Stilll Mugging About Windows..:)

[amortvigil]

Will this be able to work?

How to: Install and run Windows CE on your USB Stick



Portable Windows CE is a 'launcher' for the Windows CE device emulator that can run an emulator-based image from a USB keychain.



Download the Windows CE 5.0 Device Emulator.

Code:

http://www.Mcft.com/downloads/detai...should (hopefully) have the emulator fire up.

 

[dflemstr]

And this has exactly what to do with the Pandora?
BTW, don't use Internet Explorer (or is it because of Windows in general?): your newlines double themselves.

 

[bzar]

Yeah, where does the pandora come into play? Are you asking if that WinCE-emulator works on it?

 

[amortvigil]

dflemstr the newlines are from a cp of kate. I had this tut deeply hidden in my forest of files and maps.. I use a linux version of firefox.
I thought i would be clear that i wanted to install windows on openpandora if my post is about windows CE on an usb stick ??...

 

[skeezix]

*SIGH*

 

[Vorporeal]

No. This emulator is to emulate WinCE on an x86 computer running Windows (as far as I can tell from your post). It won't run on the Pandora, as the Pandora is ARM based, not x86 based.

Also: People have been asking about WinCE long before now. If it was possible, one of the many very talented devs that are part of this community would have thought of it already. Not to belittle you, but seeing as you're not a developer (no offense again, but any developer would know that what you're asking isn't going to work in the slightest), it's HIGHLY unlikely that you'd come up with some magic solution that nobody had thought of yet.

 

[Fishbong]

I thought i would be clear that i wanted to install windows on openpandora if my post is about windows CE on an usb stick ??...
To what purpose?

 

[dflemstr]

I thought i would be clear that i wanted to install windows on openpandora if my post is about windows CE on an usb stick ??...
To what purpose?

Indeed, why would anyone ever want to install Windows CE on this device? What would you want to do with it if you were able to??
And if you say "I want to use app XYZ that's only available in CE" then consider; what is more probable: that your app gets ported to the Pandora, or that Windows CE gets all the drivers, wrappers etc it needs to run on the Pandora, or even gets "ported" aka recompiled. Most of the time actually, the answer would be the first one.

 

[elwing]

to improve the response, this emulator is furnished by microsoft to test your software... it work only on x86 target...

it is surelly possible to build a windows CE for the pandora but there will be almost no use... here is why:
You can not run windows CE binary compiled for an other target on the pandora, thus no x86 windows CE binary, no dreamcast binary, and you'll surely face problem with most ARM binary are they are not compiled with a "pandora SDK" but using an other specific SDK.
(well you can probably run some binary compiled for other target...)
you have two distinct problem with different target:
- the main being the machine code generated... you will not be able to use code generated for an other type of processor.
- the hardware specific functionalities. if the binary use a single feature implemented specificaly by their SDK provider (ex. specific IOCTRL to manage some hardware) then that binary will not run on the pandora regardless of the processor architecture...

given all that and the relative few existing CE program it offer NOTHING over a linux... hum did I mantionned that windows CE share nothing with desktop windows, thus woin't help the slightest to run your favorite CS?

 

[Fishbong]

For running WinCe apps on the pandora, the most elegant solution would be an open source implementation of the WinCe API. Like Wine, just for ARM devices. I am no programmer, but i think there´d be a huge amount of work involved, perhaps someone will take up the challenge though.

But an emulator? I don´t think that would be feasible...

EDIT: I see there´s already a thread about the WINE possibility, but no work has been made yet

CODE
http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=44294

 

[elwing]

For running WinCe apps on the pandora, the most elegant solution would be an open source implementation of the WinCe API. Like Wine, just for ARM

why not simply build a windows CE target toward ARM like you would do for any other hardware? adding all the OAM thing required by microsoft represent much work but i think it would be easier than building WinCe api...
but that won't fix the issue I mentionned (dependance of the binary off the processor type AND the specific platform feature used by the app)...
ok that will be less opensource, but I do not see the point either way as you will have almost no software able to run on your windows CE pandora...

