I wanted to  evaluate originally  ThinInstall  (now newly renamed by VMware to ThinApp) only. ThinApp requires as much as possible clean OS before capturing apps that should be virtualized. Since I didn’t want to boot my VM/install clean one I gave 2nd chance to MojoPac (a great idea, but half year ago MojoPac was crashing my entire Laptotp when trying to open files  with QGIS 10..) . This time MojoPac 2.0.0.0 positively suprised me. First of all I still don’t know how they technicaly do this. Could be by new windows session, but that was not proven…Back to my test. I decided to install fresh MojoPac ainto my WD external HDD and there I have installed trial version of VMWare ThinApp. I have choosen to virtualize complex caliber installation  application Bentley view v8i. All worked fine to my suprise. MojoPac was able to run Bently View as well as ThinApp successfully virtualised it. The footprint of the exe and dat file was huge (no compression)..1.3GB.  virtualised Bently view was able to run on host as well in MojoPac. The last test I have tried was to run both in MojoPac – Bently View installed reguraly as well as virtualised…just worked. To summarize this, I believe that MojoPac is a great way (if stable and improving) and directly competting with ThinApp from VMWare (which is not free).

On page http://www.xpnet.com/appvirt2008.pdf you migh find quite interesting  benchmark of current application virtualizations technologies of Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.5; VMware ThinApp 4.0.1; Citrix XenApp 5; and Symantec Software Virtualization Solution (SVS) Pro 2.1.  In the report ThinApp is a winner.:[quoted from the research ]:

” Application virtualization solutions that use an embedded virtualization model (ThinApp) deliver the best application throughput. Only ThinApp delivers the combination of excellent raw performance plus low overall CPU utilization, making it the better solution for organizations seeking to minimize the performance “hit” typically associated with virtualization technology. “

2 Bently View v8i running inside MojoPac - 1 installed, 2nd virtualized by ThinApp (and both virtualized by MojoPac)

Here are my numbers of lunching Bently View v8i (all are measured by 4th run and untill dialog for selecting dgn file will appear):

run from installation in MojoPac: 2.8 s
run from ThinApp virtualization (uncompressed) in MojoPac: 4.9 s
run from ThinApp in host: 4.9 s
run MojoPac + Bently View from host : 14.8 s

this would give MojoPac 1.75x faster than default ThinApp virtualized application (regardless whether ThinInstall runs inside or outside MojoPac). But if compared to time from host to virtualized applicaiton run, than winner is ThinApp (3x faster) since there is no overhead with virtualisation of whole desktop environment.  (I  personally prefer – with regard to coherence introduced by Parallels – ThinApp way for smooth integration with current desktop)

I was doing some reading over at rootkit.com and came across this article which relates to the Mojopac application.  While this is the only Mojopac exploit I’ve read about I took a look at the application behavior from the “parent” machine using Sysinternals Process Explorer because it shows hidden processes and it illustrates the relationship between Mojopac and the “parent” operating system.  If you’re using Mojopac I think this article is worth a read – if you’re still on the fence or looking for a project I suggest you take a look at this article and start trying to crack some of these limitations.

I received this nifty little GPX personal audio device from my Mother this past Christmas and I’ve been fiddling around with it to see just what it’s capable of.  From the device’s packaging:

• mp3, wma, smv, avi, mp4, wmv and jpg support
• built-in digital FM radio
• SD expansion slot
• 19 equalizer presets
• built-in microphone
• USB 2.0
• 65k color 1.5 inch TFT display

the packaging indicated that there was an SD expansion slot which I discovered is not present.  Apparently the packaging was designed for several devices and lists the properties of all those devices on the package.  Disappointing, but I think I can make due – I may find it worthwhile to rip this thing apart to see just what it uses for storage…

This device  came with a USB cable and a pair of cheap but functional headphones.

While the controls are kind of clunky (you have to press and hold buttons to elect any kind of selection) I think it looks alright and the screen is at the very least readable.  Here’s how it looks with some idea of scale:

GPX MW8857DT Personal Audio Player

That’s kind of high contrast (which is adjustable, thankfully) and let’s take a look at what we have going on as far as the directory structure is concerned:

GPX Directory Structure

The first file that jumps out at me is BOOTEX.LOG which contains some info about the file system type, disk use and integrity:

Checking file system on F:
The type of the file system is FAT32.

