Re-locating installed apps

[imported_civbat]

Is it possible to relocate installed applications without having to reinstall them? I'd like to move some apps from main memory to Ipaq filestore.

Thank you!

[Menneisyys]

Originally posted by civbat
Is it possible to relocate installed applications without having to reinstall them? I'd like to move some apps from main memory to Ipaq filestore.

Thank you!

It's possible, but, in a lot of cases, with a lot of manual hacking, so, in general, it's highly questionable if you really want to do want to do this relocation by hand.

First, you'll need to update the link files in \Windows\Start Menu[\Programs] to point to the new location. This is the easiest part.

Second, if the app doesn't run after this, you need to scrutinize its registry entries to see if it has some hard-coded paths (mostly resources, DLL's and stuff like that). You will want to follow the DLL hacking thread links I've collected at http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/foru...ic.php?t=36584 and http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/foru...ic.php?t=36622 for more info.

Third, if the app doesn't run even after this (because it's not in the Registry that wired-in path info is but somewhere else - in the files themselves), you need to scrutinize all files to see which must be left in the main memory. This sometimes equals to leaving one file in main memory at a time and starting the application; therefore, can be very tedious. However, in some cases, it helps in relocating apps to a storage card that otherwise could only be installed into main memory. An example of this is Pocket Presence's applications. By a lot of hacking, I've managed to relocate them almost entirely to sotrage card. See for example my remarks on this at http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/foru...r=asc&start=30

[Snakeyes]

Menneisyys is absolutely on the mark however the process is actually very easy using ActiveStink.
1) Connect to ActiveStink.
2) On the PC in AS goto Tools-Add/Remove and uncheck the program you want to move. ( Do not check Remove )
3) Once the un-install is complete go back to Tools-Add/Remove and check the box you had unchecked. (May sure the 'Install into Default Installation Folder" box is unchecked )
4) the program wil not install with AS giving you the choice of location.
Cheers

[imported_civbat]

Great information!

A big thanks to both of you for the quick and informative replies.

[JNGold]

It's possible, but, in a lot of cases, with a lot of manual hacking, so, in general, it's highly questionable if you really want to do want to do this relocation by hand.

I don't know if it's as prevelant as you think. I have moved tons of apps to and from main memory to storage card without any problems whatsoever. From my experience, most apps are self-contained to it's directory (ie. dll's and such). Of course, what winds up happening is that I move apps like utils (ie. Pocket Mechanic), video and music players, etc.

But yes, you are correct that some apps may require deep registry hacking.

[Menneisyys]

Originally posted by Snakeyes
Menneisyys is absolutely on the mark however the process is actually very easy using ActiveStink.
1) Connect to ActiveStink.
2) On the PC in AS goto Tools-Add/Remove and uncheck the program you want to move. ( Do not check Remove )
3) Once the un-install is complete go back to Tools-Add/Remove and check the box you had unchecked. (May sure the 'Install into Default Installation Folder" box is unchecked )
4) the program wil not install with AS giving you the choice of location.
Cheers

You're right - I thought the original poster didn't want to use his/her desktop for relocating its stuff. Then, it's indeed the easiest way to relocate most already-installed stuff.

There're, however, cases when it won't work. I've outlined these cases in my new tutorial at http://discussion.brighthand.com/sho...hreadid=117841 . These cases are as follows:

- the application came only as a CAB file (and not as a Windows installer), which, consequently, you have run on the PDA itself to be installed and not on the desktop computer. There're a lot of examples for this; for example, Pocket UFO Beta (see for example http://www.pocketpcmag.com/forum/top...TOPIC_ID=15194 on it.)

- the application came as an EXE file that must be run on the PDA and not on the desktop computer. An example of this is the widely-known SE_VGA application ( http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=14679 ) . (Incidentally, SE_VGA is unique in that respect that it comes as an installer EXE that must be executed on the PDA. I haven't seen any other PPC apps that have used PPC-based installers as yet.) The same stands for, for example, ozVGA ( http://207.153.195.134/ ), which consists of an EXE file that must be extracted from its compressed distribution package and copied to the PPC by hand. And, a lot of small, typically, smaller than 50-100 kbytes, utilities come without any kind of CAB file or desktop installer; for example, easySMS ( http://www.siedler-net.de/WinCE/easySMS/ ) or Peter O'Neill's SMS application ( http://poneill.ucd.ie/SMS/ ; incidentally, see my roundup on mobile phone handler apps at http://www.pdamania.hu/content/1840 - beware, it's in Hungarian! - on the two latter applications.)

- much as the installer was run on the desktop, it didn't use ActiveSync for installing its files. One of the most known examples of this category is Destinator ( http://www.destinator1.com/ ) or Pocket Presence's applications. In this case, it won't be listed in the ActiveSync list at all; not even as a non-editable list item, unlike the case with CAB files that have been installed on the PDA or applications that have been installed from another Windows computer. Applications like these (that is, apps that completely circumvent the traditional ActiveSync installer) must be reinstalled by executing the desktop-based installer, if they allow for installation on a storage card at all. For example, Pocket Presence applications don't support the installation on any kind of storage card, which is a real pain in the back because they take a lot of memory. (No wonder I resorted to hacking them into a storage card)