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Hirens CD v14


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#1 sbaeder

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Posted 02 June 2011 - 02:11 AM

Looking for comments and feedback here. This is an update of the script I originally wrote for Hiren's Boot CD. This modification is based on his changes in v14 to move things around and also to go with Parted Magic as the "linux" recovery option. Since there is already a script to do that, no reason to add it twice, so you can uncheck it as an option here. While I was at it, I also made it optional to include the "misc" bootable tools (like DBan) as well as even all the DOS files (which removes all the "other OS" boot menu's, but still leaves access to the windows tools from inside the PE.

Note: YES, I know that there are some redistribution issues with HBCD, which is why this script makes you download it your self. I also took the liberty of NOT migrating to the target PE either of the MiniXP or Mini98 images, since 1) clearly they have MS code in them, and 2) the whole point of integrating this with a WinBuilder PE build is to add things to a PE we are building, and not to add more PE's to the image... :innocent:

Like I said, looking for comments and/or areas to improve...

Scott

p.s. file name is that way since you need to use the actual file name to control the order scripts are processed, and I wanted this to be the 3rd entry on my main bootable menu... :cheers:

Edit - Current script now attached to this post below

#2 ChrisR

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Posted 09 June 2011 - 09:36 PM

Hi sbaeder,

Thank you for the update script from hirens 13 to hirens bootCD 14 :D .

As "Other OS" on a project Win7PE, indeed, removing MiniXP and Mini98 images is good and it's good too, to enable or disable Parted Magic.
For these removals, there are, unfortunately, the menu options (Grub4dos or Isolinux) in HBCD\menu.lst or HBCD\isolinux.cfg that do not work.


for the other bootable tools (dos tools, Other Misc Tools), I'm torn because as written in the script

Note: If some tools are omitted from the build, some of the internal menu selections won't function properly!


A remark for the new download option, I prefer the option as it was on the previous script "file selection of hirens boot CD ISO" with a manual download done previously.
- First for size 495 Mo.
- And then, for the purposes of the "Custom Keyboard Settings Patch" included in Hirens, and to not having an US keyboard for non US people like me.
. Difficult for end-user to know where to put the modified iso with the download option.

;)

#3 sbaeder

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Posted 09 June 2011 - 10:40 PM

Hi sbaeder,

Thank you for the update script from hirens 13 to hirens bootCD 14 :D .

As "Other OS" on a project Win7PE, indeed, removing MiniXP and Mini98 images is good and it's good too, to enable or disable Parted Magic.
For these removals, there are, unfortunately, the menu options (Grub4dos or Isolinux) in HBCD\menu.lst or HBCD\isolinux.cfg that do not work.

Yes, this is true - It is fairly difficult to modify all the internal menus that the original CD has...BUT it is a good idea. I'll work on that over the next few days...

for the other bootable tools (dos tools, Other Misc Tools), I'm torn because as written in the script

Yes, but most of them are on the parted Magic ISO (other OS) and also a part of UBCD, and other tools. So, it is also pretty easy to add them to the final PE build using other scripts...or as "floppy" images to boot.

A remark for the new download option, I prefer the option as it was on the previous script "file selection of hirens boot CD ISO" with a manual download done previously.
- First for size 495 Mo.
- And then, for the purposes of the "Custom Keyboard Settings Patch" included in Hirens, and to not having an US keyboard for non US people like me.
. Difficult for end-user to know where to put the modified iso with the download option.

Yes, had this comment on another script as well - i.e. provide a more direct access to the "workbench" area that would be used to download the "source" material. That is easy to do, and will be done (again, over next few days)...

Thanks for feedback!...Always welcome!
;)

#4 ChrisR

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Posted 10 June 2011 - 10:13 PM

Yes, this is true - It is fairly difficult to modify all the internal menus that the original CD has...BUT it is a good idea. I'll work on that over the next few days...

