Executable (*.exe) open speed.

Report · Nov 05, 2009

I was wondering does anyone have an idea on how I can speed up the execution of my .exe file ? Which settings has the biggest effect on the opening speed of the files on a CD? Is it lower audio quality or lower video quality ? or maybe compression or not ?

I have many ".exe", i have put them all on a cd with a nice menu to load every file, but when i start a lesson, it takes a while for the lesson to start... (I also have quite a few slides in each project but they are down to the minimal amount of slides...)

Thank you !!

Alex

Report · Nov 06, 2009

Hey Alex

Firstly, CD read/write speed is lousy (especially if the CD has to spool up first) compared to a hard drive, or even memory stick. So you might want to consider changing that format.

Lastly, speeding up exe delivery is nasty as exe by nature loads slower (imagine if a SWF output needs to load intenet explorer for every single file you launch). We do 90% of our work in exe output and use the following method for a "single file" delivery:

Build your seperate modules and export as SWF, then build your shell in Captivate with nav keys etc to the various sections and import the relevant SWF files to each section. Caveat from me is that you need to be aware of the fact that Captivate can go dodgy if the files are too big, but I have loaded up to 5MB files with no problems.

Luck

Andrew

Report · Nov 09, 2009

Hi, i dont really understand what you mean, i'll explain what my project is and if you think there is a better way to do it'd really appreciate some guidelines on how to acheive it ?

The thing is i dont want any requirement to reed my project, that is why i choose to publish as .exe. I need somthing very simple that any grandmother can put the cd in and press play and enjoy it...

It is because i have about 800-900 slides total in my project, so i divided the project in 10 .exe files.

Then i created a cd menu (with a CD menu builder) with buttons to open the .exe files on the cd. (because i dont want to force anyone to go download a pluggin or a player and i dont want the project to open in a webpage because it doesnt look professional.)

Is there a better way to deal with that kind of project ?

My .exe files are between 10 and 30 MB, i have no other problem but the opening time with the files. The biggest file can take up to 20 seconds lo load... I find it is too long... I think it would be faster to load a SWF file but i dont know how i could link all the files together.

I mean, I could even split the project into 30 different files if it would be invisible for the user.

Thank you

Alex

Report · Nov 11, 2009

Hi again Alex

Please note that what I am about to describe to you goes AGAINST the standard thinking in Captivate, but the only way I can get large files to work in exe format without that lag is as follows:

Take each of your "modules" and publish them as swf format (yes, I do mean swf).
Create a new Captivate file sized to the same as your modules (if your modules are built at 1024 by 768, then create the new, blank, file at the same size).
Create a new slide for each module, so if you have 10 modules, then your new file will have 11 slides (one for each module plus one for the mian slide or menu).
On slide 1, create your nav buttons to each of the module slides.
On each "module" slide, use the "insert flash animation" function and insert the swf file for that module.
Set the file properties to "play for rest of slide" and to start at 0.2 seconds (prevents "flicker if you are fading in)
Insert a "pause point" on each module slide that pauses the slide about 2 seconds after the swf file starts playing. This "holds" the slide while the animation completes or is completed. (I tend to make this button visible, show for rest of slide, and lable it as "Home", "Menu" or "End" depending on my needs at that point.
Publish.

The net result is one exe file that contains all the info you need WITHOUT links to external content, thus once the file loads, your navigation is seamless. Further, ALL controls (except skins) built into your modules are still active AND you can overlay additional nav buttons to return "home" etc.

Caveat is that I have never nested so many files of such a large size in one file, but if your machine is good enough you should not have a problem. (TIP: If you struggle to publish, then close ALL open programs except for Captivate when publising as this frees up your processor significantly and remove ALL network connections for the same reason).

Cheers and let me know how she goes!!

Andrew

Report · Jan 05, 2011

Did you ever resolve this problem to your satisfaction? I am a newbie and non-technical but am a captivate user. I also have the issue of lags when an .exe file opens. If I publish to a SWF file, the user gets an error message that Adobe Flash Player has stopped a potential unsafe operation, though they can get around it. I would love to fix this issue.

Report · Jan 15, 2011

Hi, sorry for the delay. i was out of town for the CES 2011.

I resolve my problem by changing method. The exe are to heavy. i finally

ended up doing a multi segment video and my files are open in a web browser

or a menu with a flash player embedded.

hope it helps. let me know if you need further assistance.

have a good one.

Alex