 

[amortvigil]

I wanted to know because i wanted to know. i'm maybe not as nerdy as some of you... but im just curious about some things... is there something wrong with that? if i want windows on my pandora than thats my right and if i ask if this is possible i aint asking why i shouldn't install windows on my openpandora.
Anyway, +1 for Elwing's usefull reply!

 

[dflemstr]

I wanted to know because i wanted to know. i'm maybe not as nerdy as some of you... but im just curious about some things... is there something wrong with that? if i want windows on my pandora than thats my right and if i ask if this is possible i aint asking why i shouldn't install windows on my openpandora.
Anyway, +1 for Elwing's usefull reply!

Well, I could ask if I would be able to install, say, a boat engine on the Pandora.
There would be absolutely no use for it, since the Pandora is too small to carry it anyways and since the Pandora doesn't float. It would be difficult as heck to do because the Pandora lacks attachment screws and would require weeks of development etc. Also, it would disable all of the Pandora's other features, leaving me with a system that has the same number of features as, say, a brick.
But I'd want to ask, "just because", anyways.

Seriously, why would you install Windows CE? Then you could boot the Pandora, get the WinCE boot screens etc, then get a blank (as in white) screen with NOTHING being able to run (not even menus), and without hardware support (no keyboard or touchscreen, no 3D etc). And it would cost the Pandora team many thousands of dollars to get Microsoft to compile CE for them. And even if we develop a wine equivalent, no applications would be able to run there anyways, without a recompile. What's the point?

 

[elwing]

And it would cost the Pandora team many thousands of dollars to get Microsoft to compile CE for them.

why would you pay microsoft for that? it's not microsoft who build the windows CE image...
otherwise you are perfectly right it would just be a totale waste... complex, would cost much time (and a plateform builder license + windows CE runtime licence) and would have no use... i'dd clearly add a flux capacitor to my pandora rather than windows CE...

 

[Rockthesmurf]

[...]if I would be able to install, say, a boat engine on the Pandora.
There would be absolutely no use for it, since the Pandora is too small to carry it anyways and since the Pandora doesn't float. It would be difficult as heck to do because the Pandora lacks attachment screws and would require weeks of development etc. Also, it would disable all of the Pandora's other features, leaving me with a system that has the same number of features as, say, a brick[...]

Have you already started work on this hardware mod, if so when will it be finished - I'd quite like to get one too. Are you going to offer services to create these for other people, or perhaps at least a youtube video of the steps involved. It sounds so much more useful than having WinCE on the Pandora that I think perhaps we should get all the Pandora software/hardware dev's looking in to this immediately. Think of the possibilities.

Steve

 

[conso]

A smiley and the word "windows" (if it's supposed to mean MS windows") in the title of a thread should directly lead to an account and IP-ban of the user. Its just freaking annoying, always the same bullshit and the smiley in this case indicates the starter had already some info but was to lazy to rethink the matter.

 

[viridior]

This might help a little, I'm not trying to be belittling or condescending, but for some of use that do OS work its quite apparent why trying to get Windows (any flavor) on the Pandora is a large waste of time and energy. This has been said repeatedly, but maybe not in a straight fashion without the snide remarks.

ALL of the components need to be compiled for ARM (preferrably ARMv7-a), this means that the firm that makes the software you want to use has to or is porting it and/or source code is available. Remember that the core of the Pandora is a ARMv7-a Cortex-a8, in loose comparison terms ARMv7-a would be a modern P4 and ARMv4 is probably close to a Pentium Pro/Pentium II. WinCE (not sure but likely ARMv4 based) includes Kernel, Standard OS, IE 5.x (maybe 6.x). Any other applications you want to install on top of the standard OS will need to be compiled for ARM. Just because you have "Windows" installed doesn't mean that your "Windows" applications, compiled for i686, will execute on this platform. This includes drivers for the devices that come with the Pandora and any other devices you want to attach. Games... forget it unless you can find the source code... Java will probably run fine, but now you are running Java on top of on un-optimized Windows platform, with only 256MB of RAM... If you are thinking that using Windows on the Pandora is going to be easier to use the Linux then you are greatly mistaken. You may have better luck trying to port ReactOS then trying to get any version of Windows on this with any sort of functionality.