Yes, I think, indeed, that it is not easy, especially if we think of future Hirens 15, ... Thank you for trying :thumbsup:

Yes, had this comment on another script as well - i.e. provide a more direct access to the "workbench" area that would be used to download the "source" material. That is easy to do, and will be done (again, over next few days)...

Personally I would not download so heavy files with WB during build, just a link in interface would be enough for me.
Just my opinion, further up to you Posted Image

#5 sbaeder

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Posted 11 June 2011 - 03:59 PM

Personally I would not download so heavy files with WB during build, just a link in interface would be enough for me.
Just my opinion, further up to you Posted Image

Yes, I can see this may be an issue for some folks...Since it saves the file in the workbench area (no need to DL it each build), it should be easy enough to provide a means to go directly to that location to allow folks to copy in a version they downloaded on their own...

#6 dsolomon

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Posted 13 June 2011 - 02:22 PM

i see that hirens bootcd is FINALLY ware-free (right?)
good to hear that...its alot easier to get support for it now lol.

i like how hiren handled his applications for his minixp PE.
he has his own custom applications launcher.
and each application is decompressed from the CD and into the %TMP% folder after being launched.

i want to be able to create my own custom applications launcher like hiren. what would be the easiest way to do that?

this is purely pertaining to the actual GUI of his launcher. i want to be able to build one just like it and add in my own menus and applications.

#7 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 13 June 2011 - 03:28 PM

i see that hirens bootcd is FINALLY ware-free (right?)
good to hear that...its alot easier to get support for it now lol.

NO, it is NOT!

Redistributing non-redistributable files=WAREZ :smiling9:

JFYI:
http://reboot.pro/11982/page__st__9
http://reboot.pro/14105/page__st__2

:cheers:
Wonko

#8 sbaeder

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Posted 13 June 2011 - 04:22 PM

NO, it is NOT!

Wonko...I HOPE what dsolomon meant was that the applications on it are (I think) getting to the point where they can all be redistributed - at least for personal use. Specifically, this "plug in" is being built to make it easier to include legal applications (while filtering out the MS things (i.e. the mini-98 as well as the XP based PE) as a part of a "legal" to use PE that you build yourself.

But back to the question (which probably should have been ina separate topic, since it is really about menu systems and building your own sort of system LIKE the one hiren uses...

To answer that, there are several alternatives - program your own in a Compiled programming language (like C++ or visual studio type languages), or use something like Autoit to build up a minimal GUI. Another alternative is to search on-line for systems you can use. For example, with a bit of poking around, you might even decide to leverage the work Hiren has done!

If you study Hirens CD, and look at the Programs folder, you would see that the "menu" information is in a data file (a good idea)... Specifically, look at HBCD\Programs\HBCDMenu.csv, which is a comma separated value file. Load it into Excel (or other spreadsheet), and you can see it is rather simple DB, where the first row has the menu categories, and each 2 rows below that contain a menu entry for that sub-menu and then a command to execute (which is typically a cmd file that unpacks the program, and then executes it).

Anyway...Good Luck!

We now return you to our regularly scheduled topic...Expect updates later this week...

#9 dsolomon

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Posted 13 June 2011 - 08:11 PM

thank you, sbaeder for the info.
ill play with autoit and see what i come up with.

and i actually have hirens application launcher configured to my liking via hbcdmenu.csv
the only downfall of why i dont want to use it is purely Aesthetic.

if i could change the title of the program, take out the homepage url, and take out/hide the "help" menu... i would just use hirens program launcher
Posted Image

but, i have no idea how to do that.... =/

#10 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 14 June 2011 - 07:30 AM

if i could change the title of the program, take out the homepage url, and take out/hide the "help" menu... i would just use hirens program launcher
Posted Image

but, i have no idea how to do that.... =/

And blatantly infringe copyright laws (yes even Hiren has some rights under them).... :cheers:

He/she developed (or however assembled) the launcher and made some settings in it.

The program is (vaguely) defined as "Freeware", which does NOT mean:
  • Open Source
  • Public Domain
the same laws that should prevent you from removing the string "Microsoft" from any of their things should prevent you from removing the homepage url or change it's title.

