Difference between revisions of "Windows"

(Setting up)
 
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''Under construction''
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This page is being written - please return later.
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If you're interested to give Box Of Stops a test drive without a Raspberry Pi, here are some instructions on how to set it up on Windows.  Alternatively, you may be interested to boot the PC from a USB stick - more details [[Running on a PC|here]].
 
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__NOTOC__
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Box Of Stops is designed to run on the Raspberry Pi, which is a great size for plugging into a musical keyboard, and comes with everything Box Of Stops needs built-in.
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It is also possible to install Box Of Stops on WindowsIt is noticably slower under Windows (see the topic on [[Latency]]), but still quite playable - certainly good enough for a test drive.
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The key differences between running Box Of Stops on the Pi and Windows are:
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* It is a bit slower under Windows (see the topic on [[Latency]]).  Especially with large dramatic chords, Windows isn't quite as responsive, but it is still generally playable
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* Form factor - the size of the Pi is much more suited to creating a standalone instrument
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* Also when setting up, the install on the Pi is simpler
  
Because Windows doesn't come with everything Box Of Stops needs built in, you will need to install a few other dependencies first:
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Unlike the Noobs operating system on the Pi, Windows doesn't come with everything Box Of Stops needs built in.  This means you will need to install a few other dependencies first:
 
* [[#Installing Java|Java]]
 
* [[#Installing Java|Java]]
 
* [[#Installing Python|Python]]
 
* [[#Installing Python|Python]]
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* Finish the [[#Setting up|set up]]
 
* Finish the [[#Setting up|set up]]
  
Once you are installed, instructions about [[#Starting|starting]] and [[#Stopping|stopping]] are below.
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Once you are installed, instructions for [[#Starting|starting]] and [[#Stopping|stopping]] are below.
  
For reference, Box Of Stops is un-fussy about the version of Windows you use - Vista or later is fine.  And it's likely your Windows install has at least the spec of a Raspberry Pi.
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For reference, Box Of Stops is un-fussy about the version of Windows you use - Vista or later is fine.  And the machine spec needed is fairly modest - it's likely your Windows install has at least the spec of a Raspberry Pi.  Due to the multi-threading in Box Of Stops, we recommend at least a dual-core processor, but even 1Gb of RAM is fine.
  
 
== Installing Java ==
 
== Installing Java ==
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[[File:Java-download-firefox.png|300px]]
 
[[File:Java-download-firefox.png|300px]]
  
After that, please install Java using the default options.  The only exception to this is that at the moment the installer kindly offers to set Yahoo as your homepage and default search provider - there is no need to accept this.
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After that, please install Java using the default options.  The only exception to this is that at the moment the installer offers to set Yahoo as your homepage and default search provider - there is no need to accept this.
  
 
[[File:Java-install.png|300px]] [[File:Java-yahoo.png|300px]]
 
[[File:Java-install.png|300px]] [[File:Java-yahoo.png|300px]]
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== Installing Python ==
 
== Installing Python ==
  
Similarly, if you don't already have Python, this can be downloaded for Windows from [https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/ here].  The latest version of Python 3 is recommended.  Typically it is the "Windows x86-64 executable installer" you need, unless you have a 32 bit environment.
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Similarly, if you don't already have Python, this can be downloaded for Windows from [https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/ here].  The latest version of Python 3 is recommended, but because [[#Downloading PortMidi|PortMidi]] below is 32 bit, please ensure you download the 32 bit version of PythonI.e. the "Windows x86 executable installer" instead of the "Windows x86-64 executable installer".
  
Please ensure when installing Python that you tick the option to add it to your PATH:
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Also, when installing Python, please ensure that you tick the option to add it to your PATH:
  
 
[[File:Install-python-on-path.png|300px]]
 
[[File:Install-python-on-path.png|300px]]
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== Setting up ==
 
== Setting up ==
  
To complete the set up of Box Of Stops, please move the <tt>portmidi.dll</tt> and <tt>boxofstops.jar</tt> files you have just downloaded to their own directory.  E.g. <tt>C:\boxofstops</tt>:
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To complete the set up of Box Of Stops, please move the <tt>portmidi.dll</tt> and <tt>boxofstops.jar</tt> files you have just downloaded to their own directory.  E.g. <tt>C:\boxofstops</tt> :
  
 
[[File:Boxofstops-directory.png]]
 
[[File:Boxofstops-directory.png]]
  
 
== Starting ==
 
== Starting ==
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To launch Box Of Stops, please start a [[Windows Command Prompt]] and type the following commands:
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cd C:\boxofstops
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java -jar boxofstops.jar
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(where C:\boxofstops is the directory you copied <tt>portmidi.dll</tt> and <tt>boxofstops.jar</tt> to in the [[#Setting up|previous step]]).
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When you first launch Box Of Stops on Windows, you may get a prompt from Windows Firewall.  Naturally, you will need to ask it to unblock network connections, to allow Box Of Stops to receive a connection from a web browser:
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[[File:Windows-firewall.png|300px]]
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This will then take a moment to launch, after which you can [http://boxofstops.com/using connect] in the normal way.
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Notes:
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* If you see a message about being unable to allocate an address - <tt>java.net.BindException: Address already in use: bind</tt> - please read about changing the [[Server port]]
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* At the moment there is no option to [[Auto start]] Box Of Stops under Windows
  
 
== Stopping ==
 
== Stopping ==
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To stop Box Of Stops on Windows, please either:
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* Press Ctrl+C on the command prompt window.  This will return you to the command prompt
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* Or just close the command prompt window
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Both of these approaches are fine to let Box Of Stops perform a controlled stop.  This allows it to release any Midi connections that were opened, and close down the related Python process that was running in the background.

Latest revision as of 19:50, 28 June 2017

Installing Java

Installing Python

Downloading PortMidi

Downloading Box Of Stops

Setting up

Starting

Stopping

Last modified 8 years ago
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