Change the EXE Beachball Icon? AND Install Program recomendations?

Is there any way I can change the Dolphin generated EXE beachball icon in a
deployable file?  I have tried the VC++ resource editor, but it seems to
corrupt the file shrinking a 1.7 Mb file to a few Kbytes.  I would like to
use a custom application icon.  I am trying to use a setup program that will
only use the icon in the EXE for the shortcut icon.

Also can anyone suggest a good install program for a Dolphin application?  I
need a program that will generate a single EXE file, register DLL's, and
allow some simple customization of the install process.  I would like
something that is easy to use yet allows for more advanced configuration as
needed.

I used to use PC Install, but Symantec bought the company and killed it.  It
is a nice program, but it has some quirks, and is now unsupported.

I am looking into the www.clickteam.com install program, which looks nice,
but seems a little more limiting than I would like in its current version
(it seems to only let me use the EXE icon for program shortcuts).

I also just started looking at Wise Installer.  I think that is what OA
uses.  Has anyone had experiences with this they would like to share (good
or bad)?

Are there any other (reasonably priced, <1k USD) install programs I should
be looking at?

Chris

Chris,

> Is there any way I can change the Dolphin generated EXE beachball icon in
a
> deployable file?  I have tried the VC++ resource editor, but it seems to
> corrupt the file shrinking a 1.7 Mb file to a few Kbytes.  I would like to
> use a custom application icon.  I am trying to use a setup program that
will
> only use the icon in the EXE for the shortcut icon.

In the 16 bit world, Borland had a stand-alone Resource Workshop that was a
nice tool for changing resources in binaries; perhaps there's a similar tool
on the market.


> I am looking into the www.clickteam.com install program, which looks nice,
> but seems a little more limiting than I would like in its current version
> (it seems to only let me use the EXE icon for program shortcuts).

In its favor, the price is about as good as it gets<g>.  One problem is that
I often pick individual files out of directories, and it at least appeared
to have problems understanding that I wanted it to remember which files to
use and ignore the rest.  I could copy the to-be-installed files to a common
directory, but, that's something else to forget to do :(


> I also just started looking at Wise Installer.  I think that is what OA
> uses.  Has anyone had experiences with this they would like to share (good
> or bad)?

That's what I use (on OA's recommendation some time ago), and I've been
generally quite happy with it.  The "select file" dialog box is a little
small for the job, but, it works well.

For a while now, OA has mentioned switching to the MS installer at some
point.  You might want to ask them for an opinion before spending money,
just in case they're ready to make the switch for 4.0.

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

Chris

You wrote in message news:8tl3t5$muboj$[hidden email]...
> Is there any way I can change the Dolphin generated EXE beachball icon in
a
> deployable file?  I have tried the VC++ resource editor, but it seems to
> corrupt the file shrinking a 1.7 Mb file to a few Kbytes.  I would like to
> use a custom application icon.  I am trying to use a setup program that
will
> only use the icon in the EXE for the shortcut icon.
>...

Have you tried using VC++ to edit the EmptyStub file (having first made a
backup copy of course)?

Otherwise there are public domain/shareware tools available. I don't have a
link to hand, but a DSDN or net search should suffice.

Regards

Blair

Blair McGlashan <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:8tnict$nsvth$[hidden email]...
> Chris
>
> Have you tried using VC++ to edit the EmptyStub file (having first made a
> backup copy of course)?

No, I tried it on the deployed exe/image.  I was thinking about what you
suggested earlier today.  I was concerned that replacing Icon 1 with an Icon
with only a 32x32 16 color representation  might cause a problem with the
stub size being different.  Perhaps that is not really a problem.  I guess
it depends how the EXE finds the beginning of the image code.

Actually my priorities have changed.  I will get back to changing the EXE
icon later, but for now I am just using a setup program that lets me specify
the icon.  I discovered a work around for the quirk in PC Install.
Apparently I can not use a capital letter "K" in a textual description on a
certain dialog.  As crazy as it sounds that is the problem that was
corrupting my setup scripts.  Thanks to the fact that Symantec bought the
company and killed the product there is no support.  The problem is that the
name of my program starts with "K", so I have to be creative on that dialog.
:(

Chris

Bill Schwab <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:8tmo7c$nc9t7$[hidden email]...
> Chris,
>
> In the 16 bit world, Borland had a stand-alone Resource Workshop that was
a
> nice tool for changing resources in binaries; perhaps there's a similar
tool
> on the market.

I actually got PC Install working (kinda), so the EXE file icon is less
important now, however I will evetually get back to changing it just for the
sake of completness.  It turns out that PC Install does not let me use a
capital letter "K" in a textual description in a certain dialog for some
strange reason.  That is what was corrupting my setup script.  The name of
my program starts with "K", so I have to work aroud that. :(  I really need
to get a better install prorgam one of these days...

> That's what I use (on OA's recommendation some time ago), and I've been
> generally quite happy with it.  The "select file" dialog box is a little
> small for the job, but, it works well.
>

Thanks for the info regarding Wise .  Wise looks nice.  My only concern is
that I don't want Symantec to buy them.  I have had bad luck with Symantec
buying companies and then killing products I used to use (First Actor, and
now PC Install).

Thanks,

Chris

Christopher

You wrote in message news:8tnl3t$nj2fe$[hidden email]...
>
> Blair McGlashan <[hidden email]> wrote in message
> news:8tnict$nsvth$[hidden email]...
> > Chris
> >
> > Have you tried using VC++ to edit the EmptyStub file (having first made
a
> > backup copy of course)?
>
> No, I tried it on the deployed exe/image.  I was thinking about what you
> suggested earlier today.  I was concerned that replacing Icon 1 with an
Icon
> with only a 32x32 16 color representation  might cause a problem with the
> stub size being different.  Perhaps that is not really a problem.  I guess
> it depends how the EXE finds the beginning of the image code.

It would indeed cause a problem if you use a different format icon. However
I've attached a program that can be used to resize the stub after you've
modified it.

Regards

Blair
























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end

Chris,

> Thanks for the info regarding Wise .  Wise looks nice.  My only concern is
> that I don't want Symantec to buy them.  I have had bad luck with Symantec
> buying companies and then killing products I used to use (First Actor, and
> now PC Install).

Now that you mention it, they killed Zortech's C++ compiler too.

And now a moment of silence :)

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

Bill

> > Thanks for the info regarding Wise .  Wise looks nice.  My only concern
is
> > that I don't want Symantec to buy them.  I have had bad luck with
Symantec
> > buying companies and then killing products I used to use (First Actor,
and
> > now PC Install).
>
> Now that you mention it, they killed Zortech's C++ compiler too.
>
> And now a moment of silence :)

The list is longer: they once had a very good C/C++ on Mac too.

I'll never touch anything from Symantec again.

Peter

Blair McGlashan <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:leRL5.247$[hidden email]...
>
> It would indeed cause a problem if you use a different format icon.
However
> I've attached a program that can be used to resize the stub after you've
> modified it.


Thank you Blair. :)  You OA guys are great!

Chris