Linux (GNU, Busybox, etc) makes sense because the source code is available and you can compile in drivers and software optimized for this processor core further taking advantage of your hardware. Don't like Angstrom? Then there will likely be a handful of alternatives available after launch. Don't like how things are set up? I have no doubt that the Pandora Wiki will take off and become populated with HOWTOs to switch windows managers, web browsers, etc, etc, etc.

 

[gp2.eXe]

[...]if I would be able to install, say, a boat engine on the Pandora.
There would be absolutely no use for it, since the Pandora is too small to carry it anyways and since the Pandora doesn't float. It would be difficult as heck to do because the Pandora lacks attachment screws and would require weeks of development etc. Also, it would disable all of the Pandora's other features, leaving me with a system that has the same number of features as, say, a brick[...]

Have you already started work on this hardware mod, if so when will it be finished - I'd quite like to get one too. Are you going to offer services to create these for other people, or perhaps at least a youtube video of the steps involved. It sounds so much more useful than having WinCE on the Pandora that I think perhaps we should get all the Pandora software/hardware dev's looking in to this immediately. Think of the possibilities.

Steve
Confirmed: Pandora wil be able to travel to the infinity of the seven seas. And sadly it is not unbrickable anymore.

 

[lulzfish]

OP said: "Can I run this WinCE emulator from a USB stick?"

Yes, that will work.
On a Windows x86 PC like it says in the instructions.

I can't imagine WHY you'd do that.
Or what it has to do with the Pandora.

But yes, that will probably work.
In the same sense that a toaster might 'work' underwater, for a second.

 

[amortvigil]

This might help a little, I'm not trying to be belittling or condescending, but for some of use that do OS work its quite apparent why trying to get Windows (any flavor) on the Pandora is a large waste of time and energy. This has been said repeatedly, but maybe not in a straight fashion without the snide remarks.

ALL of the components need to be compiled for ARM (preferrably ARMv7-a), this means that the firm that makes the software you want to use has to or is porting it and/or source code is available. Remember that the core of the Pandora is a ARMv7-a Cortex-a8, in loose comparison terms ARMv7-a would be a modern P4 and ARMv4 is probably close to a Pentium Pro/Pentium II. WinCE (not sure but likely ARMv4 based) includes Kernel, Standard OS, IE 5.x (maybe 6.x). Any other applications you want to install on top of the standard OS will need to be compiled for ARM. Just because you have "Windows" installed doesn't mean that your "Windows" applications, compiled for i686, will execute on this platform. This includes drivers for the devices that come with the Pandora and any other devices you want to attach. Games... forget it unless you can find the source code... Java will probably run fine, but now you are running Java on top of on un-optimized Windows platform, with only 256MB of RAM... If you are thinking that using Windows on the Pandora is going to be easier to use the Linux then you are greatly mistaken. You may have better luck trying to port ReactOS then trying to get any version of Windows on this with any sort of functionality.

Linux (GNU, Busybox, etc) makes sense because the source code is available and you can compile in drivers and software optimized for this processor core further taking advantage of your hardware. Don't like Angstrom? Then there will likely be a handful of alternatives available after launch. Don't like how things are set up? I have no doubt that the Pandora Wiki will take off and become populated with HOWTOs to switch windows managers, web browsers, etc, etc, etc.

I dont think replacing a wm in linux would be that hard, i dont know it for sure since i use ubuntu and not an arm kind of linux...