HstWB Installer - Making preinstalled HDF legal for sharing

[pixSCN]

Originally Posted by cyberhead97

The msi installer installs HstWB installer and following packages:
- BetterWB.4.0.0
- HstWB.1.0.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.OCS.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.OCS.Menu.2.6.0

After installation, setup, run or settings are easily accessed from start menu.

A suggested installation for A1200 would adding following packages using setup script:
- BetterWB.4.0.0
- HstWB.1.0.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.AGA.Menu.2.6.0

Note that AGA menu contains 200 color screenshots and OCS contains 12 color screenshots.

If both EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu and EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.OCS.Menu packages are added, they would overwrite each other.

Thanks! Finally back home, and got time to test the msi installer. Works like a charm.

[cyberhead97]

Just want to give an update on the project.

I almost have scripts working for a self-installing HDF image of HstWB Installer. The installation process is automated as much as possible, if using WinUAE. In WinUAE CD & harddisks settings a directory with Workbench adf can be added with device name WORKBENCHDIR and a directory with Kickstart roms can be added with device name KICKSTARTDIR.

If WORKBENCHDIR is present, when starting the self-installing HDF, it will detect all Workbench adf files, extract and copy files from them. This requires only Workbench 3.1 disk to be inserted, ejected and inserted during installation. The reason for ejecting is a reboot for loading a library required by UnADF. This could be optimized by replacing UnADF with another adf extraction tool doesn't require any libraries loaded which will remove the extra eject and insert disk steps. If this process fails, it will fall back to installing Workbench from disks.

If WORKBENCHDIR is not present, if will install Workbench from disks and ask for each of the 6 Workbench 3.1 disks to be inserted in turn.

Same goes for KICKSTARTDIR, if present Kickstart roms for WHDLoad are automatically identified and copied with SYS: Devs/Kickstarts during installation process.

HstWB installer is being extended with a self-install installation mode, so it can build such self-installing HDF image as described above. This helps me to easily update HDF images.

More testing and it’s ready for releasing.

[ransom1122]

[ma693541]

Very nice idea you have there cyberhead97, but when I ran the included .msi installer from this Thread and I have been reading it over and over again, it installed well, that's not the problem, but the PowerShell script was giving out red errors when i ran the Installer-Setup script. I tested the final image HDF and it was fine. I installed the whole thing to this path; E:\HstWB Installer and I use Windows 10 and yes I am using a Norwegian Windows 10.

[cyberhead97]

ma693541: Thanks, could you please post the error message or screenshot with a description of how you got the error?

For the self-install script I managed to replace UnADF with FMS and DiskWiz. These two nice tools from aminet has removed the reboot step UnADF required. Now its just adding WORKBENCHDIR device in WinUAE with adf files, start WinUAE, insert Workbench 3.1 disk in DF0 and rest is done automatically

[ma693541]

Originally Posted by cyberhead97

The msi installer installs HstWB installer and following packages:
- BetterWB.4.0.0
- HstWB.1.0.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.OCS.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.OCS.Menu.2.6.0

After installation, setup, run or settings are easily accessed from start menu.

A suggested installation for A1200 would adding following packages using setup script:
- BetterWB.4.0.0
- HstWB.1.0.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu.2.6.0
- EAB.WHDLoad.Games.AGA.Menu.2.6.0

Note that AGA menu contains 200 color screenshots and OCS contains 12 color screenshots.

If both EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.AGA.Menu and EAB.WHDLoad.Demos.OCS.Menu packages are added, they would overwrite each other.

I was following this steps in the order given and only for AGA and got a whole page of errors in PowerShell about "Key can't be zero" and if i remember it right it was in line 143 or 147 and 155 in the PowerShell script, but the final image and installation was ok and worked well.

[cyberhead97]

I was following this steps in the order given and only for AGA and got a whole page of errors in PowerShell about "Key can't be zero" and if i remember it right it was in line 143 or 147 and 155 in the PowerShell script, but the final image and installation was ok and worked well.

Thanks for the details, but I haven't been able to reproduce the error. I have been doing a lot of updates lately and I expect this will solve the issues you have encountered.

The self install version of HstWB seems to be quite stable now and I want to release it for anyone to test. It's available here at mega.nz for download in a release candidate 1. This image has been build by current version of HstWB Installer and it will be released in a new msi installer, if the self install proves to be stable enough.

