The programs are in general installed on the ` mobiles' by means of a CAB file. These CAB files (Cabinet File) were developed by Microsoft as archive files for installation.
It should be noted that the "Today Themes" are neither more nor less than files of installation CAB whose extension is "TSK".
A specific format of these files CAB is used for Windows CE. On the mobile the installation is carried out by the program WCELOAD.EXE which reads the file, installs it by copying the files in the defined repertories, writes the entries in the registry...
In these files CAB are stored the files to be transferred on the ` mobile'. The names of these files use convention "MS-DOS 8.3", i.e. 8 characters for the name followed of the point (`.') and 3 characters for the extension. The extensions for Windows CE are in fact of the numbers from 000 to 999. No file in a CAB can have the same numerical extension as another.
For example the file Theme "Cafe.tsk", provided by Microsoft includesthe files :
路 0stwater.002
路 tdywater.001
路 Cafe_4~1.000
The file tdywater.001 is the image "Today", the file 0stwater.002 is the image "Start".
As for the Cafe_4~1.000 file, it is in fact the file giving all the instructions to install this theme : To install the two images in the directory "\Windows", to define the contents of 22 keys in the registry which are in fact here the definition of the colors for the theme for the ` mobile'.
The file whose extension is "000" is always that providing all information of installation.
This file "000" is defined as follows :
路 A header with fixed length100 bytes.
路 Application Name(APPNAME).
路 Provider Name(PROVIDER).
路 Section of unsupported platforms Windows CE non support茅es (UNSUPPORTED multi string).
路 Section of strings (STRINGS) used to build the names of the folders, files, registry keys and shortcut for application.
路 Section of Dirs (DIRS) of installation of the files.
路 Section of Files (FILES) defining all the files to be transferred on the mobile in the folders enumerated in the preceding section.
路 Section of Hives (REGHIVES) for which values will be defined or modified.
路 Section of the values for these registry keys (REGKEYS) .
路 Section of the shortcuts (LINKS) being used for the application.
All these precise details concerning the files of installation Windows CE (CAB) were collected on Internet in the page : http://docs.vernstok.nl/cabextract/wince_cab_format.html .
To note on this page a small error concerning the section FILES: the third word of 2 bytes is indicated as the extension on 3 digits of the file concerned (it rather represents the order of treatment in the list of the files). Only the first word of 2 bytes is useful like identification of the extension of the file concerned.
Another error relates to the shortcuts: the second word of 2 bytes is announced like unknown, but corresponds in fact to the repertory of destination of the shortcut if the value is different from 0.
To exploit this information, I wrote a small utility to find all the data contained in these files of installation and allowing to analyze these files "000".
This program was written with Delphi 7, to function on a PC having the DLL following : (See ThemeGenCE for explanations !)
路 Gdiplus.dll
路 Cabinet.dll
These DLL are present under Windows XP.
MSCEInf accepts the redimensioning of the window to adapt it to the screen available.
The program automatically extracts the file "000" from files CAB or selected TSK and analyzes it. It can also analyze already extracted files "000". A full report is posted in page control.
It offers also the possibility of :
to save the analysis in a file with the format rtf (Rich Text Format) which can be read by WordPad or Word .
to save Inf file reconstituted in text format or to copy it in the clipboard.
to extract all the files from the CAB or TSK and Inf file reconstituted in a folder (with the possibility of creating this folder). After that you can use Cabwiz to create again the CAB (I let you imagine all the possibilities !).
This program can be useful to those which like to understand all that an application can put on their mobile, so much on the level of the programs installed than of the "pollution" of the registry.
The program accepts the option ' Open with ' of Windows Explorer as well as the ' Drag and Drop' of a CAB, TSK or 000 file.
In document rtf one has a contextual menu while clicking with the right button. This menu makes it possible to position on the level of the various sections of the analysis (Strings, Dirs, Files, Hives, Keys, Shortcuts, beginning of file INF) and makes it possible to copy in the clipboard the contents of what one selected.
It should be noted that if THEME GENERATOR is installed on the PC and that coexist in the same repertory a file theme TSK and the file extracted "000" of the same theme, after having clicked on the TSK the file extracted "000" is deleted. This because THEME GENERATOR uses this file to evaluate the theme. I think that it is a bad management of the temporary files by THEME GENERATOR.
Use of CabWiz.exe
Cabwiz is a program of Microsoft. This program compiles the files of installation of CABs according to the Microsoft standard.
To obtain this program, it is enough to install Theme Generator of Microsoft (version 2) if it is not already done.
For a later use, save in a dir the 3 useful files:
Cabwiz.exe
Cabwiz.ddf
Makecab.exe
1) When you explore a CAB with MSCEInf, you have the possibility of extracting in a dir the files included in the CAB and file INF of information reconstituted (this one is the not compiled shape of the file contained in the CAB having for extension ".000").
2) This file INF is thus modifiable by a text editor. Make the modifications desired with this file by adapting these modifications to the files extracted from the CAB (deleted or added...).
3) Copy in the dir (where the files of the CAB and file INF are located) the 3 files saved from Theme Generator.
4) Open a DOS window in this dir and type the command line :
Cabwiz "filename_INF.inf"
Put the quotation marks well so that DOS accepts the long names of Windows and especially spaces in the name.
5) You thus obtain the CAB reconstituted with the modifications which you made.
- You can erase the file "filename_INF.DAT" which is neither more nor less than file INF compiled to the Microsoft standards (equal in fact to that whose extension is "000").
- If the CAB is a Theme, rename the CAB with the extension ".tsk".
Contributions of version 1.4
This version now allows the reading of the files "_ setup.xml" contained in the CAB.
- Rebuilt the tree structure of file XML with possibility of extending or of reducing branches of the tree.
- Also Rebuilt a conventional INF file (can be copied to the clipboard).
- Creates a Memo (can be copied to the clipboard) with the Register keys in a format of the Regedit type (for the "Geeks").
For the CABS with a conventional INF file like those with a "_ setup.xml" file :
- Possibility of "Using Folder Names" for files saving.
- Additional Informations on the files with also possibility of sorting on these new columns :
- Size of the file.
- Date and Hour of the file.
- Type of the file (its extension).
- Possibility of Multiselection on the files (Shift, Control).
- Possibility Drag and Drop for one or more files towards the Explorer (Folder, Desktop...).
- Contextual Menu on the file under the cursor (Right Button) allowing :
- Open the file with the associated application (If it is a program - Extension "EXE" - the launching of the program is prohibited, which is surer. The icon of the program is shown) or "Open with..." if there is no association.
- Open the file with the Notepad.
If MSCEinf is defined as an application for opening CAB, the program will be loaded. If it was minimized, it will be restored.
If the button of Checking of Signature is activated, MSCEInf authorizes 2 signatures ' MSCE ' and ' CE4+ ' and only those (If it is not one of the two authorized signatures, the pointer of the mouse positions on the button of checking of signature after having posted a message of alarm). If not, there is no checking of the signature of the CAB.