================================================================================

==============================
"Wilcom V9_Portable (XP)":
================================================================================
==============================
There is a few issues with this portable version of Wilc
om V9.
It is fully portable and so should be very handy for a l
ot of people.
Hopefully despite a few glitches you will find it to be
very welcome.
Portable version of wilcom ES V9
(Thinapp application)
Runs on Windows XP
(it will NOT run NATIVELY on Win 7)
- But has been TESTED (and works, running) on virtual XP installations:
(On win 7 64bit)
- Virtual box, (&)
- Windows vitual PC
No Installation Required.(As it is a portable app)
- Runs straight from the file "Wilcom9 Portable.exe"
- Can be copied, moved or run from a USB stick.
This app is basically just 3 items ONLY!:
(2 ".exe" files and 1 working system folder called "sandbox".)
1)
+=======================================================================
========================+
|Wilcom9 Portable.exe
|
|=======================================================================
========================|
|
(This single file IS the whole application, no installation requ
ired,
|
|
it just runs straight from clicking on this file, the whole orig
inal installation
|
|
of the app with all its folders and registry entries etc...
|
|
are all contained inside this one file.)
|
+=======================================================================
========================+
2)
+=======================================================================
========================+
|Design Explorer.exe
|
|=======================================================================
========================|
|
This is a short cut file to execute Design explorer directly.
|
|
It will not work if seperated from the file "Wilcom9 Portable.ex
e".
|
|
Its only purpose is so that you can access Design Explorer direc
tly,
|
|
its program files are actually inside the file "Wilcom9 Portable

.exe".
|

|
(which is the "container file" for the whole app.)

|
+=======================================================================
========================+
3)
+=======================================================================
========================+
|"Sandbox" (Folder)
|
|=======================================================================
========================|
|
This is a working folder for the application (made portable with
thin app).
|
|
It is a system folder that contains settings, data and working f
iles for the program, |
|
(so don't mess with it.)
|
|
|
|
Also do not try to paste files from windows (like fonts), direct
ly into here as they
|
|
will not be visible from wilcom anyway, that doesn't work!
|
|
|
|
If you delete this folder:
|
|
|
|
- it will be re-created by the application anyway when y
ou run the application |
|
again and you will loose all settings and changes made t
o the application...
|
|
I.E> It will return to default settings.
|
|
|
|
(So generally its best not to mess with this folder at a
ll.)
|
|
|
|
- Only try deleting this folder if for some reason wilco
m stops working
|
|
altogether as deleting it voids all customization & sett
ings.
|
+=======================================================================
========================+

================================================================================
==============================
IMPORTANT INFORMATION (Some Issues relating to this Portable version of wilcom v
9)
================================================================================
==============================
***VERY IMPORTANT*** (with this portable version)

WHEN YOU CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT ALWAYS ENSURE THE "Wilcom program window" IS MAXI
MISED FIRST!!!
|There is a small bug associated with this version that causes the displ
ay to get squeezed for
|any new doc,that is opened when the program window in not maximized.
|
|If you do not do this,
|(creating a document when the wilcom program window is not maximised),
|the height/width ratio of this new document (The whole window) will be
distorted slightly.
|
|(i.e stretched, and out of proportion).

SCREEN CALIBRATION:
|When you first copy this portable version of ES v9 to YOUR machine (and
run it):
|you will have to first calibrate the screen in Wilcom so that the grid
is exactly square and that it
|is to scale on your monitor.
|
|You will only have to do this once when you start using it on a new mon
itor or new machine etc.
|
|*** THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE WHEN THE WILCOM APPLICATION SCREEN IS MAXI
MISED (FULL SCREEN) ***
|(I.E. When the wilcom program window is taking up the whole screen, for
reasons already mentioned).
|
|In Wilcom, to do this:
+===============================================================
==============================
|screen calibration: (First maximise the Wilcom program window!)
.
|===============================================================
==============================
|THEN go to: (on the menu bar up top)
|->Special
|
->Hardware setup ->(in the dropdown box) choose "display
monitor"
|
-> Click the "Values" button.
|
|
|A screen calibration box will open up w
hich will ask you to actually
|
|PHYSICALLY MEASURE IT.
|
|
|
|(i.e up on the screen with a ruler).
|
|
|
|(i.E PHYSICALLY get a ruler and hold it
up to the screen and
|
|carefully measure the height & width of
this window...)
|
|
|
|Do this as accurately as possible, ente
ring these exact measurements

|into the appropriate fields shown and t

hen press OK.

