How to Automatically index all local NTFS and FAT drives?

[ChrisGreaves]

Suppose that you were setting up twelve laptops (of varying Windows vintage) for a training school. Of course you will install Everything to help you with your installation. That's another issue.

But once the students arrive they may (a) have their own laptops and/or (b) bring their own memory keys.

Problems arise because the students now must open named files from a set of exercises folders and save their open copies with a new name. Somewhere else.
Later in that day they can't remember where they stashed their results.
Enter Everything

For the trainer, it would make sense to set up Everything so that
(a) it started at System Startup (Tools, Options, General "Start Everything on System Startup")
(b) any/every plugged-in drive would be catalogued. Note that we cannot know in advance which drives will arrive; it depends on a user's laptop and/or memory keys. "Index everything" is the message.

The next day, a fresh batch of students, a new hardware configuration, but Everything will obediently provide an up-to-date catalogue of what is available to each student.

Class preparation is a time-consuming task, so a setting that can be copied in via the INI file or similar in a batch-copy-installation process would be a great help.

No networks, and if I could institute it, a wire to the WiFi snipped with a pair of pliers(Grin)

Thanks for any tips
Chris

[void]

Since the laptops are not connected to a network, I recommend the following:

Use Everything 1.5.
Everything 1.4 cannot automatically index FAT volumes easily.

Copy your Everything.exe to the laptop, eg:
C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a



Setup a base policy.ini:

Code: Select all

[Everything]
app_data=1
auto_include_fixed_volumes=1
auto_include_removable_volumes=1
auto_remove_offline_ntfs_volumes=1
auto_include_fixed_fat_volumes=1
auto_include_removable_fat_volumes=1
auto_remove_offline_fat_volumes=1

Lock any other options you might find useful.
app_data=1 will store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything
auto_include_fixed_volumes=1 and auto_include_removable_volumes=1 will auto index NTFS volumes.
These are enabled by default, but i'm leaving them here for completeness sake.
auto_include_fixed_fat_volumes=1 and auto_include_removable_fat_volumes=1 will auto index FAT volumes.
auto_remove_offline_ntfs_volumes=1 and auto_remove_offline_fat_volumes=1 will auto remove offline volumes.
Copy this policy.ini to the same location as the Everything.exe on the laptop.



Run the following command to install Everything on the laptop:

Code: Select all

C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a\Everything.exe -install-service -install-all-users-run-on-system-startup

You can run this command as admin or any standard user.



Combine these all into an install.bat:

Code: Select all

mkdir C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a
Copy Everything.exe C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a
Copy policy.ini C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a
C:\Program Files\Everything-1.5a\Everything.exe -install-service -install-all-users-run-on-system-startup

Save the install.bat to an external drive, or thumb drive.
Copy Everything.exe to the same location as your install.bat
Copy policy.ini to the same location as your install.bat
For each laptop:
plugin in the external drive or thumb drive
Run install.bat as admin.



-install-service
-install-all-users-run-on-system-startup
-install-current-user-run-on-system-startup
policy.ini
Silent install
Group Policy

[ChrisGreaves]

Since the laptops are not connected to a network, I recommend the following:

Void, thank you for this exhaustive and fascinating view into installation techniques.

I took delivery of the first (additional) laptop last week, and so now i have:-
(i) My production laptop LT08 and
(II) The first (LT09) of several refurbished laptops of various vintage.

I believe that:-
(a) The procedures you have provided should provide a decent re-installation on my production machine; its hard drives are not subject to change, and yet the catalogue of memory keys is a challenge and
(b) The procedures you have provided should provide a decent installation on my first training machine.

With many thanks
Chris