nietzsche666

@ Mile Panic: Ok, thanks a lot for the info. By now, I have exchanged all my launchbox settings for use with DTCommandline.exe manually, it took some time. But I'm still really angry about this unwanted change they coerce you into without telling you anything about it. All this I suppose just to press people into buying the pay versions of Daemon Tools. A lot of people will have to rewrite millions of batch files and frontend settings for this for no reason. Grrrr. I don't use batch files for my auto-mount settings. I use additional apps within launchbox. What I do to make it work is already in my post. I repeat: For automount I have to point add. app to DTCommandLine.exe, then add -M -l "E" -p "D:\GAMES\XXX\XXX.ccd" in the command line section. -M is for mount, -l (small L) is for Letter of the Drive, "E" is the drive letter I wanted to use(has to be in quotation marks). -p is for path. And everything in q.marks after that is of course just the path to your CD/DVD image file. For Unmounting I just use another additional app pointing to DTCommandline.exe and use -U in the command line section (It's for unmount drives). DTCommandLine.exe is a exe that's in your DTLite installation folder. I don't know if it was there in elder versions, but now it is the way to go. The info about the new command line options is in the DTLite help link I posted before. I hope this helps a bit if you want to set up batch files. You will just have to exchange all DTAgent references with DTCommandLine references and command lines, I guess.

If anyone had similar problems with automatic DTools Lite 10.8 image mounting within Launchbox like me recently, please let me know. I'm on newest version WIN 10 pro 64. I've been looking for infos about this problem all over the net, but I didn't find anything. My recent problems: After ignoring DTools Lite 10.7's pleas to update to 10.8 for months, I finally gave the new update a try today. I don't really trust DaemonTools updates, I had other problems before at times with some old functionality not working anymore after auto-updates, but I was annoyed by the constant update info popups and just went on. And I was right to hesitate with the update, again DTools messed up my Launchbox usage settings in a very annoying way. Before I could easily use DTAgent for auto-mounting as additional app and have done so without problems. I could just point the add. app. to DTAgent and put in a command line parameter like this: "-mount dt, "D:\GAMES\XXX\XXX.ccd" and set it to start before main program. The same for "-unmount E" and set "start after main program" for unmounting automatically after game stop. After I did the update to 10.8 however, none of these methods worked anymore. DTAgent just refused to mount or unmount anything. The commands were worthless and nothing happens. Now I fiddled around a bit and luckily noticed I can just use an alternative method to auto-mount/unmount using DTCommandLine.exe. It uses other types of command line options. For automount I have to point add. app to DTCommandLine.exe, then add -M -l "E" -p "D:\GAMES\XXX\XXX.ccd". It works the same, seems even a bit faster in executing the mount commands. It opens a COM window shortly, which is slightly ugly and annoying, but not a huge problem. But now I have to exchange every game using the old DTAgent method manually to the new DTCommandLine method. This will take some time, and I still don't know what actually happened with Daemon Tools. Could anyone please enlighten me and confirm the following: Did they really just change the command line methods with the most recent 10.8 update? Or did they even make this non-free for the future out of sheer sadism? I noticed that the "command line" section on the Daemon Tools help section only refers to DTCommandLine for DTools Lite by now, but has entries about DTAgent on its DTools Pro site. http://daemon-help.com/additionally/command/ http://daemonpro-help.com/additionally/command_line_integration/ Or is there some bug in my system or in my install process causing this DTAgent failure? I'd prefer to change that back to its old DTAgent functionality before I will really have to edit all my iso-bound games, which will take days...

The "loop check" script works fine! Started the game for 5-6 times now without any troubles mounting the first CD. Case closed, it seems. Thanks a lot!

I just found out the secret about the problem with the "admin" mod. My necrono.exe was set on WIn98 compatibility mode. I must have played around with it at some point and forgot about it. It is indeed a very old game, but WIN98 compatibility is not even necessary, game exe works fine without compatibility setting. If compatibility mode is not set, there is no need for setting the AHK script to "admin" for making the hotkeys work in game environment. But that could still pose a problem if a game actually needs compatibility modes to run.

