The contents of this page are accurate as of 2007-Aug-15, eccoext version 3.6.1.7
The main focus of this page is in outlining how USB mode works from a power user perspective, and what are the gotchas and bugs. Since eccoext is actively being developed, the gotchas and bugs may be resolved soon, in which case an attempt to record the solution on this page will be made.

USB ECCO INSTALLATION STEPS

Follow the set of instructions at http://www.eccomagic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1186357673

[see also CLEANUP HOST SYSTEM below]

Enabling USB mode

USB mode is enabled when USBmode=1 is included in file eccoext.ini and eccoext was not started with command-line option -l.

Usb mode is disabled when USBmode=0 is included in file eccoext.ini or eccoext was started with command-line option -l

USB ECCO - HOW IT WORKS

[main source: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1814%5D//%7Chttp://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1814%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1814%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1814]//

To clarify what USBmode means for eccoext, it's the ability to
transfer your Ecco program folder and settings from your desktop PC -
the source - to a USB key to run ecco on another computer -the target
or host - where ecco isn't installed.

USB mode is NOT a 2-way synchronization between your USB key and your
desktop ecco folders; once you run ecco in USB mode via eccoext, your
desktop ecco settings will diverge from the settings on the USB key -
if you keep using both your desktop ecco folder and your USB key ecco
folder. In practice, such divergence, may not matter much to you, if you're
not in the habit of customizing ecco. As for ecco data files, you can
synchronize them with your desktop PC using your favorite synchronization
tool.

USB mode is NOT a method to run stealth ecco on a host computer
without leaving any traces; USB mode does leave traces
in the file system and registry of the host computer. Hence USB mode
can be said to "not play nice" to a host computer where ecco is already
installed.
[Note: the eccoext author is actively engaged in eliminating
this problem from future versions.]

USB mode works by storing in the ecco program folder the registry and
configuration settings that ecco would normally place in the system
registry and in c:\windows.

Let's take a look at how USB mode interacts with the host file system and registry.

HOST FILE SYSTEM

When eccoext is first run in USB mode on the source PC, it copies the
configuration files in c:\windows to the ecco program folder. From
then on, eccoext ignores the files in c:\windows completely, whether
they still exist or not. It relies entirely on its own copies of
those files. [see also FILES CREATED BY ECCOEXT]

One exception is c:\windows\win.ini which ecco modifies (once).
Eccoext ignores this point. So, because of this, USB mode can be said
to leave a "trace" of ecco on the host computer. Other than that, I
didn't find any other traces left on the host files ystem.

HOST REGISTRY

The host registry is entirely another matter. When eccoext is first
run in USB mode on the source PC, it copies the system registry ecco
keys into a set of .ini files in the ecco program folder. Then when
eccoext is started on a host computer, it creates two files,
ecco_save.ini (temporary) and ecco.ini. I would think that
ecco_save.ini holds the ecco registry keys of the host computer. Then
eccoext overwrites the host registry with its own keys from ecco.ini.
When eccoext exits, it currently seems to leave those keys in the
host registry. It doesn't restore the host registry
ecco keys from ecco_save.ini.
[see bug report thread http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1827%5D//%7Chttp://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1827%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1827%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1827]//

Until this problem is corrected, be wary that you may end up overwriting
ecco settings in the host computer - if ecco is already installed
on it. And be wary that you're leaving your ecco registry keys stored on the
host computer.

FILES CREATED BY ECCOEXT

information current as of version 3.6.1.7

[main source: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1818%5D//%7Chttp://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1818%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1818%5D//|http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1818]//

When USB mode is enabled, ecco creates the following files
in the ecco directory: ecco.fdb, ecco.cfx, ecco.alm, ecco_save.ini, ecco.ini, ecco_cfx.bak

ecco_save.ini is deleted when eccoext terminates.

When USB mode is disabled, ecco creates the following files
in the windows directory %WINDIR%: ecco_cfx.bak

This means ecco will run with the ecco.cfx file in the windows
directory, and eccoext will run with the ecco.cfx file in the ecco program
directory when USB mode is enabled.
This happens because ecco looks for the configurations in the default
location (c:\windows), and eccoext looks for the configurations in the location
specified by USB mode, to determine what shows in the Toolbar (for example).
[source: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ecco_pro/message/1815
I didn't personally verify the points made in the above paragraph.]

CLEANUP HOST SYSTEM

The following batch file can be used to clean up the host system from
traces in the registry and in c:\windows. It can also be used to clean up
after running the ecco installer for the purpose of creating a basic USB installation.

Please adapt the commands below to your system. You need to understand Windows batch
programming. Tested on Windows XP Pro SP2. No warranty is given of any kind that this
batch file will not destroy your Windows installation. You are completely on your own.//

REM clean file system
del c:\windows\ecco.*
del c:\windows\ecco_cfx.bak
del c:\windows\system32\DATZAP32.dll
del c:\windows\system32\protll32.dll
del c:\windows\system32\TDLIR32.dll
REM below, if you don't have vim you can adapt using gnuwin32 sed
REM all it does is it removes the lines that ecco adds to c:\windows\win.ini
vim +"/^.WfxPbLinks.$/,/;FName, LName, Company,/d" +wq c:\windows\win.ini
REM clean registry entries
reg DELETE HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NetManage\Ecco /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\NetManage\Ecco /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\NetManage /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\NetManage /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.eco /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ect /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ecc /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mtg /F
reg DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\ECCO32.EXE /F
reg DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NetManage EccoPro" /F
reg DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\NetManage EccoPro Mtg Mail" /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.ecc /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.eco /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.ect /F
reg DELETE HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.mtg /F
pause