Can someone show me how to use JPE?

#7 Post by Zach Thibeau »

SlowLearner wrote:Bloodshed Dev-C++ (FREEWARE)
BloodShed Dev-C++ is not freeware it's Open-Source. There is a difference
Sorry :oops: I can't stand people calling Open-Source software freeware. it's a little pet peeve :P

SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Thanks anyway

#8 Post by SlowLearner »

Hi

Thanks for trying with MagicDisc - at least now I know it isn't entirely due to my lack of skill (even if this is more by luck than anything else ;)

Also - I will have a look at BASIC - thank you for the help.

thibeaz - Sorry, I'll try to learn, didn't mean to upset you.

Finally, I had a go with DEV-CPP, and saved something to the desktop - I noticed that it didn't really put it there, but it created a folder in the application folder called desktop.

If I really wanted to load in a script from the desktop - would I have to make a folder in the application folder first, then save it into this?

Sorry if I haven't made this clear, but hopefully someone will understand what I'm trying to say.

User avatar
Zach Thibeau
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:26 pm
Contact:

Re: Thanks anyway

#9 Post by Zach Thibeau »

SlowLearner wrote:Hi

Thanks for trying with MagicDisc - at least now I know it isn't entirely due to my lack of skill (even if this is more by luck than anything else ;)

Also - I will have a look at BASIC - thank you for the help.

thibeaz - Sorry, I'll try to learn, didn't mean to upset you.

Finally, I had a go with DEV-CPP, and saved something to the desktop - I noticed that it didn't really put it there, but it created a folder in the application folder called desktop.

If I really wanted to load in a script from the desktop - would I have to make a folder in the application folder first, then save it into this?

Sorry if I haven't made this clear, but hopefully someone will understand what I'm trying to say.
Nah it's ok you don't need to apologize I should not have spoken

redllar
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:52 pm
Contact:

#10 Post by redllar »

Finally, I had a go with DEV-CPP, and saved something to the desktop - I noticed that it didn't really put it there, but it created a folder in the application folder called desktop.

If I really wanted to load in a script from the desktop - would I have to make a folder in the application folder first, then save it into this?
Let me ask this. What do you want? Do you always want to use the real desktop for storage. Or do you want a portable desktop folder that will travel along with the Dev C++ portable directory you've created? Or do you want to use the real desktop for storage but still want a portable folder for storage as well?

I'm asking these questions because JPE doesn't yet have the capability to merge a real folder's contents with its portable equivalent when an app browses the file system. It should eventually, just not now.

Also, would it work for you if you could use the real desktop for storage but have another folder that would be redirected, like the "My Docs" folder, that you could use for portable storage of files that you wanted to travel with your portable Dev C++?

EDIT: Sorry, just realized I repeated myself with that last paragraph. I was trying to give you a concrete example to think about.

SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Understanding JPE

#11 Post by SlowLearner »

Hi redllar

Any of those will be fine - I'm just trying to understand how it works.

So this means everything I save, anywhere on the computer, is really stored with the portable - and then goes with me?

That sounds ideal.

Thanks

SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Also

#12 Post by SlowLearner »

Forgot to ask - that BASIC, is it: Decimal Basic V5.9.8?

I used to do a bit of programming on a ZX Spectrum, when I was a kid, so I'm comfortable with for-next loops, etc

Thanks

redllar
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:52 pm
Contact:

Re: Understanding JPE

#13 Post by redllar »

So this means everything I save, anywhere on the computer, is really stored with the portable - and then goes with me?
No. Just the contents in what MS calls the "special folders" and the ones that you explicitly specify. Open up JPE then go to Settings->File System->Special Folders to see the special folders list.
Any of those will be fine - I'm just trying to understand how it works.
Try this first then. Copy the JauntePE home directory's JauntePE_jauntePE.ini into the directory that you're running Dev C++ from. Then modify it by adding the following "code" lines into the [FilesystemExclude] section. You'll also need to rename any Dev C++ specific ini that you may have to something that JPE won't recognize like blah_jauntePE.ini. Otherwise the JPE runtime will still use that ini instead of the one you just created since app-specific jpe inis override the JauntePE_jauntePE ini.

If done right the ini changes you make should allow all desktop changes to go through but redirect any other "special folder" mods. So you should be able to do a save to the desktop and have that file show up on the real desktop. But if you save to My Documents then a portable equivalent of My Documents should show up. BTW, the numbers to the right of the equal sign below correspond to the numbers found in the ini's [SpecialFolders] section. So all I did to tell JPE to not redirect desktop folder mods was to search through that list and use anything that said "desktop". Those are the 3 desktop folders Windows tracks. Your own, the all users one, and a virtualized one.

Code: Select all

1=0
2=16
3=25

redllar
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 7:52 pm
Contact:

Re: Also

#14 Post by redllar »

SlowLearner wrote:Forgot to ask - that BASIC, is it: Decimal Basic V5.9.8?

I used to do a bit of programming on a ZX Spectrum, when I was a kid, so I'm comfortable with for-next loops, etc
If you're comfortable with the basics, then I'd suggest asking yourself what general areas of interest you have? Are they more technical or more business related? I.E., do you like math and physics more than you like to solve general everyday problems like trying to figure out how to code up a checkbook app? This should point you in the direction of the types of computer languages it would be good for you to know. Because in university you will either have to go the CSE route (engineering college), the Web designer route (not sure - business?), the MIS route (business), etc. And that will most likely decide what jobs are open to you at graduation.

SlowLearner
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:58 pm

Wow - that's cool

#15 Post by SlowLearner »

redllar - thanks for that - it worked, and it is really cool.

I now see why people spend so much time on this, I've only been shown a little and I'm keen to start changing all the settings to see what happens (don't worry - I won't do anything that looks dangerous).

As far as a language goes - I don't want a change of career, I just want to learn for fun, and to make my computer do something (I'm always aware that it could do useful stuff, but because I don't know how - I end up not doing it).

My background is more towards the physics/mathematics end - but I don't want to learn some theoretical principles that I could never use.

Thank you for all your time - I know you developed the programme, and probably have much mroe to do than tutor a new guy.

Thaks to everyone for getting me started :D

Post Reply