SmartDevice CAB "is not a valid Windows CE Setup file"

Question

(This can be considered a follow-up on my question here.)

After successfully building a CAB setup file for my handheld WCE5 device, (a Datalogic Memor laserscanner) I went on to try and install it. However, upon starting the CAB, the device throws me the following error message:

The file "\Setup.CAB" is not a valid Windows CE Setup file

I have no idea why it's saying this, especially since I made the CAB file using VS08's "Smart Device CAB Project" template.

Is there some setting I missed while building the CAB? All that I did was add the to-be-installed-project's output and add a shortcut on the desktop with a fancy-pansy icon.

The project is targeting Windows CE as well, and deploys and debugs just fine on the Memor.

Meilen

There is a limit on cab files in windows CE 5. You cannot have more than 998 files and you cannot have long file names. Do any of these apply? – Beiderbecke

Nope. The project has only about 5 files, and the longest filename is 11 characters long. – Meilen

Answer 1

It the CAB-file compressed? There is an option called 'compress' in the Smart Device CAB Project that can be turned off.

This option can cause this error, because not every CE version can handle compressed setups.

I also got this problem with a CE 6.0 project (OS version 8.2).

Masthead

Thanks. This is was the problem for me. – Ephesus

Answer 2

Memors come in either Windows Mobile 6.1 or Windows CE 5.0 flavors.

Are you sure your device uses CE and not Mobile?

A Windows Mobile device's desktop will look sort of like the screenshots below - because I can't seem to get the CE SDK installed right now (I've got too many other applications open). A Windows Mobile device can be confirmed by clicking [Start] > [Settings]:

Go to the [System] tab and select [About]:

On mine, you can see I'm stuck with WM5.

By contrast, a typical Windows CE device would have a screen somewhat like this image I found on Google:

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Is your project, perhaps, set to Windows Mobile, like shown below?

If this is a Windows CE Project, you'll need to target the Windows CE platform.

I can't install the Windows CE SDK on my machine, though. I discovered yesterday it has to be run on Windows XP.

** Friday Update **

Try creating another deployment project (you don't have to finish the Wizard), and see if you have a Windows CE option like the Target Platform like in "Step 2" pic below (I do not).

Gumshoe

I am very certain it is the CE 5 model - It says so in the system information. – Meilen

Looks like WinCE SDK requires a WinXP machine to run on. Crap. Can't help, then. – Gumshoe

Thanks for the attempt anyways, but hey, if I really was running WM6, wouldn't the error say The file "\Setup.CAB" is not a valid Windows Mobile Setup file? ;) – Meilen

It sounds like your PROJECT is targeting WM6 and you are trying to install it on WinCE (see my last update to this answer). – Gumshoe

nope! The project is targeting "Windows CE Device", the Memor itself. It runs perfectly fine while debugging, too. – Meilen

Tuff one! When you created the CAB project, were you able to specify Windows CE on any of the screens? – Gumshoe

I don't really remember having to specify an OS when creating the CAB project.. I'll have to check that the next time I'm in the office. – Meilen

I posted up another update. See if you have WinCE as a Target Platform as described above. – Gumshoe

Doesn't seem like I have that option either. – Meilen

Oh well, bounty'd for effort. Enjoy! – Meilen