Win Portable Mode Fixes
#16
(2012-04-08, 08:13)Livin Wrote: The number of users of true portable apps is less than 1% of the overall app user base.

Based on what?

Reply
#17
I am i guess one of the average users, and i am looking for this. Here is why:

I travel. My media is on a server on the internet. And i really think this internet thing is going to become very popular one day.
It would be great to have a small XBMC on a USB stick to take with me. With small i mean without an additional OS. Because XBMC won't be the only thing i have with me. And everyone i know uses Windows... Yes, all of them...

Also having the userdata/appdata on the USB stick. Instead of having my log with login data on every pc i use it on.
The size of my userdata is not very big as it holds, for example: only episodes of shows i follow that i have not yet seen. It's not storage but more something that changes content frequently. My whole Users\***\AppData\Roaming folder is 650Mb atm.
So the library is easy but not the most important. What is, is instant access to direct overview and streaming of my files

Atm, I use an old 10.0 live. And i have to add my source every time i use it. Build my small library. And delete it when i am done, together with the log.

I would totally understand that there is only a 1% of the userbase that uses it. Because it is almost too much work. As it is easier to just log in on http, browse to file and just dl the 300Mb file.
But it could be a no re-login, instant library, with awesome player, on the go. Maybe even get it as Windows autoplay option?

But yeah, Git is a few steps too far for me.

Image [RELEASE] Metroid
Image [RELEASE] IrcChat
Reply
#18
@MassIV: The existing portable option (start the exe with -p) is EXACTLY for the case you propose.

Nothing should be written to the host system if you have it all sitting on your USB stick.
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#19
(2012-05-10, 11:15)jmarshall Wrote: @MassIV: The existing portable option (start the exe with -p) is EXACTLY for the case you propose.

Nothing should be written to the host system if you have it all sitting on your USB stick.

Are there any dependencies that need to be installed on the host system for this to work?

I ask because I tried using this portable option (exe with -p) on a USB stick not long ago for a friend. While it worked flawlessly with the computer that I used to set it up, it simply refused to work on my friend's laptop (i.e. would not launch). I wish I'd noted down the Windows error messages that popped up - sorry I don't have more details to give - but I think when I Googled one of them it said that the missing component related to the MS .NET framework, so I made sure that was up-to-date. Still no dice. Didn't really no where to turn after that
Reply
#20
DirectX + the MS runtimes for VS2010. Nothing to do with .NET.
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#21
(2012-05-10, 11:55)jmarshall Wrote: DirectX + the MS runtimes for VS2010. Nothing to do with .NET.

D'oh! Back to Google-school for me then.

So for future reference, if I want to install Eden Final as a portable app on a USB stick, then it might be a good idea to include the following 2 install packages on the USB stick as well in case they're not already installed on the host system:
* Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86) - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/...px?id=5555
* DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/...px?id=8109

Is that correct?

Cheers for the info.
Reply
#22
Yeah, that should be it.
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


Image
Reply
#23
There's still a fair bit of crossed wires in this thread...

just to clarify...

- XBMC already has a very good portable mode - ideal for putting on a memory stick, or being able to survive a total OS reinstall etc
- XBMC's native support for portable media isn't great - it remembers hard paths for where your media is (but this can be easily overcome with drive mapping, or better still symbolic links)
- XBMC's portable mode isn't quite as neat as the popular 'portable apps' format - where an 'install' isn't needed. DirectX aside... it would (imo) be a nice option to have the install in zip format, and thus readily deployed without any registry trace etc (for Windows)
- The DirectX issue appears to be necessitate the need for an installer.

I personally have found that placing D3DX9_43.dll side by side with xbmc.exe makes for a totally portable solution on Vista and 7. It MAY just be good fortune, but seems to work perfectly well on a virgin vista or 7 system. I appreciate that you'll have to MANUALLY locate this file for yourself and place it side by side, but it might be of use to those finding XBMC isn't starting on their friend's PCs etc.

Reply
#24
@ jmarshall
Miss communication, sorry. I thought this would also allow us to have the shortcut ON the USB root for example (and then the extra files to make it run on any computer). Like straight out of the box. Meanwhile i switched to Eden portable and made a USB root shortcut. Nice improvements Big Grin

If anyone needs that (USB root shortcut) btw:
Make a Notepad with the path to where xbmc.exe is on the USB, but without the drive letter or first slash.
Then put a " before, a " behind, and add -p. So it would look like this:
"files\xbmc\xbmc.exe" -p

Save the notepad file as xmbc.bat in the root of your usb. Now you have a shortcut for portable that you can use from your USB root.
The following is optional: Find an icon for xbmc with .ico file extension. Get a bat to exe converter to give it the icon, make it launch invisible (without showing cmd prompt) and obviously make it an exe (note: it still needs the original exe).
Bat to exe: http://www.f2ko.de/programs.php?lang=en&pid=b2e

And anyone making shortcuts to that file would not have to edit the shortcut.
Image [RELEASE] Metroid
Image [RELEASE] IrcChat
Reply
#25
I assume that running the DB from one location (such as a NAS) would solve lot's of troubles?
http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=HOW...sing_MySQL

Pitty it's not easy to setup up.

Maybe future request for the new next version, define in the settings where to store/get the database?
Reply
#26
mysql will be dropped in future in favor of an intelligent syncing feature via UPNP - it's already being worked on
Reply
#27
(2014-03-10, 12:14)da-anda Wrote: mysql will be dropped in future in favor of an intelligent syncing feature via UPNP - it's already being worked on

Looking great !
I've read this in the new version 13.
Can it already be used?

How does it work?
Reply
#28
I tried the portable (-p) install again yesterday with the v13 beta.
It creates the extra folders and works on my pc, but when moving to a folder on my nas, I get the error everytime.
Pitty, I'm still looking for a solution so I don't have to index or sync all my hundreds of movies on every computer I have (sleeping room, living room, kids room)
Reply
#29
you can't use the same profile folder for all clients in your house if more than one is accessing those files at a time. (database file can only be opened by one instance at a time). The only thing you can do atm is using MySQL and path substitution via as.xml OR run one XBMC master and access the library via UPNP from all other clients (requires skin tweaking so that movies, tv-shows, music will directly take you to the UPNP share because you currently can't index UPNP files in a reliable way).
Reply
#30
Thx, seems a bit to technical for me Smile
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
Portable Mode Fixes1