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Multi
Operating system
Administration / Addicts
boot whatever - where ever
get current
version MOA 2.4. 009
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Instructions
FAQ Cheatcodes
Configuration
Kiosk-mode
Help
Screenshots
Videos
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What
is it ?
A regular LiveCD boots into a single operating
system.
A MOA LiveCD can boot into a complete domain.
Can I use that for desaster recovery ? - sure you can.
Has this been tested ? - oh dear - no !
This is basically a 3 years old one-man project ...
Have a look some short videos that show MOA at work.
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Videos - start here if you
do not know what this is all about
(tested with Firefox 2) |
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zipped VMware-codec
watch bootup
with cheatcode cmd (1Mb)
watch startup
with cheatcode moa (3Mb)
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Configuration
The main configuration file for MOA is the moa.ini.
This file is located in .. i386\system32\shell\moa.ini.
An optional configuration file for hardware detection is the custom-hwpnp.cmd.
This file is located in .. i386\system32\shell\custom-hwpnp.cmd.
To use custom hardware plug'n'play you need to activate the custom
batch in moa.ini with
start_hwpnp=batch
otherwise it will not be processed. See cheatcodetable
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cheatcodes-table
a listing of the cheatcodes you can use at MOA startup
moa.ini examples
some examples
moa.ini entries
description of the entries in moa.ini (startup-configuration)
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kiosk-mode
how to configure kiosk-mode
(advanced) |
How to add drivers
?
The MOA-package doesn't contain any additional drivers.
Best option is to add the driver-collection maintained by the folks
from driverpacks.net
Please take the time to visit their site and read about the procedure.
I believe they set the standards pretty high - so if you do not already
have a drivercollection yet look here first.
Mike Laverick hosts an older
driver-collection
I made - before I heard about driverpacks.net
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FAQ |
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What are the Windows requirements
- which sources can I use ?
What are the requirements for the building
host
Which VMware apps that can be
used with MOA ?
Can I use other Virtual Machine
Programs ? - can I install anything on the fly ?
Can MOA run Virtualbox
VirtualPC P2V-assistant 2 ?
Can MOA be used as a replacement
for the VMware Cold-Clone CD ?
Can MOA be used tp P2V Linux OpenBSD
?
Whats the problem with namedFiles
/ pagefile ?
Can this LiveCD replace a regular
Windows/VMware-installation ?
Can I run VMs stored on the same CD/DVD encrypted
disks ext2/ext3 network
?
Can I boot MOA from USB-stick network?
Can I run a ESX 3 VM
NT4 VM with P2V-assistant 1
Will the VMware-plugins work with other PEs?
Can MOA use multiple CPUs? how
many RAM can be used with MOA ?
What is the minimum RAM required to boot MOA
to run a VM ?
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What is it ?
It is a set of plugin for Bart
Lagerwijs Pebuilder.
It comes with a setup-tool that helps you through the building process.
Screenshot of setup-tool (screenshot)
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VMware apps that can
be used
VMware Workstation 6.0.0 or 6.0.1
VMplayer 2.0.1
VMware Converter - Cold Clone
VMserver 1.0.3 remote console
VI-client (tested with ESX 3.0.1 and 3.0.2)
for Version 4.5 or 5.5 contact me.
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Windows requirements(sources)
Windows 2003 SP1 or R2 sources seem to work good in several languages
Windows 2003 SP2 may work - not tested extensively
Windows XP Pro SP2 does not work
Windows Vista does not work
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Building host
requirements
You can build on XP or 2003 32bit hosts.
You must use a NTFS formatted uncompressed partition to build.
For the VI-client you need to build on a 2003 SP1 or R2 with .netframework
1.1 installed.
Building on Vista or 64bit hosts is not supported.
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Whats the problem with namedFiles / pagefile
?
good that you ask.
Running VMware from a LiveCD shows an issue that you will probably
not notice on regular installs:
A VM either needs a namedFile or enough available free RAM or a pagefile
to back up the virtual RAM.
MOA starts with no pagefile and this entry in config.ini:
mainmem.useNamedFile = "false"
This is good for performance but may prevent a VM to start at all
in some constellations.