Ok, sorry for the long break before my reply. I got into work trouble last week and subsequently lost track of this little thread. My bad! But the good news is: YES, method works as it should, exactly as I imagined it before. I just tried Option 2 without "Insert CD1 nag". I don't see anything too complicated about writing up two text files, so I didn't bother with option 1 at all. Script files + Instructions are perfect. One thing I still had to find out and do by myself: I still had to compile the second AHK Script for the swapping setup and set it to "run as admin". Otherwise, it doesn't recognize the hotkeys within the game. I think it has to be compiled for the admin setting, but I'm actually not sure about this. But with this method and admin setting, nothing gets minimzed and no "flickering" or anything. It just changes the isos in the background as wished. For some reason, WinCDEmu fortunately behaves quite differently than Daemon Tools Lite. With WinCDEmu method, the "Close all running applications" lock gets overridden and I can swap the isos at any time. (Game will of course crash, if it's not the right moment for that and it still needs the other disk, but that is just obvious and expected.) I get the WIN10 "mount/unmount drives" info sounds with the WinCDEmu method at the start, end and when swapping the isos. This might annoy others, but I'm happy with it like this, as I know the Ahk-Script worked and the isos were actually swapped. I have a slight problem that in about 1 of 10 cases of starting the game, the first script messes up and doesn't get to load the first iso. I know this problem from working with Daemon Tools and Launchbox additional apps in other games. Sometimes the mount process takes too long and the game subsequently crashes. I usually just check the "wait for exit" box for the "Mount Disk 1" additional app. This method won't work here, of course. But it seldom happens, and so I'm hardly bothered by this. I'd recommend posting the fine AHK Script files for WinCDEmu-Swap-method for other users in the Hotkey-Script - Threads. I think by now the thread title here is somewhat misleading. It should be posted as something like "Hotkey-Script for easy ISO-Swap for old Windows Games", so others having trouble with similar cases don't have any troubles finding this method when browsing the LB forums.

" Im assuming you get the run as admin prompt when the script launches. ´" Actually no, I don't get any prompt you are talking about. Maybe my Win10 is set up differently, I played around with the settings a lot since I installed it some years ago. The only problem at MY system with the admin-set compiled script is that it doesn't execute the hotkey commands without minimizing/leaving the game screen. I'll have a look at the WinCDEmu method this weekend and write about the experiences later here in the thread..

If I set the compiled script to admin, it does react to the hotkey whilst in game! What happens now: The game gets minimized for the dtagent execution, sometimes it re-maximizes itself or it stays minimized. But the admin setting definitely makes the hotkey work within the game. If I could bring it to just "flicker" whle changing disk without leaving game screen, I'd be fine with the AHK script. I'll test your new script tomorrow, when I got some minutes to spare again. (Thanks for taking the time, much appreciated). EDIT: Same goes for your pic.png "test". If the compiled script is set to admin, game minimizes and the pic gets opened. WIthout admin settings, it doesn't react within game environment.

I actually set up my own AHK script by now for permanent Iso swap option as I described above, using numpad - "-" for Disc 1 and numpad -"*" for Disc 2. Of course, I had to write another batch file for mounting Disc 1. It works beautifully, if I could just figure out how to make my PC react to the hotkeys whilst in game environment: #SingleInstance, Force #Persistent SetTitleMatchMode, 2 DetectHiddenWindows, On SetTimer, ProcessCheckTimer, 3000 Return ProcessCheckTimer: Process, Exist, necrono.exe pid1 := ErrorLevel If (!pid1) { ExitApp } Return NumpadSub:: Goto MountCD1 MountCD1: { Keywait, NumpadSub Run "D:\TORRENTDOWN II\Necronomicon\mountcd1.bat",,Hide } Return NumpadMult:: Goto MountCD2 MountCD2: { Keywait, NumpadMult Run "D:\TORRENTDOWN II\Necronomicon\mountcd2.bat",,Hide } Return

Tried the new script and the "start automatically before" add. app setting, but it didn't really change anything about the problem described. The "*" - Numpad key is working fine. I can see it closing the autohotkey icon in my taskbar. But I still have to get back to windows environment for it to work. When I press "*" while in game, nothing happens and the icon is still there afterwards. Changing the hotkey to Ctrl didn't have an effect on this either. The AHK script does work. It sets up "*" to start the batch file just fine. But the hotkey gets ignored as long as I'm within game environment.