In the case of Freeware, the only "payback" an Author has is to have his/her name written inside the app and possibly give some visibility to his/her site.
By changing that, you are actually depriving the Author of even this little and costless satisfaction. :)

@sbaeder
There is NO distinction about redistributability for Commercial vs. Personal use.
Something is either Redistributable or it is NOT.

There can be distinction about USE, but not about redistributability.

And BTW, a number of Freeware apps are Freeware :whistling: , but still are not redistributable :thumbup:. (and the "right" way to change this is to write to the Authors and/or Copyright holders and try to tell them that Freeware should also be redistributable).

:cheers:
Wonko

#11 sbaeder

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Posted 14 June 2011 - 04:56 PM

And blatantly infringe copyright laws (yes even Hiren has some rights under them).... :whistling:

He/she developed (or however assembled) the launcher and made some settings in it.

The program is (vaguely) defined as "Freeware", which does NOT mean:

  • Open Source
  • Public Domain
the same laws that should prevent you from removing the string "Microsoft" from any of their things should prevent you from removing the homepage url or change it's title.


Yes - everyone has "rights", but I'm not sure that Hiren (as do many others) has stated what those rights are (or the ones he is giving up)...

In the case of Freeware, the only "payback" an Author has is to have his/her name written inside the app and possibly give some visibility to his/her site.
By changing that, you are actually depriving the Author of even this little and costless satisfaction. :ph34r:


More commentary on this below

@sbaeder
There is NO distinction about redistributability for Commercial vs. Personal use.
Something is either Redistributable or it is NOT.

There can be distinction about USE, but not about redistributability.


Yes - Once again, you have sharpened my statement to be more "correct"...

And BTW, a number of Freeware apps are Freeware :thumbsup: , but still are not redistributable :(. (and the "right" way to change this is to write to the Authors and/or Copyright holders and try to tell them that Freeware should also be redistributable).


But even "freeware" isn't tightly defined. There are a LOT of licenses that could fall under this category - i.e. did I have to "pay" to use it?

The issue is that unless there is an explicit statement defining the rights that the author is granting, standard "copyright" terms could be applied. And it gets even more complicated because a lot of software is not sold, but is "licensed" instead.

I'll admit, that most times (and even here on this site w.r.t. scripts, etc.) we are all fairly loose on all this, and ASSUME that if it is posted without any explicit statement to contrary that it is OK to modify, use, redistribute, etc...So, it MIGHT be OK to go into the binary of that menu program, and modify it by patching the text strings for the website and the title string - especially if it is for your own personal use...Is it legal? Maybe. Is it ethical? Probably not. Without an explicit license (or statement) or even a copyright notice, it's hard to know for sure the true intent of the author.

But for now, let's just declare a truce for now...:white_flag: We all should try to do the "right" thing even if figuring out what that is makes our head hurt... :pressure:

#12 agni

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Posted 14 June 2011 - 05:10 PM

Maybe you can try PStart for launching the apps.Thats what wimb uses in MakePE3.

#13 ChrisR

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Posted 14 June 2011 - 05:36 PM

Yes PStart is included in the good MakePE3 but also in many other WB projects and it is very well for portable apps.
You have also the nice collection of Amalux with ppAppsGen10 script to include ppApps in a PE image.

But, here, Hirens offers an impressive collection of interresssant software allready made.

The script for legal reasons does not contain Hiren's, but leaves Free to use it or not, a little hypocrite but then...

:thumbsup:

#14 sbaeder

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Posted 14 June 2011 - 07:20 PM

OK, and now back to our script under development... :thumbsup:

Based on some collaboration with ChrisR, the script UI and internal processing was modified to allow the script to either download the zip file, and unpack the ISO - OR allow the user to point to an ISO that they might have locally already. This (for example) lets the user customize the keyboard (non-english layout) or make other modifications to the ISO.