This is no bug - you just got to be aware of it.
So whenever possibe - set a pagefile.
If you have a large ramdrive you may use a namedFile in the ramdrive
- be careful - you easily run out of ramdrive-space when you try to
suspend a VM.
If you need to edit config.ini - do it before you start VMware.
File is here when booted:
R:\home\anybody\application data\vmware\vmware workstation\config.ini
and here at built-time:
..\pebuilder3110a\bartpe\moahome\home\anybody\application
data\vmware\vmware workstation\config.ini
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Can this LiveCD replace a regular Windows/VMware-installation
?
yes - it can. Obviously this is nothing for gamers ...
We have some problems with USB-devices - but other than that you can
replace your replace your regular system.
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Can I run VMs stored on
the same CD/DVD ?
yes - you can. Obviously you have to handle some limitations as you
can not write to the DVD.
Anyway - it is possible.
Ask in the forum for in depth instructions
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Can I run VMs stored on
encrypted disks?
yes - you can. MOA works pretty well with truecrypted disks. A plugin
for this is included - though it may be outdated.
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Can I run VMs stored on
ext2 / ext3 ?
yes - you can. At the moment we are not sure which plugin is the best
- so keep updated in the forum.
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Can I run VMs stored on
the network ?
yes - you can. Obviously you have to mount a network-share.
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Can I boot MOA from USB-stick?
yes - you can. USB-booting is a science of its own.
See 911cd-forum for tips and tricks.
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Can I boot MOA from network?
yes - you can.
See 911cd-forum for tips and tricks.
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Can I run a ESX 3 VM ?
yes - you can. You need a box with VT32 support.
On hosts with 3 Gb of RAM you should be able to run a ESX VM from
DVD.
You will need advanced configuration - contact me or ask in the forum.
It should be possible to access local VMFS by mounting local SCSI-disks
as rawdisks.
You need updated drivers for handling of typical ESX-server machines.
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Can MOA be used as a replacement
for the VMware Cold-Clone CD ?
yes - you can. You do NOT need a ESX-enterprise-licence as the Converter
Starter Edition is used.
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Can MOA be used to
P2V Linux ?
Keep in mind that P2V is a two-steps procedure:
1. imaging
2. patching
In step 1 you create a diskimage of the system to P2V - in step 2
you patch the OS on that disk to be bootable inside a VM.
As MOA is Windows-based it is useless for step 2 - but step 1 can
be done easily.
See the procedure suggested here:
http://sanbarrow.com/moa-video-vdiskmanager-as-ghost.html
After you have done this - you need to boot the newly created vmdk
into a LiveCD of the Linux-distribution you have on that disk.
Hope to add instructions soon ...
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Can
MOA be used to P2V OpenBSD ?
Yes - in case you use a generic kernel you can use this procedure:
http://sanbarrow.com/moa-video-vdiskmanager-as-ghost.html
After you have done this - you need to boot the newly created vmdk
into a LiveCD or an OpenBSD-install iso and edit fstab and network
configuration.
I am a OpenBSD newbe - but so far the few migrations I made went flawless.
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Can I run a NT4 VM with
P2V-assistant 1 ?
Congratulations - you got the idea ;-)
Yes - sure you can do that.
If possible store the VM on USB - otherwise you can run it from network
or even from CD - but this requires a large amount of RAM
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Will the VMware-plugins
work with other PEs?
no.
Moa.exe - the launcher of MOA is required to start VMware correctly
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if you use a different launcher like XPE or whatever you have to edit
your startup sequence.
Contact me if you need help
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Can MOA use multiple CPUs?
yes
Thanks to cdob from the 911cd-forum for his research.
Default configuration uses uniprocessor kernel - enable SMP-plugin
at built-time
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How many RAM can be used
with MOA ?
depends on the mainboard of the box you boot: on my HP-notebook I
can use 3.5 Gb RAM
- on a DELL server with 32 GB RAM I could only use 3 GB.
You must test yourself ...
