Autorun CDs on a PC are possible.
When a CD is inserted into the CD drive when windows is running
Windows looks for a file on the CD called Autorun.inf
This is a text file. Info about this can be found on the web.
Basically all that the file needs to contain is the statement :
open=Program.Exe : to execute a program like QPC2
or
open=document.html : but this assumes that there is an appropriate
browser available in windows and that a Windows program start.exe is
available. This is apparently not available in Windows NT & 2000.
There is on the web an alternative freeware program called "avvia". It can
be used as a substitute for start.exe.
It seems to work OK. I use it to make autorunning CDs with powerpoint
presentations sometimes needed for my job, but after reading this thread I
have just made - 2minute job an autorunning CD that boots up QPC2 with a
small QXL.win file on the CD as well. The CD contains :
Autorun.inf
QPC2
avvia
Register.key
QXL.win
SMSQ/E
So if thats the sort of thing you are looking for its probably feasable.
Dilwyn could make an auto running PC CD rom that boots one of the freeware
QL emulators which launches a QL text viewer with his readme file & a
browser to give instant access to the software in for example his excellent
PD CDROM.
I can supply the zip file containing avvia if anyone wants to try it.
Duncan
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of
Dilwyn Jones
Sent: 10 August 2003 23:57
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [ql-users] QL2004
>The QL Emulators CD that Dilwyn and Darren produced, for example, was
a
>great idea. Once the GUI's area available it would be good to do this
>again ... and more.
Thanks. I hadn't really thought of using Launchpad or QDT in this
context, but who knows?
>Have CD that would 'auto magically' produce and set up a QL
environment
>on a MAC or PC, etc. It will have to be easy and 'done on a plate'
to
>get new users involved. They won't have the time to catch up on all
the
>things that those of still involved may know about.
This is one of the shortcomings of the present CD, I didn't know
enough about the 'other computers' to do auto-setups etc, which is why
it's only a home brew-DIY tinkerers setup and readme.txt's etc. Anyone
who'd like to do this is welcome to have a copy to provide such a
setup, but please make it flexible enough to allow for whatever might
happen, for example, the latest CD (v1.24) now has QL2K and the
Windows version of uQLx, just added "as is" with additions to the
readme files.
--
Dilwyn Jones