One of your disks needs to be checked for consistency. You
may cancel the disk check, but it is strongly recommended
that you continue.

Windows will now check the disk.
Volume Serial Number is 448B-2AB9
\PHOTO Errors in . and/or .. corrected.
\MVIDEO Errors in . and/or .. corrected.
\FM Errors in . and/or .. corrected.
\VOICE Errors in . and/or .. corrected.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.
   4100096000 bytes total disk space.
      4489216 bytes in 9 hidden files.
        65536 bytes in 4 folders.
    276512768 bytes in 146 files.
   3819012096 bytes available on disk.
        16384 bytes in each allocation unit.
       250250 total allocation units on disk.
       233094 allocation units available on disk.

This log is telling because it indicated that Windows ha∂ detected problems which it then corrected.  This is most interesting because I mounted it on my Macbook Pro.  I also erased the contents of this log and reconnected it and this same output was directed to this log-file which tells me that somewhere on this device there is hard-coded a reference to Windows as the operating system of attachment.  The drive is also formatted as FAT32 which is kind of the universal file system for inexpensive generic MP3 players.

I also found it curious that of the 4GB (3.8) this device is said to possess only 3.56GB are free.  Given that the visible directory structure above represents 269MB of space we’re looking at something in the neighborhood of 256MB of space I can’t rightly account for, some of which is probably allocated for the subsystem to render those 65k colors, etc, and handle the playing of video.

What is the most interesting, perhaps, was discovering nearly 100 .wma audio files which were mostly Spanish language were already scattered around my device.  Of course only a small percentage of these were in the root directory which is where music should be.  There were no viruses or trojans detected on this device, either.  I was surprised to see that the device indexes itself every time it starts up which means it does locate those audio files buried mistakenly in the /PHOTO directory, but that seems a counter-intuitive means of adding audio files.  During this exploration the device shut itself off and I had to use a push-pin to depress the reset button on the back to get it back up and running.  Could be a voltage issue – I should probably get out the multimeter…

I clicked around within the device and eventually found myself drawn to the FM radio feature which had an auto-tune feature which discovered about a dozen FM radio channels and began playing the first channel automatically.  By depressing the “Play/Pause” button while listening to an FM channel you can record the audio at radio quality which is probably useless, but different.

I can almost hear the unasked question, “why would you waste your time on such a useless device?  Go buy an iPod!” and I am prepared to answer it:  I own an iPod already and I intend to install Windows XP on this device using the MojoPac application, an application which can be installed on a USB drive or even an iPod, which allows an installed operating environment to utilize the CPU, video card, memory and other hardware resources of the machine your USB device is attached to.  The trick, as I am coming to realize, is how to install a fully functioning XP installation that won’t grow larger than 3.5-4GB.

A few months ago I played around with an application called nlite which allows you to roll your own custom XP installation and slipstream service packs.  Using this I was able to roll myself a custom burnable ISO that performed an install of just under 1GB.  The static storage capacity is one fairly serious restriction which necessitates the rolling of an even smaller install.  Given the Rube Goldberg-esqe lengths to which I’m going here let’s not rule anything out.  I’ll periodically post information about my success or failure.

UPDATE:  after removing all the Spanish .mp3, .wma and .wav files there’s approximately 5.5MB of 3.8GB in use.  So when I roll my XP install I need to really shrink it down – I’ve only a few Gigs of growth this thing can endure.

Para aquellos que tienen que estar trabajando en dos PCs durante el día (casa / oficina, o casa / universidad), pero que no quieren llevar acarriando su laptop a cada rato, o simplemente carecen de una, Mojopac resulta una atractiva herramienta. y nunca esta demas aprender mas chiches…les dejo la explicación:

Qué hace? Transforma un dispositivo USB (disco duro externo, memoria USB, etc), en una “PC Virtual”. Es decir, apenas conecten dicho USB con Mojopac, todo el escritorio, además de las aplicaciones que hayamos instalado en el USB con Mojopac, reemplazarán al escritorio de Windows por defecto que puede estar instalado en la otra PC.