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What is the minimum RAM
required to boot MOA ?
with a CD-based built and cheatcode "shell" you can boot
machines with 128 MB RAM
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What is the minimum RAM
required to run a VM ?
you will need 512 MB or more to run a VM
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Can MOA run Virtual Box
?
yes - you can run Virtual Box.
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly
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Can MOA run Virtual PC
?
yes - you can run Virtual PC.
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly
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Can MOA run P2V-assistant
2 ?
yes
no plugin available at the moment - you can install it on the fly
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Programs
that can be installed on the fly - without preparing a plugin
seems to work - no problems so far
Virtual Box
VMware Converter - (needs 120MB free space in X:
VMware P2V assistant 2
VMserver Console
Virtual PC
AutoIt/Scite
UltraVNC and other VNC-flavors
Java Runtime
experimental
Parallels - needs advanced fiddling to start hypervisor
GSX 3 - needs advanced fiddling with accounts
LiveView - you need to install vmount and JAVA first
impossible - unknown
VMserver
Altiris SVS
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Kiosk-mode in 2.2.005 and higher |
Warning: this is an advanced feature - make sure you
understand the basics and test in VMs first before you waste any CDs
!
Here are a couple of video-examples ... Knoppix
Vistape
Virtual-Center
twins
The idea behind kiosk-mode is automation.
In kiosk-mode MOA does not allow interaction with the host - a user
has access to VMs instead.
The most interesting scenario maybe automatic and non interactive start
of an emergency environment ...
ANyway - with MOA 2.2.005 and higher you can configure two VMs to startup
automatically.
This two VMs can be stored in network, local disk or even on DVD.
Please be aware that with CD booting the environment may change - test
your setup if it is portable.
Reliable locations for Kiosk VMs are local disks on one-disk-hosts and
network shares.
Other locations need some precautions ...
Note: if you want to start more than two VMs let me know - it is easy
to implement.
The example below autostarts two VMs - stored in network. |
moa.ini
[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=lean
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
moahome_ramsize=16
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_vgasafe=no
start_hwpnp=yes
start_audiosrv=yes
start_eventlog=yes
start_msi=yes
moa_timeout=1000
start_explorer=no
start_debug=no
start_kiosk=yes
start_KioskVM=yes
start_KioskVMX=Q:\NT4SRV01\Windows-NT.vmx
start_KioskVM2=yes
start_KioskVMX2=Q:\w2ksrven\2kas-en.vmx
penetcfg.ini
...
....
[NetAdapter3]
EnableDHCP=No
UseStaticGateway=No
UseStaticDNS=No
UseStaticWINS=No
IPAddress=10.0.0.55
SubnetMask=255.255.255.0
DefaultGateway=10.0.0.200
DNSServer=217.237.151.225
...
[NetDrive1]
Drive = Q:
NetworkPath = \\10.0.0.111\vms
UserName = administrator
Password = password |
start_kiosk=yes
This disables the cheatcode-prompt so you must make sure that
your default cheatcode makes sense for your usage. Start with "lean"
or something like that.
Now lets look at the VMs:
you can start up to 2 VMs with kiosk-mode.
Well the problem is the path - on a LiveCD you have to calculate with
changing environments ...
Easiest and most reliable way is to run VMs from network I guess.
This way you add a share to penetcfg.ini and you can use a good path
for moa.ini
Using kiosk mode on machines with one NTFS-disk is also quite straight
forward. Make sure you got drivers for that diskcontroller and then
write paths to C:
As soon as multiple disks or USB are used things become tricky ...
In future version I will add a search for local VM-colonies so that
we can then remount those disks to get clean paths ...
The example to the left shows how to set two VMs to run in kiosk-mode.
start_KioskVM=yes
This starts the VM used as shell. If you kill this one your session
will end. Make sure this VM is configured well - otherwise you may
easily lock yourself out.
start_KioskVM2=yes
The secondary VM is started first. Moa.exe continues with the main
VM or continues boot..
This VM can be used when you want to start a VM and still do a full
boot into explorer.
So keep in mind:
first VM is started with "run /wait"
sec. VM is started with "run"
Note: haven't tested with names with spaces yet ! )
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| Cheatcodes |
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Moa allows to enter a cheatcode early at boot-time.