|
|
|
|This will mean that when you open a new
document it will now appear
|
|at actual size on the screen and be in
proportion.
|
|
|N.B
|
|
|
|I have found that this box (met
hod of screen calibraton) was
|
|designed with the "Windows Clas
sic" desktop theme in mind.
|
|
|
|(on Win XP, This is the theme w
here the "windows start button"
|
|is a small grey rectangle.
|
|
|
|(as apposed to the other theme
which has a larger green start
|
|button and chunkier windows men
u bars.)
|
|
|
|If you are not using the "Windo
ws Classic" desktop theme
|
|(Your start button is green), y
ou can still calibrate the
|
|screen this way but the screen
callibration will be
|
|slightly less accurate.
|
|
+=======================================
==============================
|
|To set the desktop theme to "Windows Cl
assic" in Win XP:
|
|=======================================
==============================
|
|-> Right Click on the desktop and click
the "properties" option.
|
|
-> Click the "Themes" tab (if it
is not selected already).
|
|
-> Use the "Theme:" drop
down list to select the
|
|
"Windows Classic" opt
ion.
|
|
-> then click th
e "Apply" botton down
|
|
the bottom an
d then click "OK"
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------+===============================================================
==============================

THE "[Extras]" FOLDER:

|There is an addional folder called "[Extras]" which contains:

|
|(*** IMPORTANT ***)
|============================
|1) A transparent cursor. . .
|============================
|
|because I noticed that with this portable version of wilcom v9:
|
|that whist digitizing often the busy cursor,
|
|(the hour glass in windows XP which appears when it is "thinkin
g")
|
|TENDS TO GETs STUCK WHILST DIGITIZING (i.e it will fail to disa
pear, obscuring your artwork).
|
|
|
|When this happened (to me) it was very annoying as it tended to
obscure the artwork I was
|
|trying to digitize to.
|
|
|
|To prevent this issue simply re-define the busy cursor in XP to
this new
|
|transparent cross cursor.
|
|
|
|In WIN XP, to do this:
|
+=======================================================
==============================
|
|Customize the "Busy Cursor"
|
|=======================================================
==============================
|
|
|
|(Copy the "Trans-crosshair.cur" file to your C drive (o
r somewhere out of the way)...
|
|then...)
|
|
|
|
Go to:
|
|
->Start Menu
|
|
->control Panel
|
|
->(Double Click) "Mouse"
|
|
->(Click on the) "Pointe
rs" Tab.
|
|
|
|
In the customize area be
low find the "Busy" icon.
|
|
Select the "Busy" cursor (by clicking it) and click
|
|
the "Browse" button belo
w.
|
|
|
|
Navigate to your new tra
nsparent cursor.. select it...
|
|
|
|
CLICK ->"Apply" -->"OK"....
|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|AND
|
|=====================
|2) A wilcom icon. . .
|=====================
|
|(just in case you want to assign this icon to the folder you in
tend to run wilcom out of
|
|(just to look nice),
|
|for instances where you are not needing to move this folder aro

und)...
|
+=======================================================================
==============================
IMPERIAL OR METRIC (Inches or MMs):
|In Wilcom: weather you perfer Inches or MMs for you measurements and fo
r the on screen rulers etc...
|
Setting this can ONLY be done from windows itself. (This is hand
led from windows not wilcom!)
|
|
+===============================================================
==============================
|
|To set the measurement format for wilcom (in Win XP)
|
|===============================================================
==============================
|
|Go to:
|
|->Start Menu
|
|
->control Panel
|
|
->(Double Click) Regional and Language Options
|
|
->Select the "Regional Options" tab (if
it is not already).
|
|
->use the drop down list here to
select your country or region.
|
|
CLICK -->"Apply" -->"OK"
....
|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|This is how you set wilcom to the measurement standard you are used to.
|Changing this will change all the measurements inside wilcom.
+=======================================================================
==============================

INSTALLING FONTS (and related issues about the "internal file system" of a virtu
alized application):
|Normally with Wilcom:
|
|to install new fonts you simply copy them (the ".esa" font file
s)
|
|to the folder "ESWin\WLETTER" and restart Wilcom.
|
|("ESwin" is the default install folder for wilcom and "WLETTER"
is the user font folder.)
|
|However these folders actually don't exist (as far as windows in concer
ned) because this version
|actually runs out of a single file and has "virtual program folders" th
at only Wilcom can see.
|(as virtualized apps are all bundled together into one container file.)
|
|SO.... even though these program folders don't exist for windows...
|they actually do exist for the Wilcom Program...
|i.e... You obviously will not see these program folders when navigating
the file system from windows,
|(as you didn't actually install anything), but if you navigate from Wil
com YOU WILL see them!!!!!!!!
|

