Re: How to get a WM5 device's O/S Version in a call without using RAPI?

Ilya,

Thank you for your response. For the last few years, I detect the device o/s
to install the right CAB file. For example, PPC2002 requires an ARM.cab
while WM2003 + SE requires an ARMV4.cab file. Generally, there should not be
too many differences but I did built this into my installer to be safe. I
now know that the ARMV4.cab does run on my WM5 Pocket PC but more of that
later.

As for WM5 devices, it seems I still may need to detect the operating system
to vary the install logic in my custom installer. As it stands, my VS
2003-generated installer does not cleanly install correctly, and so my
customers require a change. Currently, I copy down the CAB file to the
device using RAPI and then run the CeCreateProcess on the device, again
using RAPI. This is the method I have employed. I do not use the ActiveSync
AppMgr approach since my custom uninstaller is driven from the Add or Remove
Programs in the Control Panel.

For WM5 devices, the Windows installer seems to fail when trying to install
my app onto a WM5 device, like Dell Axim X51v. The Windows Installer rolls
back so there is no entry in the Add or Remove Programs section on the
desktop's Control Panel. However, after the roll-back has occurred from the
desktop side, the CAB has been actually transferred to the device - it is
sitting in the root folder of the device. It seems that the CeCreateProcess
must have failed to start the CAB install on the device side. I am looking
into this at the moment. If you tap on the CAB using File Explorer then it
runs.

I am using a MSI and RAPI type of custom installer because while controlling
the install of the device CAB, I also need to install some EXEs on the
desktop side to act as linkages for my app to communicate with a third-party
app on the desktop side. Due to the fact that my app installer is currently
used for PPC 2002 devices up to WM2003SE (at the moment), my installer also
checks that .NET has been installed on both the device and the desktop.
PPC2002 devices did not have it there and nor did Win98 desktop computers.
My customers (consumers) can have a wide range of equipment, and I want my
app to install on all of these combinations. As I stated on my last post,
this will be the last patch update for my app so it includes WM5 devices.
The next major version of my app will be compiled under VS2005 and use CF2,
so my PPC2002 customers will then need to upgrade their equipment. I am also
likely to discontinue Win98 desktop side installations too at that time.

So, it seems (I think) that I still need to detect the device's o/s to
slightly vary my install process in my custom installer / uninstaller. While
I think this should be OK for Pocket PCs like the Dell Axim X51v (RAPI is
enabled), it is the Pocket PC Phones, like the i-mate JasJar that some of my
customers have purchased, where they want to continue using my app. and so I
need to solve installation to that type of device because it seems that RAPI
can be disabled on these devices. If anyone has an installation solution for
an unsigned app to install onto the WM5 Pocket PC Phone Edition, where RAPI
is disabled, I would be interested. Unfortunately, I do not have one of
those devices for testing.


Regards,
Neville Lang



"Ilya Tumanov [MS]" <ilyatum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:43c56a6b$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Why exactly do you need to determine device type? Since you're using VS
> 2003, it's a managed application and binaries should be exactly the same
> for all platforms from PPC 2000 to WM 5.0.
>
> Which means your application can use single CAB for all. There's no need
> to deploy NETCF V1 SP3 since it's in ROM on every WM 5.0 device.
>
>
>
> If that's the case, you can use this technique:
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnnetcomp/html/deploy_cf2_apps_cab_msi.asp
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Ilya
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
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> "Neville Lang" <neville@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:eDfPz3pFGHA.516@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Currently, I have an app compiled in VS2003 that I want to also be able
>> to run on WM5 devices for my customers. My custom installer uses MSI and
>> RAPI calls for installation of my app. Currently, before I transfer the
>> correct CAB for the device, I do a RAPI call to get the device's
>> operating system version. This app has been designed for PPC 2002 and
>> WM2003 including Second Edition, and therefore you need to know which CAB
>> to install. I have found my app runs well on a WM5 device as I have it
>> running on my Dell Axim X51v but I need to be able to know the device's
>> operating system version for WM5 devices so I know what CAB version to
>> download.
>>
>> The problem I am having is that some Pocket PC Phone Edition with WM5 ,
>> like the i-mate JasJar, seem to make RAPI unavailable. Does anyone have
>> another idea / method of determining the i-mate JasJar's o/s version
>> without using RAPI?
>>
>> BTW, this is to be my last patch update of my app under VS2003 and want
>> it to deploy it onto WM5 devices since my customers are wanting this
>> requirement. The next release of my app, after this patch update, will be
>> a major update and will be compiled with VS2005 and use CF2, but for the
>> interim period, I need to be able to use my current VS2003 compiled code
>> on all WM5 devices.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Neville Lang
>>
>>
>
>


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