Please take the time and try to understand your options.
Early at boot MOA needs to know where the writeable homearea R:\
is.
R:\ can be a ramdisk, a local disk a network share , a virtual disk
or a truecrypt-container.
This are a lot of options - you must decide what fits your needs
best on that special computer.
The cheatcodes are listed in 3 groups:
First group shows cheatcodes that will cause an action and then
return you to the cheatcode prompt when that job is done.
Second group allows several defaults for changing the ramdisk-size
before regular boot starts.
The last group lists special options that allow redirection of the
R:\ workspace to local disks or network or ...
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| cheatcode |
needed
version |
size of RAMdrive |
action |
| halt |
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--- |
powerdown |
| reboot |
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--- |
reboot |
| help |
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--- |
displays short helptext |
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| shell |
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0 |
launch a cmd
and return to cheatcode prompt when done |
| cmd |
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0 |
regedit, winfile, diskmanagement + cmd
and return to cheatcode prompt when done |
| regedit |
2.2.003 |
0 |
launch a regedit
and return to cheatcode prompt when done |
| x |
2.2.003 |
0 |
start explorer without network and any
other bells and whistles
pops up a warning about missing R:\home\moon\desktop - ignore it
when you are done either use startmenu to shutdown or reboot or kill
explorer with taskmanager to be returned to cheatcode-prompt. Read
more ... |
| e |
2.2.005 |
0 |
edit moa.ini at boot-time
and return to cheatcode prompt when done (use with ramloading systems) |
| E |
2.2.006 |
0 |
edit moa.ini at boot-time - starts fbwf
first
and return to cheatcode prompt when done (use with CD based systems) |
| create ramfile |
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creates a ramfile and jumps back to
cheatcode prompt |
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| minimal |
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16 Mb |
full start - explorer +
VMware
ramdisk-size is set as mentioned |
| mini |
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32 MB |
| safe |
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64 MB |
| tiny |
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RAM / 5 |
| lean |
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RAM / 4 |
| splendid |
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RAM / 3 |
| big |
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RAM / 2 |
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net
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2.2.007 |
0 |
moa.exe assumes you have mapped a networkshare in penetcfg.ini
and mounted this as R:\ and so it skips ramdisk creation.
Once network is up moa.exe checks if R:\temp is available - if not
it will popup a map-share-window. Map a share as R:\
Warning - has some flaws - use for customisation and experiment
Do not use in production ;-) more
info
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| moahome |
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16 Mb |
use to link working directories
to your USB-disk
deprecated in favour of "disk" |
| moa |
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16 Mb |
allows to relocate the standard working
directories to local hard-disks and USB-disk
deprecated in favour of "disk" |
ramfile
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0 |
asks you for a ramfile on local disks and then disables the ramdisk
and mounts the ramfile instead as R:
full start - explorer + VMware
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| tc
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0 |
runs truecrypt.exe - you should mount a truecrypt container as R:
and give your password.
As R: is already mounted ramdrive creation will be skipped and normal
boot continues
full start - explorer + VMware
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disk |
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0 |
opens diskmanagement and you should select a partition to be mounted
as R: -instead of a ramdisk. This can be automated by putting a file
named "moa-is-at-home.tag" on a USB-disk.
Smartest option if you want to use a persistant home directory on
a portable disk.
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remount |
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0 |
don't enter this manually - it will be set as deafault when ever
possible automatically
if a tag-file "moa-is-at-home.tag" is found on a local disk
this partition will be unmounted and remounted as R: so that you can
use it as ramdrive replacement.