|
+===============================================================
==============================
|
|TO INSTALL A FONT:
|
|===============================================================
==============================
|
|
(From windows) Select the fonts you want to install & (R
ight click) on the selection.
|
|
->"copy" (them to the clip board).
|
|
|
|
THEN:
|
|
|
|
(From wilcom, from the menus at the top)
|
|
-> (Click) File
|
|
->Open...
|
|
From the open dialog box...
|
|
(Click) the "up one level" icon
|
|
(a small folder with an return arrow on
it),
|
|
MULTIPLE TIMES. . .
|
|
|
|
(Keep clicking it) until the "My Compute
r" icon appears.
|
|
|
|
-> (double click) "My Computer"...
|
|
->(double click)"(C:) Local Disk
"
|
|
->(double click)"ESWin"
|
|
->(double click)
"WLETTER"
|
|
|
|
To see t
he fonts already installed
|
|
change t
he "Files of type:" Drop down
|
|
to "All
Files".
|
|
|
|
ADDITION
AL USER ADDED FONTS ARE SHOWN.
|
|
|
|*** If you delete any of these, fonts will be uninstalled. ***
|
|*** Any fonts you paste here they will be installed and become
visible after a restart ***
|
|
|
|
-> (Righ
t Click)
|
|
(insi
de the box showing the fonts)
|
|
And then
(Click) "Paste"
|
|
(To past
e the fonts into this folder.)
|
|
|
|
The new font/s will become active after you restart Wilc
om.
|
+===============================================================
==============================
|
+=======================================================================
==============================

FILE ASSOCIATIONS (from the host OS)

This portable version of Wilcom V9 does not serve to open files via file
associations set up on the
host OS. Even if they did they would be broken anyway if the app was mov
ed. But it would have been nice
anyway.
I.E if you keep this program in a fixed position on your hard disk and a
ssociate .emb (embroidery) files
with it from you host operating system:
-Double clicking on a ".emb" file from windows WILL actually ope
n the application, but the file
will not actually load!
To load files you should do so normally from the app itself or use drag
and drop.

===========================================================
RUNNING THIS VERSION OF WILCOM v9 ON WIN 7 AND OTHER OS's
===========================================================
If you want to run this portable version of Wilcom V9 on a more modern O
perating system (not XP),
like Windows 7 for example then you can still do so by using an XP virtu
al machine (emulator).
i.e. this is a software emulation of XP that will run as an application
(in a window) on Win 7.
I have already tested this version of Wilcom on: (2 different XP emmulat
ors on Win 7 64 bit)
+======================
| Windows virtual PC...
|======================
|
|
|It worked fine but with a few hastles: (I opted to use
"virtual box" instead.)
|
|With "Windows virtual PC": on start I got the message:
|
|"This application cannot be run as a Terminal Services
Client".
|
|
|
|I found you can easily get around this (In Windows Viru
al PC) by,
|
|diabling integration features, starting wilcom and then
enabling them again
|
|after the application has started.
|
|
|
|In WIN XP, to do this:
|
+===============================================
==============================
|
|Starting "Wilcom9 Portable" on "Windows virtual
PC"
|
|===============================================
==============================
|
|(With the window minimised, so the top tool-bar
appears):
|
|
Tools->Disable Intergration Features...
|
|
(it may ask for your network log

in password)
|

Then run Wilcom ES... and it sho

uld start fine.

|
|
|
|
once the application has started
go back to the tools menu &
|
|
Enable integration features agai
n...
|
|
|
|(this enables access to the hard drive on you P
C from the virtual machine...)
|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|
|However when you do start Wilcom with the Virtual PC wi
ndow minimized like this
|
|(Minimised so that the menu bar will appear up the top
of the "Virtual PC" window)
|
|Wilcom will obviously start with a squashed screen (for
reasons already mentioned.)
|
|
|
|So in this case you simply maximise the wilcom program
window when it opens up,
|
|then close the default document window which opens up b
y default when you start
|
|the app and then open a new document.
|
|(which will now obviously be fine as you opened it when
the program window was
|
|maximised).
|
|
|
|So I got into the habit of leaving wilcom open on the V
irtual XP when I shut
|
|Virtual XP down, saving the state of Virtual XP on shut
down.
|
|
|
|This way wilcom was ever ready when i opened virtual XP
|
|
|
|To avoid this hastle I opted to use "Virtual Box" inste
ad.
|
|However the file system of the host PC does integrate m
uch better on this product,
|
|(the integration features do a good job of making your
host PC hard drives available)
|
|
+======================
+======================
| Virtual Box...
|======================
|
|
|I found virtual box runs quite a bit faster than Window
s virtual PC and with less less
|
|hastles but it does require you to install windows into
it (as it is not a microsoft
|
|product obviously) where as Windows Virtual PC works st
raight off the bat.
|
|
|
|This may sound like a hasstle but if the only reason yo

u are using a virtual machine

|
|is to run Wilcom then this will give you an opportunity
to slim down your XP unstalation
|
|as much as possible, which may explain why I found my i
nstall of "Virtual Box"
|
|was significantly zippier than "Windows Virtual PC".
|
|
|
|In general I found Virtual Box to be superior to window
s virtual PC in all ways but one.
|
|The Windows product automatically integrates the file s
ystem of the host OS when you
|
|install the "guest additions" funtionality... (which is
very handy).
|
|With Virtual Box you have to "share Folders" on the hos
t OS, which is a bit more of a
|
|hastle but a small price to pay for a product that runs
significantly better.
|
|
+======================