I also cleaned up the logic a bit on the DOS/other tools/PMagic selection, since it is more effort to totally customize the menu's inside HBCD for every possibility. So, basic DOS is a requirement for stand-alone booting, and if the other tools (like pmagic or memtest or ???) are missing, then those menu entries just don't work.

Also, if you de-select BOTH the shortcuts (menu and desktop), then the windows programs aren't copied over either.In general, I consider this more of an "expert user" type script, since many things are "variable" and the end results will also be "variable"...But hopefully it is useful!

NOTE: Some of these tools MAY NOT work correctly, depending on what other options you include into the PE your are building. Also, being respectful of "rights" and other licensing related issues, the script won't process the existing PE or mini-98 OS versions that are on the original ISO. While those menu items MAY exist, the files aren't going to be copied over to the "target" area during script processing.



Scott
:pressure:

#15 ChrisR

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Posted 15 June 2011 - 05:53 PM

Aaargh, the script does not work with WB80 following the latest additions :
Set,%DosTools_CheckBox%,True (an interface variable) (it works in WB81)
It is however something quite basic, classic !!! What's wrong, Need to go through the scriptinterface API for this ? Tiring ;)

Attached File  accesviolation.jpg   31.94KB   50 downloads

#16 sbaeder

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Posted 15 June 2011 - 07:50 PM

Aaargh, the script does not work with WB80 following the latest additions :
Set,%DosTools_CheckBox%,True (an interface variable) (it works in WB81)
It is however something quite basic, classic !!! What's wrong, Need to go through the scriptinterface API for this ? Tiring ;)

Attached File  accesviolation.jpg   31.94KB   50 downloads

Yes, bug/access violation, but easy enough to fix (without using the API, since I don't really need to reset the state of the interface variable, just locally keep track of the fact that I have agreed to over-ride the setting and continue. So, just copy those checkbox variables to local copy, and then use new local copy for the rest of the script...Easy enough (and works in both 80 as well as new "82" test version...

New script attached (and delete old one above)...

#17 ChrisR

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Posted 15 June 2011 - 09:18 PM

Yes, bug/access violation, but easy enough to fix (without using the API, ....

Good, easy fix, that irritated me, to have a bug on something as basic .
Thank you ;) .

#18 sbaeder

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Posted 15 June 2011 - 09:38 PM

Good, easy fix, that irritated me, to have a bug on something as basic .
Thank you :) .

Again, thanks to COLLABORATION (more folks here should try it ;) ), Chris and I have improved upon each others perspective and work. Here is the latest/greatest, with some minor optimizations. My guess is that ChrisR will also update on the basic Win7PE_SE package/site...

Thanks again!

Attached Files



#19 Michael*

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Posted 31 July 2011 - 05:13 PM

I have a few issues, sorry about that. :happy_dance:
First Page looks fine, but for the rest I don't know if it's the script or not ??

Posted Image

Difficult to find current selection when item is selected

Posted Image

Select HBCD Mini Windows XP

Posted Image

HBCD Mini Windows XP [Fail]

Posted Image

Again, thanks to COLLABORATION (more folks here should try it :smiling9: ), Chris and I have improved upon each others perspective and work. Here is the latest/greatest, with some minor optimizations. My guess is that ChrisR will also update on the basic Win7PE_SE package/site...

Thanks again!



#20 sbaeder

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Posted 01 August 2011 - 09:20 PM

I have a few issues, sorry about that. :whistling:
First Page looks fine, but for the rest I don't know if it's the script or not ??

Difficult to find current selection when item is selected

This could just be because of the default font coloring used on your boot setup...Try different font color combination? Or go into the Hiren area and make changes to the grub settings of the fonts...

Select HBCD Mini Windows XP

HBCD Mini Windows XP [Fail]

Yes, this is actually a WAREZ/Illegal copy of the XP OS - so, trying to follow the rules better, the current script removes that file from the stuff the script copies over to the new PE.

If you are comfortable in doing that, then you need to go in and modify the scripting - OR manually unpack/copy the HBCD files over to the target build area...Sorry - I can't help you more here...

