Tell me, is this good news or history.

[oldman]

I have installed 2 apps (using revision 75025) from an ext2 partition (D:) onto a fat32 partition (C:) and run them. I have opened the readme text file on the desktop and then saved it onto the ext2 partition. Is this good news or is it already history.

[hbelusca]

http://community.reactos.org/index.php/ ... ogress-ext (written 21st March 2016). So it's history
What would be good news however, would be the possibility of running .exes that are directly into the EXT2 partition (not copying them into the fat32 partition), or the best of the best, installing ReactOS directly onto an EXT2 partition. The first thing, iirc is not completely possible yet (similar problem happens on NTFS partitions too) because we have a bug in the (filesystem) "cache controller" layer. The second thing is also related to the first one, and to the fact we don't have the code ready in FreeLDR to read Ext2 partitions (and no boot sector either).

[val]

^ and also, if you want to have been able to boot on UEFI systems, you are better off to not use ext2 as a boot partition (thus the one where OS has been installed on), because you will need to recreate your ext2 code in your efi loader, since UEFI doesn't support it (and won't).

[hbelusca]

Well, the EFI "system" partition (to use the jargon employed by firmware guys) will in any case be formatted in FAT32, for sure, and it's where freeldr or whatever else UEFI boot program will be. But then nothing forbids ReactOS kernel and its other files to reside on another separate partition, and the freeldr will have to load the kernel from there, so freeldr will have to implement a small EXT2 filesystem again.

[val]

Well, the EFI "system" partition (to use the jargon employed by firmware guys) will in any case be formatted in FAT32, for sure, and it's where freeldr or whatever else UEFI boot program will be. But then nothing forbids ReactOS kernel and its other files to reside on another separate partition, and the freeldr will have to load the kernel from there, so freeldr will have to implement a small EXT2 filesystem again.

that was I was saying. ext2 isn't such a brilliant thing to have additional burden for it. Of course, reactos is trying to be fully windows compatible (ext2 installation isn't that though), but having a separate "vendor" directory on ESP, for its kernel set, would be a very good starting point on integrating into UEFI platforms. Lacking advanced protection features on FAT wouldn't be a problem, since the OS might impose a default strict access options on a whole ESP. But with this, creating an efi osloader for reactos would be a way easier, since even loading kernel sets might have been done using UEFI Boot Services. just saying.

[oldman]

What would be good news however, would be the possibility of running .exes that are directly into the EXT2 partition (not copying them into the fat32 partition), or the best of the best, installing ReactOS directly onto an EXT2 partition.

To clarify my original post; I copied the .exe files onto the ext2 partition using Puppy Linux, which I had also used to create the ext2 partition. I then ran the .exe file from the ext2 partition and installed it onto the fat partition.

[hbelusca]

What would be good news however, would be the possibility of running .exes that are directly into the EXT2 partition (not copying them into the fat32 partition), or the best of the best, installing ReactOS directly onto an EXT2 partition.

To clarify my original post; I copied the .exe files onto the ext2 partition using Puppy Linux, which I had also used to create the ext2 partition. I then ran the .exe file from the ext2 partition and installed it onto the fat partition.

Oh, so you actually was able to run .exes from EXT2 partition? Ok this I think is new, because iirc. it wasn't possible before. Which makes me think whetgher we can do that too with NTFS filesystem now (some bugs related to that may have been removed in the meantime, before the last time I was told this was not possible and/or last time I tested this).

[oldman]

I have done some more testing, this time with an ext4 partition. There are many failures, but also some success. I would guess 60% fail or partially fail and 40% are successful.

These are my notes for the successful tests.

C: = fat32
D: = ext4
E: = cdrom

K-Meleon 1.5.3 - Installs to C: from D: and seems to run okay, but will not install to D: with error and abortion.

OpenOffice 3.1.1 - Installs to C: from D: and runs okay. I have opened the readme text that was saved from Notepad onto D:, with no problems, but I have had problems trying to alter the text document. The text file was saved with the alteration that I made in OpenOffice.

Sumatra PDF beta 0.9.3 - Installs to D: from E: and runs, but shows some desktop. I was able to open a multi page PDF file, which displayed okay.

[oldman]

Ok this I think is new, because iirc. it wasn't possible before. Which makes me think whether we can do that too with NTFS filesystem now (some bugs related to that may have been removed in the meantime, before the last time I was told this was not possible and/or last time I tested this).

Yes, it is possible to run apps from a NTFS partition, but not to write to it (access_denied).

I have changed the ext4 partition to a NTFS partition and I have been able to run apps from it, which I copied to the partition with Windows XP .

Firefox 3.6.3 - Installed from NTFS to fat32 okay and is able to run with no problems.

Peazip 2.9 - Installed from NTFS to fat32 okay, but has problems when run.

Putty 0.60 - Installed from NTFS to fat32 okay and runs with no problems.

Putty.exe - Runs from the NTFS partition with no problems (this is a stand-alone version).

[Blackcrack]

well, you can also try to use portable apps:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/winpenpack/files/

best regards
Blacky

[justincase]

You can also try using Portable Apps.

[Blackcrack]

You can also try using Portable Apps.

copy the portable app from this provider in C:\Programs ..
i don't like they are, they makes restriction and works particularly (or generally)
not over unc-path like it samba provided they italien from winpenpack
provide it.. and make no restrictions ..

best regards
Blacky

[oldman]

justincase and Blackcrack, what is all this about portable apps! All I have been doing is testing if I could read/write and install/run, to/from different file systems with some apps that I have.

[Blackcrack]

was just a idea, sorry..