The HstWB self install HDF is very similar to ClassicWB and I have done a lot of effort to make it as self explanatory as possible. So it should be as simple as mounting the HDF image in WinUAE with A1200 configuration and start it to begin installation. As the self install will explain, I recommend adding directory with Workbench adf files with device name WORKBENCHDIR and directory with Kickstart rom with device name KICKSTARTDIR in WinUAE before starting the self install. This will automate the installation with only inserting Workbench 3.1 disk in DF0: and rest is detected and installed automatically.

Well, please have a go at it

[pixSCN]

Running fine both on my MiST and my Raspberry Pi 3 now. Made a 4GB version for my MiST, and I had to run it from a folder on my RB3 (due to some weird HDF size limit).

[cyberhead97]

Thats great. I will make an empty 4gb image for use with HstWB Installer, so I can build 4gb self install HDF images.

[pixSCN]

Originally Posted by cyberhead97

Thats great. I will make an empty 4gb image for use with HstWB Installer, so I can build 4gb self install HDF images.

That would be great for people having to use FAT32. I'm thinking of making two 4GB HDFs for my MiST. Think it's possible to run one "slave" HDF too.

[cyberhead97]

It’s been some time since my last post, so here’s an update on the current HstWB development progress that I have been working on the last 2-3 weeks. I now have a working self-install HDF image, which is ready to use and can be setup either in WinUAE (fastest) or on real hardware. A download link to a HstWB AGA 4GB self-install is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuwa26tdg2...stall.zip?dl=0. The current version HstWB Installer can build these HDF images in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB versions. It still needs to be released as new Windows installer for those wanting to try building HstWB images.

There has been put a good effort into making the self-install progress as self-explaining as possible with messages during the installation process. The most important is the following directories can be added in WinUAE:
- WORKBENCHDIR, a directory containing your Workbench adf files. For Cloanto Amiga Forever this is commonly “C:\Users\Public\Documents\Amiga Files\Shared\adf”.
- KICKSTARTDIR, a directory containing your Kickstart rom files. For Cloanto Amiga Forever this is commonly “C:\Users\Public\Documents\Amiga Files\Shared\rom”.

This is also explained before the self-install begins starting the HDF image, so you have a chance of adding them and restarting to use them to speed up installation process.

If none of these directories are added, then Workbench will be installed from disks. It automatically detects floppy device to use by checking DF0-DF3, which floppy contains a valid Workbench 3.1 disk.

The Kickstart roms can also be installed afterwards from Workbench by opening Programs, Configurations and start Configure-Kickstart-Roms. This menu shows current status of Kickstart roms required by various whdload games or demos, so it’s easy to see which are installed or might be missing. Clicking install kickstart roms in the menu will present a directory selection dialog, where a directory containing Kickstart rom files can be selected. For A600/1200 this could be done with compact flash device CF0: as HstWB image has compact flash device and FAT95 support preinstalled.

For AGS2 and iGame I have regenerated the menu files a couple of times. I did discover by the hard way that hashtag and parentheses should not be used in file- or directory-names. The game and demo names generated are now much better than before especially gameslist generated for iGame.

To make it easier to customize use of AGS2 game or demo menus I have developed a Configure-Menus script, which can be started from Workbench, Programs and Configuration. This allows adding, renaming or deleting AGS2 menu items. Adding menu items supports following file types checked in the following order:
1. Hstwbmenu data: My custom data file format used for adding basically anything as a AGS2 menu item.
2. Whdload slave: Script part to start whdload slave is automatically generated.
3. Any executable file: Script part to start executable is automatically generated.

Screenshots and detail text files are also supported and will be copied if they exist. Eg. for a whdload slave called 1943.slave it will copy 1943.iff and 1943.txt if they exist to AGS2 menu.

As the HDF image comes with everything except whdload games or demos, the AGS2 menus are configured to show everything that currently exists in EAB Whdload Packs v2.6. This is not useful if you just want to install for preferred set of whdload games or demos and don’t see all ~4000 possible AGS2 menu items. Therefore I added a show existing to Configure-Menus script. This will check if the whdload slave file exist and hide menu items that doesn’t exist so it will end up showing only what you have added to DH1:Whdload/Games or DH1:Whdload/Demos. This can be repeated if additional whdload game or demos are added or deleted.