Instalando MojoPac

• Instalar Mojopac es bastante simple. Basta con descargar la aplicación, y contar ya con una memoria USB (preferiblemente, de 2GBs o más).
• Una vez que ejecutamos la aplicación, le decimos que se instale en dicho USB. Ahora, podremos ejecutar MojoPac desde nuestro USB en nuestra PC.
• Y ahora? Basta con instalar aplicaciones desde “MojoView”. Dichas aplicaciones estarán disponibles en cualquier PC, siempre y cuando traigamos nuestro USB. Es como cargar todo nuestro escritorio, junto con los programas, con nosotros todo el tiempo

Eso sí, dudo que funcione en Ciber Cafes o similares, pues la mayoría bloquean el acceso a aplicaciones extras. Pero si el PC en la que utilizarán Mojopac es prácticamente de ustedes (el PC de la oficina, por ejemplo), MojoPac es una gran alternativa, si es que queremos traer todas nuestras aplicaciones.

Link

En el blog Killer Tech Tips aparece una lista de cosas que pueden hacer con sus flash drives.

1. Instalar Linux: Pendrive Linux, Damn Small Linux, Feather Linux, Puppy Linux, etc.
2. Instalar MojoPac
3. Regalos

Esta es una muestra de lo que dicen en el blog.

Every day new technologies are coming and with every passing minute our dependence on them is growing. Many people prefer carrying their laptops in their backpacks. If one is not willing to carry that load to places, he can easily get a computer to work almost everywhere. But then there is a problem. You may not always get a computer that meets your requirements.

Thanks to the large amount of memory at our disposal in pen drives, we may not need to carry a laptop place for being able to surf, word-process, read mails and store files the way we want to.

Make full use of your USB stick

Your USB stick can double as a portable computer — that too the slimmest of the world. There are a number of executable applications available for various purposes. These executable applications do not require installation and can be run either from disk or from external storage devices like a USB drive. I prefer executable applications for the ease of using them without making your computer cluttered. This allows me to have any number of applications even if I may use it rarely.

Who should one use portable applications on USB sticks?

• Who are always on the move and need to carry their applications and files along with them.
• Who need to work on several computers, maybe at home or offices, or has to keep using many computers at home and office.
• If the user account is a restricted one, allowing only limited control. In such a case one is not able to install any application of choice.

Where to find portable application to be run from USB?

PortableApps is the best place to look for portable applications. The site also gives you a convenient Portablapps Suite for easily accessing applications on your USB. This suite comes in three versions.

Standard Suite: It comes with several applications pre-installed to get started immediately. It includes ClamWin Portable (antivirus), Mozilla Firefox – Portable Edition (web browser), Gaim Portable (instant messaging), OpenOffice.org Portable (office suite), Sudoku Portable (puzzle game), Mozilla Sunbird – Portable Edition (calendar/task manager) and Mozilla Thunderbird – Portable Edition (email client).Lite Version: It includes AbiWord Portable (word processor) instead of OpenOffice.org Portable. This helps save lot of space on your stick. This should be your pick if you do not need Office Suite and a word-processor is enough for you

Base Edition : It includes just the backbone platform where you can install your own portable applications. This is the one if you want a fully customized version. You can download portable applications from PortableApps and install them on it.

You may also just download the appliations and install them in your USB drive without the PortableApps Suite. This wil, however, require you to go to the folder and click the application icon to start it. You can also install other executable versions of applications like Audacity (Audio Editor), BitDefender (Anti Virus) to run from USB.

Plug-and-play desktop

Now a days, all monitors come with plug and play facility that allows you to use your monitor by simply plugging it to your computer. There is a similar thing that will convert your pen drive or any USB drive into your own plug-and-play computer.

Install MojoPac with desired applications on your pen drive. Now whenever you plug this USB to a computer running Windows XP in an administrative account, you immediately get your own desktop on that computer.

Here onwards you can work as if you were on your own PC. Once done, you can unplug the device without leaving any trace on the host computer. MojoPac can be installed on any USB 2.0 compliant storage device.