#21 Michael*

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Posted 01 August 2011 - 09:41 PM

I will look at the script, perhaps I will get lucky and find the line // commented out in the script and I could just "un" remove it. Maybe I could place a checkbox in the script changing copying the file to False as the "default" to avoid legal issues.

This could just be because of the default font coloring used on your boot setup...Try different font color combination? Or go into the Hiren area and make changes to the grub settings of the fonts...


Yes, this is actually a WAREZ/Illegal copy of the XP OS - so, trying to follow the rules better, the current script removes that file from the stuff the script copies over to the new PE.

If you are comfortable in doing that, then you need to go in and modify the scripting - OR manually unpack/copy the HBCD files over to the target build area...Sorry - I can't help you more here...



#22 sbaeder

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Posted 01 August 2011 - 09:58 PM

I will look at the script, perhaps I will get lucky and find the line // commented out in the script and I could just "un" remove it. Maybe I could place a checkbox in the script changing copying the file to False as the "default" to avoid legal issues.

I think there are comments where I delete it :whistling: So shouldn't be hard to change, and addign some simple "IF" logic on a check box is pretty easy too...good way to get into some simple script modifications.

Then you could even tackle the mods of the menu colors... ;)

#23 Michael*

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 01:45 PM

I fixed the problem, thanks to your help. I thought it was a script error.
I edited the dos menu colors in the ISO, but I haven't yet found the proper color sequence pattern.

I had a question about the script options and if they work properly on my v14 REV 2.0 ISO. I think adding partedmagic or something to the boot menu?
Do I need to make any adjustments, considering I am using an alternative ISO. Are the menu items in a different order or does this not affect anything in the script?

thank you for your help, Scott :dubbio:

I think there are comments where I delete it :dubbio: So shouldn't be hard to change, and addign some simple "IF" logic on a check box is pretty easy too...good way to get into some simple script modifications.

Then you could even tackle the mods of the menu colors... :unsure:


Edited by Michael*, 02 August 2011 - 01:48 PM.


#24 Michael*

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 04:31 PM

I keep screwing up the menu colors.
I was hoping to go back to the v9.5 aqua color scheme where the menus appeared properly on my notebook.

Would his be correct do you think?
Unfortunately, can't see the code like Neal in the Matrix.

"isolinux.cfg" change for v14, perhaps?

menu color border 0 #00000000 #00000000
menu color sel 7 #ffffffff #ff60CA00
menu color title 0 #00000000 #00000000
menu color unsel 0 #ff60CA00 #00000000
menu color disabled 0 #ffffffff #00000000
menu color timeout_msg 0 #aaaaaaaa #00000000
menu color timeout 0 #ffaaaaff #00000000

Posted Image



Then you could even tackle the mods of the menu colors... :dubbio:



#25 sbaeder

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 04:49 PM

[quote name='Michael*' timestamp='1312292752' post='134283']
I fixed the problem, thanks to your help. I thought it was a script error.
I edited the dos menu colors in the ISO, but I haven't yet found the proper color sequence pattern.
[/quote]
yes, colors and their values are always tricky...Look into the ISO creation script, and you can see what it does for the main menu when using grub/isolinux.
[quote]
I had a question about the script options and if they work properly on my v14 REV 2.0 ISO. I think adding partedmagic or something to the boot menu?
Do I need to make any adjustments, considering I am using an alternative ISO. Are the menu items in a different order or does this not affect anything in the script?
Not sure, but maybe...this is one of the issues when adding in other "all-in one" tools and trying to make a more unified menu...you have to basically tear apart what they did, and then rebuild it...You could also just use a tool like XBoot or SARDU to combine different "ISO" tools into a single system...

One other thing to look at, is to just change the way it works to include the ISO, and chain to the ISO image. there are other posts here that deal with that sort of thing. Downside is that for some methods, you have to load the ISO into memory, and then that takes up a buch of RAM...But, if most of the systems that will be booted have 2+GB, it's not that big a deal...

Anyway, good luck!




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