For the more technical explaining, this is accomplished by a commented runfile line in each AGS2 run file used as a runfile reference to check and determine if AGS2 menu item should be shown or hidden.

I think that covers the most interesting updates. I hope some of you find time to try my HstWB self-install HDF image and try it out. Screenshots of how it looks will be posted later and im preparing a new Windows installer release and self-installing HDF images.

Let me know what you think .

[AMIGASYSTEM]

I'm curious the text right away, thanks

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Meanwhile congratulate you because you did a great job, beautiful GUI, it was an installation that took a long time, perhaps on WinUAE i was wrong to use a non-expanded system used A1200 4MB RAM.

Two things I did not understand:

- If you click on Games, Demos or Workbench the result does not change, All three lead to the same place

- At first start came out of the various menus, how do you call them?

[cyberhead97]

Originally Posted by AMIGASYSTEM

Meanwhile congratulate you because you did a great job, beautiful GUI, it was an installation that took a long time, perhaps on WinUAE i was wrong to use a non-expanded system used A1200 4MB RAM.

Two things I did not understand:

- If you click on Games, Demos or Workbench the result does not change, All three lead to the same place

- At first start came out of the various menus, how do you call them?

Thanks, the installation process is quite fast with WinUAE if you set drive speed to 800% and switch to 68030 and enable JIT.

I assume this is when you have enabled Amiga Boot Selector (ABS), which gives you these selections shortly after boot. If I select Games, Demos or Workbench I do get different outcomes. Difference between Games and Demos is visible from the text shown in the theme image as one says "Arcade Game Selector" and the other says "Scene Demo Selector". If you let the timer run out it will run what was selected last time and thats the only time I end at the same place. Could that be the case?

The configure setup menu displayed at first boot can afterwards be accessed from Workbench, Programs, Configuration and double click Configure Setup.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Thanks cyberhead, i think I understand (use Google Translate), I did the installation with A1200 basis for not encounter problems instead I found waiting , I usually use systems RTG 060/JIT [ Show youtube player ]

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Ok I solved, given that I could not access the Workbench in a normal way, Arcade Game Selector It was started by showing a small request of choice "Games, Demo, and Workbench", and it did not allow me to make other choices and different, just Games.
At this point I started Startup-sequence (Early Startup Control) and i execute ResetSetup, then I later discovered that the ResetSetup can be invoked with the two mouse buttons pressed simultaneously.

If it could be useful, during installation I used my Workbench 3.1 and with some Workbench KickStart does not start Kickstart 3.1 of A3000 and A4000T "invalid resident library", instead it works well with KickStart 3.1 (A1200, A4000, A6500-600-1200).

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Created a little video showing the operation of Arcade Game Selector:

[ Show youtube player ]

[cyberhead97]

Thanks for the video. It's helps showcasing what AGS2 is and the menu's that I have build

[cyberhead97]

I must admit that I have only been testing and building the setup on emulated or real A500/A600/A1200 with Kickstart 3.1. I don't own real A3000/A4000, but I should fine with emulating those systems in WinUAE.

It's correct you can hold down right mouse button during startup. This will show the configure setup menu with the reset option and was added as a sort of recovery, if a configuration would make the system crash.

After making a new .msi Windows installer for HstWB, I will start writing more documentation to describe all the features HstWB provides. The goal is to have that available as github markdown and Amiga Guide. Then guide files can be included and viewed directly on the Amiga.

[AMIGASYSTEM]

Originally Posted by cyberhead97

I must admit that I have only been testing and building the setup on emulated or real A500/A600/A1200 with Kickstart 3.1. I don't own real A3000/A4000, but I should fine with emulating those systems in WinUAE.

Kickstart A4000 Ok, problem with KickStart A4000T

It's correct you can hold down right mouse button during startup. This will show the configure setup menu with the reset option and was added as a sort of recovery, if a configuration would make the system crash.

After making a new .msi Windows installer for HstWB, I will start writing more documentation to describe all the features HstWB provides. The goal is to have that available as github markdown and Amiga Guide. Then guide files can be included and viewed directly on the Amiga.

Thank you