Universal Shell

Here is my attempt at making a shell/frontend (Not an unlock!) that works on the majority of devices without manually editing any scripts or paths in ini files.
This programme is for when you've unlocked your device, installed a couple of other GPS applications and just want an easy way to choose between them and add a few basic PDA features to your device.

Latest version.
[Please Register or Login to download file]
Archive size 14.5MB -> Extracted size 35.1MB.
Passwords: navitotal

To upgrade from a previous version...
Backup your settings using the option in Advanced settings.
Manually backup any user added content in UserApps and UserData.
Exit Universal Shell.
Delete the existing Universal Shell folder and replace with the updated version and add any custom content back to their respective folders then reboot your device.
The backup will be detected and you will be asked if you want to import it, This takes a few moments and Universal Shell will start automatically with all your previous settings, Any new options will be set to their defaults.

Supported resolutions: 320x240, 400x240, 480x234, 480x272, 480x320, 640x480, 800x480, 800x600
Supported OS: WinCE 4.2/5/6

Copy the Universal Shell directory to your device (A SD card is recommended) and set your device to run Start.exe

There is a small MobileNavigator app included that you can use to start Universal Shell if your device looks for a specific executable on the device after booting.

As is common with all SystemInformation unlocks the main screen may be hidden behind all other windows/shells, There is a file within the UserData directory called BootAutorun.mscr where you can place device specific MortScript instructions to kill original device shells, etc, Universal Shell can be set to rerun the original shell on exit.

When launched there is some disclaimer messages and then you will need to setup your GPS applications and some other preferences before the shell starts, These are all saved so you only need to do them once, You can adjust these settings and more from the settings screen within the programme.








Screenshots from 800x480.

Features...
PIN lock of device and settings
Remembers all it's settings even after a hard reset.
Skinable (Four skins included, Very easy to make your own.)
Startup/shutdown sounds.
No editing of ini files, all settings and paths to apps are changed from within the programme.
Multi-resolution.
Ability to add custom mortscript instructions without editing the main script.
Includes common tools, utilities and applications.
MP3/Video player.
Image viewer.
File explorer with optional registry explorer/editor.
Calculator.
Notepad which automatically opens the selected SIP.
Speaking Clock with hourly chime
Automatic clock screen saver.
Can run any number of applications contained within the UserApps folder.
Task Manager.
Reminder alarm with customizable sound and message.
Can suspend the device shortly after loss of external power.

In order to make this work on every device some files are copied to the windows directory and some registry entries are created but NOTHING except the time zone information (Which is harmless if it goes wrong) is edited or changed.
Universal Shell can remove all these itself by using the uninstall option.

More detailed information is available in the included readme text file.

Please feel free to leave feedback good or bad.

Enjoy and don't forget to say thanks.

Fatboyfun worked very hard on this unlock just for YOU on his own time! Tell him how much you enjoy his work and don't forget to say thank you by pressing the thank you button.

chas521 wrote:Fatboyfun worked very hard on this unlock just for YOU on his own time! Tell him how much you enjoy his work and don't forget to say thank you by pressing the thank you button.

I agree. Though I may not use this one (I'm happy with the unlock I have now) I appreciate the effort that goes into making these things and there is always room for another good one to provide choices.

Hi Fatboy
Downloaded your first version and ran it. It looked very good and as I only wanted 2 GPS programs it was ideal. Went through the setup, quite straight forward. Then I ran it. It appeared on the screen for about 10 seconds and disappeared. I could not get it back. Manually reset it and tried again, the same result. I have a generic Chinese 5" 480x272 128Mb CE6 GPS. I have downloaded the newest version and will test it today and I will let you know the results. It looks very good, all I have to do is get it to stay up when run.
Thank you.
gordonwh40

Does the devices original shell re-appear over the top? A limitation with SystemInformation is it always seems to be the bottom window, Add Mortscript instructions to kill the shell to BootAutorun.mscr, ie Kill ("XXXX.exe") where XXXX is the process name, You can restart the original shell when Universal Shell exits.

The latest version can minimize system windows but some device shells do not open in system windows.

Hi Fatboy
Tried the v1.2, everything worked very smoothly in the setup. The problem occurs when you open any application from the universal shell ie a GPS program or one of the applications you have included. The appication works as expected, but when you exit the application instead of going back to universal shell 1.2 you go back to the opening screen. In my case when I turn on the GPS I boot up into a screen which give me access to a a gps program, video, audio player and system etc and this is the screen I go back to. If I then try to re-open the universal menu by clicking the GPS icon all that happens is I see a small (about 2mm) square in the rtop left corner of the screen for about a second. If I go to other programs in the main menu the universal shell opening screen flashes momentarily on the screen. I tried all day today to find a screen capture program that would allow me to get pictures of the various screens so I could show what I am talking about, but to no success.
I like the idea of your program of not having to edit .ini files to address programs, but I need to know why I have this problem with it.
regards
gordonwh40

I know exactly what is happening, Universal Shell is dropping back behind the original shell's screen, I had the exact same problem on my Binatone "MobileNavigator" device, Adding the line "Kill ("JBSHello.exe")" to the BootAutorun.mscr file fixed it 100%, I then set Universal Shell to run \Windows\JBSHello.exe on exit, Now when i start US it works as intended and if i exit the original shell reloads. Now you need to find out what the original shell on your device is called.

Hi fatboyfun
After your reply above I started searching for the file which ran for the main menu. Found a file gps_main.lnk file which when run opened the main menu. I opened that file and found it called a file called gpstop2.exe which then started main menu. Added kill ("gpstop2.exe") to the BootAutorun.mscr file and tried it out. Unfortunately made no difference. Looked for info on *.mscr files and found the actual code varied from unit to unit, what works in one needs tweaking in another. I tried all variations of the command given in the examples including using close instead of kill, all to no avail. I then closely watched the boot sequence of the main screen and a message flashes up saying "loading gps_main.exe". I enabled hidden files so I could see them and I have searched everywhere, but no gps_main.exe file can be found. I think your menu looks very neat, but I have used another menu I found with 6 icons for navigation programs and removed all but two to remove screen clutter. thanks again for your help. Hopefully my info may help somebody else having problems running your menu.
gordonwh40

Have you tried using a task manager or resinfo to find out what processes are running? Because on most devices i've seen, the shell is loaded by another programme. On my device "Launch.exe" is loaded which loads some drivers and starts "JBSHello.exe" then exits.

Will see what I can find.
Thank you
gordonwh40

Let me know how you get on and also Version 1.3 will be posted soon.

Hi
Will give this a try and see how it goes.
Thank you.
gordonwh40

hi fatboyfun...great job...thanx...
(I haven't tried it yet, but its looking good)
btw, do u have a plan to put some game apps in it? :):):):)

[Please Register or Login to download file]

please....please....please....please....
:pray:


:D

I have no plans to include games or other apps, as they're don't tend to work on every device without extra Dll's and registry entries, or don't support all screen sizes, and i didn't want to create another MioPocket type unlock, However, Version 1.4 will possibly have a way to launch external programmes, so you could install them yourself.

sounds great thank you :D