Portable maker and 32/64 selecting launcher

[evren]

Hi to everyone.
As an obsessive portability lover, I directly started PhotoLine as portable also. During that progress I read website, help file (saying different from each other) and than take files move settings etc... After I decided to make a "portable maker" for PhotoLine for the future users to handle easier and better. And also selective 32bit 64bit launcher is also included. Since I'm used to, it's an easy progress for me.

I'm making all the programs that I use portable. Even they resist not to be :)
And it's great that developers of PhotoLine have that sense and support portability (fast and stable) by default.

So what I can add more on it?

* Takes the PhotoLine settings from drive "application data" folder and move it under program folder. So your settings move to the portable package in seconds.
* Includes a launcher file which detects the OS architecture (32bit or 64bit) and launches the proper version of PhotoLine automatically. (will work fine on working on another PC's)
* Includes file association for supported formats of PhotoLine. Associates even on PC's that you work temporarily.
Note: When you take your USB disk and left that PC, windows continue to open files with their old associations as a default behavior.

How it works?
When you click on "ClickToMakePortable.exe" it will start to ask you step by step. Nothing will be performed without your permission.
1. It will move your settings from C to program folder and rename the folder as PL demands.
2. Will ask you, you want launcher file or not. If yes, it will left under program folder.
3. Will ask you, you want portable association or not. If yes, it will left different launcher which will handle association also.

To use, simply move it to PhotoLine folder and click. It will guide you step by step.
Note for paranoid users who also welcomes: Heuristic handicapped antivirus applications like ..vast, ..vg etc can warn you about jwv computing's file packer. But serious ones like nod32, kaspersky etc. will not warn since they can understand false positives. Actually exe even packed with zip. Just right click you'll see extract. If you want, just check the source codes and compile it yourself. The file packer is maybe the most transparent packer available in market but, couldn't explain bad coded antivirs...

Here you can download. Couldn't attach to the forum because of 128kb limit
http://goo.gl/WG0LsZ

Source???
Not a big deal, actually all handled with "bat" and "reg" files. After they compiled to "exe"
If you get curious, I'll write details down also. You can even apply this system on your other favorite software's.
(all used softwares are freeware, clean and stable)

The software's used to make package are;
* FilePacker: http://softfinder.com/jvwcomputing/developer
(original website looks like occupied by another company)
* Reg2exe converter: http://www.ctuser.net/ctuser.php?nav=2480
(reg files contains a variable which only this program can convert. It's about automatically path detection)
* Bat to exe converter: http://www.f2ko.de/programs.php?lang=en&pid=b2e

- Any question about launcher package welcomes -
- There is no guarantee for anything -
- Specific conditions can make it fail maybe. Use it in your own risk -
- But tested by the way, on 64bit and 32bit win7 system -

That's all about what I can share with PhotoLine community for now.
It's my first post on forum since I'm a new potential user of PhotoLine. I'm evaluating it for 3 days and what I saw has just shocked me. I told myself
"how can't I find this software before?"
"how it can be like invisible on internet with that much of mature and stable features?"

In this moment just testing with fun. It's price is pretty fine, I believe even under it's real value. No doubt on it but actually a bit high for me. I mean for me, not as the value of the software... It's just a piece of miracle in performance size and features. Anyway, during that period, I would like to add a value to community (modest but what I can do for now).

And I'd like to send my regards to developers of PL since it looks like they have a ex-ordinary skill on coding and being creative. And as a tradition, I'll share the reasons, why I loved PL up to now as a feedback.

1. I have a serious problem about bloated software's. Hundreds of MB in size, using background services and slowing down computer, loading slow, working slow and bloating even OS. PhotoLine surprised me to pack all industry standards in a compact package.

2. Developers resist against it or not, under any case I run software's in portable mode. But native support on portability is always a reason to chose (trend since 5 - 7 years) and also makes me (and many people) respect more on developers.

3. Letting to use Lanczos, intelligently coded distortion algorithms, non-destructive editing by default, plugin support, external program support, vector support and a compact / plain interface without bloat or insistly floating toolbars.

4. 64bit support which obligated in hard processing stuff.

For now those in first sight. After evaluate and digg a bit more, I'll have more to tell or share. But it seems like I'll left my previous editors without hesitate. PL filled nearly all needs up to now. I just need to learn more to use. And sure solve the 59 Euro issue since that splash screen is seriously disgusting...

Regards to all.

[Twindaddy]

Um ... I didn't notice anything happening in my %APPDATA% folder when I start PL in "USB Mode" ...

[evren]

As expected...
If already switched in USB mode (by creating "UserSettings" folder in PL folder), it starts to read and write settings from that folder. So %APPDATA% will remain same.
PhotoLine is supporting portability natively. The launcher just helps on file association and architecture selection. There is no file moving progress from appdata in each launch.

[TT1]

Why does this make me nervous?
Virustotal.com results...
Detection
ratio:
21 / 48 ClickToMakePortable.exe
11 / 48 Reg2exe.exe
3 / 47 Bat_To_Exe_Converter.exe
0 / 47 FilePacker_v1.2.exe

[evren]

It's so easy to understand.
Just take the source bat and reg files, produce the same for yourself, after send to analyze. You'll see that most of the AV's are still reacting false positive. Just as a note, I'm closely in interest with data security and integrity more than 10 years. Mostly digging over cryptography but also malwares are in my range. So I'll try to clear this issue in general culture manner.