I am in the process of testing flock, the social browser. I am using my ipod with mojopac and a borrowed pc environment. I still need to find out how everything works with flock. But I like what I see after almost 90 minutes playing around with the application. If I only could figure out how to include linkedin in my accounts and services….

I have recently come across a new type of virtualization technology that is completely unlike vmware. Check it out at http://www.mojopac.com. Basically, it utilizes your existing running copy of Windows and creates a virtual environment within it. The benefit is that there is very little if any performance hit and very little memory overhead (50MB!). Whether you are a gamer or a developer, you need to check this out.

I can take my USB drive and create my own Windows environment that includes installed software, shortcuts, settings, desktop, etc. and then take the USB drive to my home PC and have the same environment. In other words, a portable desktop. The website has some great demos that explain this better.

At Adobe, we’ve been testing this with LiveCycle ES which requires a J2EE app server, database server, JDK, etc. and so far, it’s running great.

Oh… did I mention that it is now free for personal use????!!!! (and very inexpensive for businesses)

Mojopac Demo Movie:

Ecco come apparirà il vostro nuovo desktopLa RingCube Technologies Inc. ha annunciato oggi il rilascio della versione free del suo MojoPac: uno dei più gettonati software per la virtualizzazione del desktop.

In soldoni il programma cattura tutte le informazioni importanti del vostro PC come applicativi, configurazioni, settings e dati e li immagazzina in un drive USB.

In seguito, inserendo la vostra pennina (o perché no, il vostro iPod o uno smartphone) in un qualsiasi PC con sistema operativo Windows potrete trasformare il computer ospite in una copia, ridotta e personalizzata, del vostro PC di casa.

[FONTE]

“Un anno fa abbiamo lanciato MojoPac al DEMOfall” dechiara Shan Appajodu, CEO della RingCube Technologies “Da allora il prodotto ha guadagnato un significativo interesse da parte dei consumatori che in centinaia di migliaia hanno scaricato il software. Adesso abbiamo l’opportunità più unica che rara di dare una svolta al personal computing e ci prefiggiamo di rendere il nostro software di virtualizzazione uno standard universale proprio attraverso il rilascio di MojoPac Freedom”

L’installazione richiede qualche minuto anche con un computer con prestazioni superiori alla media, ma fortunatamente poi tutto sembra procedere senza intoppi e passare da MojoPac all’host o viceversa è davvero un attimo (un clic).

Di default troverete installato già Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Messenger e le classiche cartelle di sistema di Windows. Ma da qui ad installare tutto quello che vi serve è un attimo.

Il prelievo dei settings è completamente automatico, mentre per l’installazione dei vostri software preferiti le procedure sono praticamente identiche a quelle che usereste normalmente sul vostro PC (per intenderci la penna USB risulterà come fosse C:\ e il desktop (la scrivania) in realtà sarà una cartella sempre nella memory stick;).

All’inizio il computer si rallenterà parecchio e sembrerà a tratti congelato.
Al termine dell’installazione continuerà la fase di assetto, ma dopo un po’ tutto sembra andare liscio senza conflitti di sorta e senza andare ad intaccare il vostro prezioso sistema operativo/registro/file system.
 

Insomma, la nuova filosofia del desktop virtuale e portatile sembra davvero una scommessa vincente. D’altronde cosa si può chiedere di più che portare il proprio PC ovunque e comodamente in tasca?

Da provare!Scaricalo gratutamente qui!

PS Vi ricordo le PortableApps e WinPenPack che sono sempre un’ottima alternativa free

[FONTE]

All you have to do is post why you want MojoPac. They are giving away 2 of the licenses; give away to occur on December 27th. Sounds like a great deal to me. Just leave them a comment, and make sure you read the other ones to get a decent idea of the people you are up against for the give away! You have no idea what MojoPac is?

Basically it’s a way for you to carry around your computer on a portable device. Not your computer obviously, but more like you data, files, mp3’s, etc.. Whatever it is that makes you feel like you are working on your computer anywhere you are. Make sense? If you are still curious, I did a post about another service that does pretty much the same thing. Both seem like a great way to carry about your computer settings on one of the many portable harddrives that are ample these days. Well a USB stick isn’t considered a HD, but you get what I’m saying; I hope!