Install routine for software
by Jonty M Sexton
on
Oct 26, 2008 at 10:26:08 am
I am having a commercial PC CD-ROM developed which, for speed of accessing the data, the users need to install onto their hard drives. It's a straight copy of several folders, with nothing written to the registry, but I cannot ask users to manually do this. My developer tells me that writing an install routine is not easy. I'd really appreciate some help and guidance here.
For an idea of the software see, www.admiraltybadges.co.uk/
Re: Install routine for software by Bouke Vahl on Oct 26, 2008 at 11:17:59 am
If you have some installer creation software it is very easy.
But you can write your own installer in a few hours using BuddyApi.
But, with the speed of DVD rom drives nowadays, it should be very well possible to play back from DVD.
Besides, how do you manage to fill a DVD? Are you working uncompressed? Check out making shockwave movies instead of DXR's.
If you put the compression to max quality it hardly makes a difference, but the size will decrease enourmous. (Thus also the read speed)
Another trick.
Since windows caches all data that has been accessed on harddisk, you could write an 'on idle' handler that acesses your data in a MIAW offscreen, so it will be very fast to access by the user.
Bouke
http://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pro's
Re: Install routine for software by Jonty M Sexton on Oct 27, 2008 at 7:35:56 am
Hi Bouke. Thanks for your reply.
To be honest, it is now a CD-ROM. There was a stage when we thought that the hi-res print-out jpgs would not fit on a CD - but they do.
The trouble (on a domestically produced CD) is that the 1,800 thumbnail images - which are key to the browsing routine - take a long time to load. I don't know whether this will speed up on a commercially produced CD-ROM.
Thanks for your ideas. I will look into them.
If my developer does not have Buddy Api, is this something you could do for me for a price? If so, what would you charge?
JMS
Re: Install routine for software by Bouke Vahl on Oct 27, 2008 at 8:20:58 am
Jonty,
Do check out the DXR instead of DCR compiling. It will reduce the file size a big amount, thus making the read time shorter.
Do not expect a commercial disc to be faster, it probably will not be...
The trick with putting up stuff in an offstage miaw is certainly a good one, do toy with it. (Just put all your assets that you want to load on a timeline and play it once. Put it in on order you expect your audience to access it.) Also, provide an opening animation to gain some time, and make sure you have some form of feedback (clock or 'searching' or watever) if an operation might be slow, so your end users know nothing has crashed...
Working from CD is very well possible. A full CD-rom should be read in just a few minutes.
BuddyApi is not that pricy, and if your developer does not have it, he should. (And the full version, the limited version is always too limited. Once you've seen the feature set you gain, you start using it a lot...)
I could write an installer, and it should be quite cheap. But, as always, there will be changes, and more changes and that'll make it expensive...
Bouke
http://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pro's