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| entry in moa.ini |
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options |
description |
| defaultCheatCode |
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see cheatcode-table
- select a safe option ! |
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| defaultRAMdriveSize |
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8 |
sets the ramdrivesize to be used for
shell and cmd-mode
do not use values smaller than 8 - deprecated - do not touch |
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| start_sshd |
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yes |
autostarts ssh server at boot-time |
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no |
skips starting of sshd |
| start_msi |
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yes |
msiexec will be started late at boot-time |
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no |
msiexec willnot be started late at boot-time |
| start_vmdks |
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yes |
moa.exe tries to mount optional vmdks
and will execute load.cmd if it exists |
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no |
moa.exe links to _sfx_ directory but
does not try to mount anything |
| start_fbwf |
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early |
fbwf will be started at time of ramdrive-resizing
do not use with ramloading versions |
| late |
fbwf will be started after bootup is
complete
do not use with ramloading versions |
| manual |
start of fbwf is skipped - to manually
start it later run : net start fbwf |
| start_hwpnp |
2.2.003 |
no |
skips hwpnp. Use this if you want to
experiment with different settings
- called from a batch after startup. |
| yes |
runs
"HWPnP.exe /log +all -IDE -PCIIDE -@NET -storage\volume -USB\ROOT_HUB
+USB /p" |
| all |
runs
"HWPnP.exe +all -storage\volume -USB\ROOT_HUB /p /u /a /d"
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| batch |
runs "custom-hwpnp.cmd" if
it exists in shell-directory
use this to run your custom cmds |
| start_audiosrv |
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yes |
starts audioserver |
| no |
skips audioserver start |
| start_eventlog |
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yes |
starts eventlog |
| no |
skips eventlog start |
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| start_explorer |
2.2.003 |
yes |
autostarts explorer after bootup is finished |
| no |
skips autostart of explorer |
| start_vgasafe |
2.2.003 |
yes |
starts with 800 x 600 x16 (default) |
| no |
starts with 1024 x 768 x 32 |
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| start_kiosk |
2.2.005 |
yes |
disables all user-interactivity - cheatcode
prompt is locked to defaultCheatCode |
| no |
default - cheatcode prompt is unlocked |
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| start_kioskVM |
2.2.003 |
yes |
after full bootup with network a configured
VM will be autostarted in VMplayer (fullscreenmode)
once the VM is exited MOA shutsdown |
| no |
default - first VM will not be autostarted |
| start_kioskVMX |
2.2.003 |
path |
path to vmx-file to be autostarted
warning: predicting paths is not trivial - if you need help ask in
the forum
example : start_kioskVMX=R:\machines\pbox\pbox.vmx |
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| start_kioskVM2 |
2.2.005 |
yes |
optional second VM - read kiosk-mode
explanations |
| no |
default - VM2 will not be autostarted |
| start_kioskVMX |
2.2.005 |
path |
path to vmx-file to be autostarted
warning: predicting paths is not trivial - if you need help ask in
the forum |
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| start_help |
2.2.003 |
no |
(default) - does not pop up help.html after
boot |
| yes |
pops up help.html after boot is complete |
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| moa_timeout |
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5000 |
timeout for open cheatcode prompt -
use milliseconds
additional last 5 seconds use countdown |
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| moa.ini |
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usage |
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[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_msi=yes
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000
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good allround use from
a CD-loaded MOA |
[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=no
start_msi=no
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=no
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000
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lean variant for a RAM-loaded MOA that just runs VMs |
[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=yes
start_msi=yes
start_hwpnp=yes
moa_timeout=5000
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good allround use for a RAM-loaded MOA |
[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=lean
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
moahome_ramsize=16
start_fbwf=late
start_sshd=yes
start_vmdks=no
start_vmtoolbox=no
start_hwpnp=yes
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=yes
start_msi=yes
moa_timeout=10
start_vgasafe=yes
start_kiosk=yes
start_kioskVM=yes
start_explorer=no
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needs 2.2.003
start_kiosk=yes - disables cheatcode prompt and all buttons
start_kioskVM=yes - autostarts r:\machines\pbox\pbox.vmx
Autostarts into a VM |
[BOOT]
defaultCheatCode=tiny
moahome_ramsize=8
defaultRAMdriveSize=8
start_fbwf=manual
start_sshd=no
start_vmdks=no
start_msi=no
start_hwpnp=no
start_audiosrv=no
start_eventlog=no
moa_timeout=5000
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fastest bootup |
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| Instructions
FAQ Cheatcodes
Configuration
Kiosk-mode
Help
Screenshots
Videos
|
