[tim]

Here is how:

SET CDROM=%CD:~0,2%

That's it.
Do this at the top of any .CMD file(s) that run from the install CD.



To find out how this works, start a CMD.EXE session and type SET /?

[Alanoll]

this will only work from CMDLINES.TXT if the CMD file is on CD. Won't work from SVCPACK or GUIRUNONCE.

So you know.

[tim]

Quote

this will only work from CMDLINES.TXT if the CMD file is on CD

From reading the many post here, that is what most people want it for.
e.g. setting RunOnce keys and the like.

[Alanoll]

some people also use a normal batch file with ECHO commands to tell them what's going on (the "basic" method, where as RunOnceEX is the "advanced" method) and so they use GUIRunOnce. Thought i should post that it won't there as expected so they don't complain later on.

Though this does simplify all those IF EXIST lines for people using CMDLINES.TXT to install something from ONE cd. It won't work with two CDs if they are in different drives however. (I'm just listing possibilities that people may try to use this with)

[tim]

Ok, just trying to help.

For what I need it does me fine.
and it's neat , I like that

[zippy]

1 thread/per month about sharing %CDROM%...
%CD%, %0, SourcePath...etc... depends on how/where you use it...

[my2001]

tim, on Jul 16 2004, 10:47 AM, said:

SET CDROM=%CD:~0,2%

How's that working? I just mean: it's really neat , but what kind of command is that? I've never seen it before.

[DarkPhoenix]

%CD% is your Current Directory, and since the RunOnceEx file will be run off the CD (Compact Disk this time ) the drive letter of the %CD% will be the CD. So.. what that command does, is to pull out the two first letters from the %CD% variable, so that if %CD% for instance is

"F:\$OEM$", then %CD:~0,2% will return "F:" only. (0,2 means begin at position 0 and read the next two letters. 2,6 would return "\$OEM$", if you understand? )

[my2001]

DarkPhoenix, on Jul 17 2004, 03:49 AM, said:

0,2 means begin at position 0 and read the next two letters. 2,6 would return "\$OEM$", if you understand? )

Cool, thx!

Sure I understand ... but what I didn't know just seconds ago is that syntax. Haven't seen it before and didn't know it exists. Thx again!

[tim]

Quote

Sure I understand ... but what I didn't know just seconds ago is that syntax. Haven't seen it before and didn't know it exists. Thx again!

Oh good, at least my post was some use to somebody

Quote

To find out how this works, start a CMD.EXE session and type SET /?

[prathapml]

@tim

that's simply fantastic.
You da' wizard, dude!

Quote

Oh good, at least my post was some use to somebody

Somebody? Well, make that lots of buddies

[neophyte]

You could actually use that to set a permanent variable of %CDROM%

[enuffsaid]

That's a good find, Tim. And thanks for sharing it, too! Sorry about the people giving you a hassle for posting something interesting. They're just jealous of you, as they probably never have something to contribute themselfves.

Plenty people are grateful!

Thanks!
eNuffSaid

EDIT: Typos

[enuffsaid]

zippy, on Jul 16 2004, 04:44 PM, said:

1 thread/per month about sharing %CDROM%...

Thanks for this vital information, zippy

[killerbee]

hi,

nice one, thank you

cya

Killer Bee

[evilvoice]

here is a batch, it is not mine, but I did change a little thing...first, this is only for 2k/xp instead of the whole batch consisting of 98/nt/2k/xp. I also have it set instead of all cdroms, to the first one it finds...this means that if youre not using the master cdrom drive to install or whatever, then you need to change this...

it came from http://www.robvander.../amb_cdrom.html

@ECHO OFF
:: For Windows 2000
:W2K
SETLOCAL
SET CDROMS=
SET Temp1=%Temp%.\%~n0%Random%1.reg
SET Temp2=%Temp%.\%~n0%Random%2.reg
START /WAIT REGEDIT /E %Temp1% "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices"
TYPE %Temp1% > %Temp2%
TYPE %Temp2% | FIND "\\DosDevices\\" | FIND /V "\\DosDevices\\A:" | FIND "=hex:5c," > %Temp1%
FOR /F "tokens=3 delims=\:" %%A IN (%Temp1%) DO CALL :ParseW2K %%A
SET CDROMS
DEL %Temp1%
DEL %Temp2%
ENDLOCAL & SET CDROMS=%CDROMS:~0,2%
GOTO:EOF

:ParseW2K
IF DEFINED CDROMS (SET CDROMS=%CDROMS%,%1:) ELSE (SET CDROMS=%1:)
GOTO:EOF

see where I use

Quote

%CDROMS:~0,2%

, if youre not using the first cdrom, change it accordingly.

[zippy]

I'm glad that so many people find this useful. I use it a lot after cyberdiamond told how/why a month ago.
When some noob like me posting a newbie question on this board, what we got is only a reply "Do a search". Why dont you?

Another method leanred from sleepnmojo "%~d0" and "%~dp0" refers to current drive/directory where your cmd file is when it been called from cd. It's also useful on cmd files on cd when called from RunOnceEx/GuiRunOnce.

\$OEM$\RunOnceEx.cmd:

...
REG ADD %KEY%\050 /V 1 /D "%CD%\install\MSN.cmd" /f
...

\$OEM$\install\MSN.cmd:

@ECHO OFF
cmdow @ /HID
CD /D "%~dp0"
START /WAIT msiexec /I MsnMsgs.msi /QB
START /WAIT regedit /s .\MSN.reg
EXIT

We sometimes put application install cmd file on cd. Some additional command needs current working directory to be on the same drive/directory for some .ini/.cfg.

CD /D "%~dp0"

will chage drive/directory to there.
That's what my last post said. %CD%, %0, SourcePath...etc... depends on how/where you use it...
Dont put "jealous" or something on me. I'm noob & nobody.

DarkPhoenix's post on this thread, that's sharing, told us how/why he do this.

[tim]

Quote

it came from http://www.robvander.../amb_cdrom.html

I actually worked this out for myself, I didn't rip it off from anywhere.

I spent ages playing with VBScript and BAT/CMD files before I came across this solution to my problem.

BTW thanks for the nice comments everyone.

[sleepnmojo]

evilvoice, on Jul 18 2004, 10:31 AM, said:

it came from http://www.robvander.../amb_cdrom.html

I've never seen anything done like that. Thats is just plain awesome. Over the top, but awesome.

[CoffeeFiend]

There has been a couple methods listed already but neither work for me.

I use GUIRunOnce for a main installer script that launches more scripts. Using GUIRunOnce, the first method won't work, and somehow, the other method in this thread doesn't return the right drive for me... So even if it might work sometimes, I don't trust it, and to be honest, I never thought of doing it that way.

There is a much simpler way. Have a unique file on your CD, and look for it:

@echo off
for %%a in (C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do if exist %%a:\path\to\yourfile.xyz set CDROM=%%a

(where \path\to\yourfile.xyz is the path to your uniquely named file called yourfile.xyz or whatever it might be, with no drive letter of course)

I GUIRunOnce to start command.cmd, after that, command.cmd uses that code to find the CD Rom drive letter, and starts %CDROM\whatever.cmd that does the installs directly from the CD (Actually, a DVD-R but that's besides the point). Simple to do and works reliably at every stage.

Might not be news to most people, some people might like other methods better, it might have been posted 150x before... But anyways. I hope it helps someone... Just "contributing" hoping to make someone else's life easier.