autorun with an icon

[Kirk]

so i have 3 folders and 4 files i want to put together so its a single icon that when double clicked it will run the application. kinda like an iso file for a cd.

the files are:
data
autorun.inf
loader.ini
player.html
player
quizes
launcher.exe

how can i make them all one 'thing' so it will run off a single icon?

kirk

[bad_brain]

hm, how are those files connected to each other?

autorun.inf sounds like it's from a DVD or CD, and launcher.exe is usually the one that starts the app that is on that DVD (usually after it's installed, or it also can be the launcher for the installer).

or are those files not connected at all? then you will have to do it via batch file if you want to run multiple things at once...

[Kirk]

you have it correct. they were all made so i can burn then to a cd and have it autorun when the cd is put in. but i want to make it so i can use an icon as well.

[ph0bYx]

You mean something like SETUP.exe? Or what exactly is that one icon suppose to do when you click it?

[Kirk]

not a setup. there is no set up here. nothing to install. the launcher.exe run a flash player for powerpoint. it pulls info from the other files. the folder 'player' is all the stuff for the player. i want to put all that stuff together so i dont have to extract the files and folders and then run the launcher.exe. i would instead like just one .exe will all the info in it. kinda like an iso for a cd. only in a clickable icon format.

[bad_brain]

hmmm....best describe what exactly should happen when clicking the .exe you want to have...

[Kirk]

it would run the launcher.exe. I just want to package all the file and folders together and have it run on one central icon. like an ISO only on the desktop.

[ph0bYx]

Well, from my limited knowledge on this subject, I think that in order to launch all the data that you posted at once you'd need to hard code all the of it into one launcher

[DNR]

autorun - I believe he means - you put the disk in, and it will automatically run.

Simply autorun is

Code: Select all

autorun 
open=setup.exe 
icon=setup.exe,0
label=My install CD

----

P4 is correct, Vista and later, no more autorun, but a autoplay - Windows will search the file, define its file type, use only authorized applications to execute the file, and prompt the user if it wants it to run.

In the newer Windows for security the Handlers are defined - either its a movie, photos, data like a .doc file. The handler will prompt you with the choices of what to do, based on the data type of the autoplay file - a movie - Windows media player, music - real player, pictures - windows slide show - etc.

The AutoRun layer initially consults Windows Registry values to decides whether to initiate actions for any particular drive or drive type. If AutoRun has been disabled for the newly discovered volume, then the process halts at that point, effectively disabling AutoPlay for that volume. You are limited to what is in the HKLM\...\AutoPlayHandlers

All file type information is stored in the Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. The following is the PerceivedType Registry information for .avi Video files and .mp3 Music files:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.avi
(Default) "avifile"
PerceivedType "video"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp3
(Default) "mp3file"
PerceivedType "audio"


First, autoPlay looks in several places in the Registry for a DeviceHandlers entry. This is simply a string which, when combined with other information, selects an EventHandler (which tables the Handlers). The DeviceHandlers entries are commonly placed into the Registry by the manufacturer of the device. There are also broader categories of devices which have preassigned DeviceHandlers, Video Camera devices for example.

AutoPlay initiates by doing an examination of the volume for content. This is called content sniffing. AutoPlay decides whether the volume is an Audio CD, movie DVD, a blank recordable medium (a CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R etc.) or a generic volume which contains files.

In the case of a generic volume, AutoPlay starts with the root directory and searches the file system to a depth of four directory levels below the root directory to find file types that fall into certain categories or "content types".

AutoPlay searches for media four directory levels below the root directory to find known file types. It uses the PerceivedType value associated with a file extension in the registry to determine the file category, whether it is an image, an audio file, or a video file. With this information, AutoPlay launches the appropriate handler for that device and file type.

Files outside these categories are not of interest:

Pictures .jpg .gif .bmp .png ...
Music .mp3 .wav .wma ...
Video .avi .mpg ...

Content is considered to be "Mixed content" if files fall into more than one of the three categories.

Content is considered to be Unknown if the content sniffing process finds no categorisable content. This does not mean that there are no files present, just no files falling into one or more of the above three content types. In this case AutoPlay opens an Explorer window on the root directory of the medium and the process flow finishes here.

When a Device Handler is selected to run your file, you combine it with the triggering Event to produce a Registry key relative to the AutoPlayHandlers key:

HKLM\...\AutoPlayHandlers\DeviceHandlers\devicehandler\EventHandlers\event

For example, on connecting a Video Camera to your computer - that is "DeviceArrival" - this is the trigger that starts the Device Handler -"VideoCameraDeviceHandler" . This is called an Event.

The Windows OS has handlers that you choose from, and the DefaultIcon, Action and Provider entries from each Handler are used to build the icons and strings that display the choices in the AutoPlay dialog.

◦Action: Text string that represents what action the application will take with regard to the content type that triggered an Autoplay response.
◦DefaultIcon: Icon that represents the application in the Autoplay UI.
◦InvokeProgID: This is the ProgID of an application or COM component providing a Shell sub key that will be invoked.
◦InvokeVerb: This is the verb under the ProgID specified in the InvokeProgID value.
◦ProviderText: The string that represents the application.

Use TweakUI (must be using XP) to create handler commands for events and files
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/tweakui.htm
(not sure about this: http://www.winvistaclub.com/Ultimate_Windows_Tweaker.html - a tweakui of sorts for Vista and W7)

Use third party applications to create shortcut Icons that can be installed for your program
http://irfanview.com/

So in short, without major registry editing you are left with Windows Dialog box starting your application. Once your application starts, depending on the media type, it will be a picture show, movie/flash, or running script.

Sorry no easy answer for Vista/7 (checking out the newer tweakui for it now)

DNR

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorun.inf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoPlay
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/system/AutoplayDemo.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa969331.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776871.aspx

[Kirk]

i must not be explaining myself very well. thats ok. i have an idea in my head but not the words to describe it. maybe what i want just isnt possible so thats why its not making sense.

[DNR]

It did look like all the posts covered the range of autorun or autoplay for software you want to burn on a disk.

BTW, tweakui for Vista is crap.

DNR

[maboroshi]

I think I got it you want to package them into a single application

Look into Spoon Installer might be what you need

http://spoon-installer.sourceforge.net/

[Lundis]

Sounds like you wanna put those other data files inside the executable instead of having them separate. This wouldn't be too hard to accomplish, but it's pretty complicated unless you've got the source code for the executable, since you'd have to tell it to get the data from the executable itself instead of those external files. One could write a wrapper that would redirect certain data streams the executable requests to the right positions in the file, but it's easier said than done... You'd need to find someone with experience writing windows device drivers... Or just google around and see if anyone has written such a program already, but I kinda doubt it, a simple shortcut would be much simpler, keeping all the files stashed away in a folder somewhere

[floodhound2]

Perhaps a good 'ole batch file could do what you want?

You could also do this in VB I think.

[Kirk]

Mabs and Lundis got it. I want all those file in one executable so it will be easier to move and handle. I will look into the spoon thing. thanks.