So, I finally got around at trying this. So far, it doesn't yet work exactly as it should. Some basic things already work quite well, though: My compiled autohotkey-script "NecroMount2.exe" gets started automatically as additional app with the game from launchbox and can be seen running in my taskbar while the game is active and I change to Windows screen. It ceases to be active after executing MOUNTCD2BAT, as expected. Pressing "*" starts the MOUNTCDBAT.lnk command, as wished. MOUNTCDBAT.lnk can be started minimized and generally changes CD1 to CD2 when I start it from desktop. Right now, I can't execute it when the game is active as the MOUNTCD2BAT gives me "close running instances of virtual drives" errors. But I think this should cease when I'm at a point in the game when it wants me to swap isos. I'm not quite there, yet, though. BUT, right now pressing the "*" key only works if I get out of the game screen to the desktop. As long as I'm in game environment, "*" gets ignored. This way, setting the hotkey isn't that much easier, if I have to alt-tab myself out of the game, it would be just as easy to start the old additional app from launchbox and alt-tab my way back. Hmm, is there a modification of the AHK-scrip possible that makes the hotkey active with the game screen running as active surface? When I think about it, for these old WIndows games cases, setting up several hotkeys for each iso could be useful, AFAIR there is also "EVIL DEAD - HAIL TO THE KING" that needs to be run from isos (i.e. doesn't have a complete harddisk install option). I think you had to change to CD2 and again back to CD1 later in the game. So it would be even better if AHK stays active as long as the game is running and gets setup with two action keys, say "*" for Disk 2 and "-" (Keypad) for re-changing to Disk 1.

"Ok so you put that command line in the "Application command line parameters" box in addition apps within launchbox? " Yes, exactly. In the Additional Apps section of my game entry of Necronomicon. I'll write feedback here as soon as I have the time to have a try at your method.

Thanks a lot for the reply. "Mount CD2" is just my name for the Launchbox-internal additional app feature for mounting the second iso file of that game. It is set up with DTAgent and this command line: -mount dt, "D:\Necronomicon\NEC_AL_2.ccd" right now. And, as I said before, I'd like to start that one with a custom hotkey. I'll try your method later tonight or tomorrow. Very nice of you, thanks again!

Sorry for bringing this up again, but I'd really be grateful if anyone could enlighten a noob like me about this, as this matter is still unclear to me. I'd Just like this question answered: The feature I was talking about isn't possible at the moment, right? I'm not stupidly missing something obvious here?

I'm looking for a completely easy way to swap isos for certain old windows games within launchbox. (So no emulator involved here). As an example, I did a setup of a (flawed) old adventure game called "Necronomicon" as Windows game in Launchbox. I programmed Launchbox to start that game automatically with CD1 mounted (DaemonTools Lite). I added a further additional app for "Mount CD2" in Launchbox's game entry. When the game wants me to swap the iso file, I can get back to Launchbox environment and start my "Mount CD2" add. app. This works perfectly well so far. But it would be even easier still, if I could just program Launchbox to start my "Mount CD2" additional app without even leaving the game screen by using a hotkey, say the "*" - key from the numpad. Is this possible right now at the moment, maybe by setting up an autohotkey-script?

Thanks a lot for the reply. Yes, I was thinking of using the additional apps feature in Launchbox for easy usage of PC windows games. Usage I have in mind is a) for automatic xpadder -profile launch and quit after game quit and b) automatic iso mount and unmount through DTlite. As I understand it so far, I should use additional apps feature for this, adding Xpadder commands, one for run before, the other for run after application. It was explained very well here in the forum in the Script Xpadder / NoMousy-Thread, I'll try to follow those steps. I know I have to setup a profile seperately from within Xpadder before, it's just about making it start automatically within LB, Just the same I would use DT-Lite & mount/unmount command line parameters to run before and after application with a specific iso. Now for swapping iso-files within Windows games: You say I can just use alt-tab within the game and it will take me to launchbox settings, where I can launch other isos as further additional apps? This would be just perfect, exactly what I had in mind. I'll have to test that tonight on my Launchbox install on my other pc.

Sorry for re-opening this, but I have a noob question for simple older windows games. I want to try to make Launchbox launch all of them completely easily by clicking on the cover in the frontend with none of any secondary crap to have to think about: automatic xpadder settings, automatic image/iso settings through daemon tools etc. I think I already have a clue how to use additional apps to do this. But if an old PC game wants me to swap isos, unable to read it off another letter pre-set up DTlite image virtual drive, what can I do? Maybe I can get back to Windows by Windows key and manually swap DTlite to the next iso. But I'm not sure whether this works in any case or may break the game in some cases. For the few games that should pose this problem, there aren't proper NoCD-patches around. They are made to pull data from multiple CDs in any case. Sorry if I'm ignoring anything obvious here, as I said: still a noob to LB and I haven't been able to practically test this theoretical usage yet, have to wait till I get back to my launchbox set-up PC tomorrow to test how this all works up.