I don't want to mention any AV company with a bad review in here. But I can clearly say that "most" of them are just codes of newbie mentality. Just please check the analyze result of the most powerful and serious ones on list. You'll see that clean. And SURE that ...nd micro or ...mantec are just other amateur works, getting their power on marketing policies. This is what I can say to clear completely. Now lets come to other part.

How Antivirus softwares work?
The new era is depending on "heuristic" analysis and detecting harmful "behaviour" of software instead of relying on notorious "signature" analysis. And any heuristic analysis in real manner will not warn about this pack since there is even no suspicious behaviour.

When it comes to old tradition "signature analysis", needs to be maintained perfectly. And most of AV's fail on this issue.
Any professionally coded malware is unique. Your AV even will not warn you unless you use a good coded and smart software like eset, kaspersky or mcafee (I hate it's performance but at least it detects). Other players time to time rises and than drops and rises again. These rise and drops are because of unstable engine which can't provide good results each time. That's the reason why just a few AV is used in critical companies or institutes even AV comparative analyses sounding other brand new leaders etc. All they rise and than drop... Just a few can stay in top.
So what's wrong about signature analysis and AV coders?

A knife...
You can use it to prepare a salad and even to kill a man. So can we make knife forbidden to buy or use?
We are not running to panic when we see a knife. It exists and being used in our homes daily. Even out, do we panic when we see it in hands of a fastfood seller?

What we must analyze the risk of knife regarding to psychological condition of the man/woman who holds the knife. This is called "heuristic analysis". Otherwise we panic and start to shout each time we see a knife. So this is bad maintained signature analysis.
In this case knife is reg, bat and file packers (compressing and converting them to exe). But code which actually work and do all stuff is not the package. It's the part in SRC folder.

Now how we can analyze the "signature" of a murderer with knife?
If we will say "each time we see a knife" as a signature, we fail. Even can't live in our own home.
If we optimize it and say "each time we see a big knife" we epically fail. We can not eat chawarma and somebody with a small knife can come and stub us.
We must to recognise the one who holds the knife. Not the knife :)

Like, this is martin works as a chief in restaurant. he is SAFE
This is Jason known with mental problems and have suspicious past. WARNING (even there is no knife)

The packers are completely safe files and used in nearly "30 40% of the software's" we use. For example with the same stupid "signature" logic, the famous packers like UPX or AsPack must also be considered as virus or trojan. Because somebody can write a harmful code and pack it with them. And as a result, some of the code in malware will have the signature of upx or aspack.

Here comes the critical point...
Any AV is not considering UPX or AsPAck as malware because they see the signature of this two signature "billion times" each day. After a few thousand they realize "ahh this is not part of the malvare, just the packer" than they update their signature base with the "part of the code" which do not match with the packer.

But when it comes to more specific / un-popular packers like FilePacker, reg files or bat files converter, AV's still don't know those. Their feedback reports is not count in thousands or their engineers are not enough / or too busy to maintain those.

CONCLUSION...
Anyone reads this part will simply understand how trustee are their AV's in base

How to make a innocent packer to be defined as a virus?
Easy. Now just write a packer yourself which anyone in the world didn't see before. Send it to analyze, they will say it is CLEAN.
After, write a harmful code separately and pack that with your innocent packer. Send it to analyze...
Heuristic scanners (checking behavior) will say this is HARMFUL.
Signature scanners (checking just patterns) will still say it is SAFE :)

And let your harmful code spread over internet and infect millions of PC's
After a while signature scanners will realize that "aha there is something wrong" Let's analyze this code...
After analyze, probably they will use the code of your packer as a signature :) as a victim. And after this point, any code packed with your packer will be considered as malware, with the name like XYZ variant. This is seriously hilariously funny.

Ok now, prepare another harmful code (different from last one) and pack it with your innocent packer again and let it spread...

This is the time shows the difference between just bloated code trash AV's and real AV's.
When they detect the signature of your packer but the rest of the code is different from the one in past.

Geekware, dudeware, too much of advertisementware stuff will just ticket it as OLDWARE variant. And your packer is still in jail even it is innocent.

Antivirus with a brain and some engineers with time to analyze reacts different.
They check the behavior of the code. Harming in same way or technique? No... So this is NOT a VARIANT. Means it needs further analyze. They check the code where it is same and where different? They take the SAME part and scan their whole old submitted database for this signature. And soon they realize that the SAME part is the signature of the packer, NOT the malware.

And than they will update their signature base or heuristic algorithm regarding to REST of the code. And the reputation of your packer is cleared after just the second malware packed with it.

Because of that HUGE difference, while geekware users are getting millions of false alarms and running in paranoia each day, one day they stubbed by a baby face psychopath with just a sharp pencil in hand, even not knife. Since there is no signature of it :)

And serious AV teams users are not disturbed with false positives. They silently continue their days. And a assassin even with a baby face with a pencil in hand... Are detected.

Last note: If you will just start to search for a AV with a heuristic algorithm after reading those. Keep it in mind, nearly 90% of them will claim that they have. This is just a lie my friends :)
And even with heuristics, all AV's also support signatures. Criteria is how good they can handle those.