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17 <h3>LameXP - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
</h3><br>
19 <a name=
"127191f3"></a><b>Table of contents:
</b><br>
21 <li><a href=
"#6a0b023d">What is LameXP ???
</a>
22 <li><a href=
"#be0a8459">What platforms does LameXP run on?
</a>
23 <li><a href=
"#29065b86">What output formats (encoders) does LameXP support?
</a>
24 <li><a href=
"#4e398a46">What input formats (decoders) does LameXP support?
</a>
25 <li><a href=
"#96205e91">My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download/install/launch LameXP. Why is that?
</a>
26 <li><a href=
"#fd53d98a">Who created LameXP?
</a>
27 <li><a href=
"#de1c5e44">What license is LameXP released under?
</a>
28 <li><a href=
"#303e5fa7">Do I have to pay for LameXP? / How can I donate to the authors of LameXP?
</a>
29 <li><a href=
"#054010d9">MP3, AAC or Vorbis - What is the best compressed audio format?
</a>
30 <li><a href=
"#411d1257">What is the difference between the CBR, VBR and ABR rate control modes?
</a>
31 <li><a href=
"#71a113b0">How do I enable AAC/MP4/M4A output (encoding) in LameXP?
</a>
32 <li><a href=
"#126abc5a">Is there a way to output
".m4a" or
".aac" files with LameXP?
</a>
33 <li><a href=
"#ebf016ab">How do I enable WMA input (decoding) in LameXP?
</a>
34 <li><a href=
"#9fd53558">How can I use LameXP as a
"portable" application?
</a>
35 <li><a href=
"#3d6684e9">Is there a way to use custom tools (binaries) with LameXP instead of the
"built-in" ones?
</a>
36 <li><a href=
"#df406578">The LameXP startup (splash screen) takes very long on my system. What can I do?
</a>
37 <li><a href=
"#900a2a6c">Is there a way to hide/show the LameXP console (
"DOS Box") window?
</a>
38 <li><a href=
"#9b0a5c32">Why does application 'xyz' not open the Wave files created by LameXP?
</a>
39 <li><a href=
"#89cbd3d0">Why does LameXP run only 'n' parallel instances/threads on my computer?
</a>
40 <li><a href=
"#12d077d5">How can I force LameXP to create ID3 version
2 (ID3v2) tags?
</a>
41 <li><a href=
"#d83ab3c6">Why does LameXP use LAME v3.99 rather than v3.98?
</a><br>
42 <li><a href=
"#4213adbc">Can LameXP be used to convert/extract tracks from an Audio CD?
</a>
43 <li><a href=
"#434f2578">Why is the maximum normalization level limited to -
0.5 dB?
</a>
44 <li><a href=
"#e7c9ae2b">Why do I get the error 'Executable doesn't support Windows compatibility mode' on startup?
</a>
45 <li><a href=
"#328b0a18">Why do I get the error 'Executable requires Windows XP or later' on startup?
</a>
46 <li><a href=
"#3ffe490e">Why do I get the error 'The procedure entry point De/EncodePointer could not be located' on startup?
</a>
47 <li><a href=
"#01922741">Why do I get the error 'LameXP.exe is not a valid Win32 application' on startup?
</a>
48 <li><a href=
"#491aaad9">Why do I get the error 'A device attached to the system is not functioning' on startup?
</a>
49 <li><a href=
"#a0fd5ae8">Why do I get the error 'File
´tool_foobar.exe
´ could not be locked!' on startup?
</a>
50 <li><a href=
"#f35cfa24">How can I translate LameXP to my language or improve an existing translation?
</a>
51 <li><a href=
"#8dba381f">Where can I download the latest version of LameXP?
</a>
52 <li><a href=
"#9c2e273d">Where can I submit bug reports or feature requests?
</a>
53 <li><a href=
"#e5694e3e">What programming language is LameXP written in?
</a><br>
54 <li><a href=
"#982cf1c0">Where can I find the LameXP source code?
</a>
55 <li><a href=
"#a0c1e92b">What are the prerequisites to build LameXP from the sources?
</a></ul>
59 <a name=
"6a0b023d"></a><b>What is LameXP ???
</b><br>
61 LameXP is a graphical user-interface (front-end) for various of audio encoders: It allows you convert your
<br>
62 audio files from one audio format to another one in the most simple way. Despite its name, LameXP is NOT only
<br>
63 a front-end for the LAME encoder, but supports a wide range of output formats, including MP3, Ogg Vorbis,
<br>
64 AAC/MP4, FLAC, AC-
3 and Wave Audio. The number of supported input formats is even bigger! Furthermore LameXP
<br>
65 does NOT only run on Windows XP, but also on Windows Vista, Windows
7 and many other operating systems.
<br>
67 As all the encoders and decoders used by LameXP are already
"built-in" (with one exception), you do NOT need
<br>
68 to install any additional software, such as
"Codecs",
"Filters" or
"Plug-ins", on your computer. Everything
<br>
69 works
"out of the box"! You can even use LameXP as a
"portable" application, e.g. run it from your USB stick.
<br>
70 Moreover LameXP was designed for batch processing. This means that you can convert a huge number of audio
<br>
71 files, e.g. a complete album or even your entire music collection, in a single step. And, as LameXP is able
<br>
72 to process several audio files in parallel, it takes full advantage of modern multi-core processors! However
<br>
73 LameXP is NOT only optimized for speed, it also provides excellent sound quality by using the most
<br>
74 sophisticated encoders available and by giving the user unrestricted control over all encoding parameters.
<br>
76 In addition to that, LameXP provides full support for metadata, including cover art. So when converting your
<br>
77 audio files, LameXP will retain existing meta tags. But there also is an easy-to-use editor for adding or
<br>
78 modifying metadata. LameXP supports Unicode for both, meta tags and filenames, so there won't be any problems
<br>
79 with
"foreign" characters. And, thanks to our translators, the user-interface of LameXP is available in
<br>
80 multiple languages. Last but not least, LameXP supports a number of post-processing filters, including sample
<br>
81 rate conversion, normalization (gain), tone adjustment and downmixing of multi-channel sources.
<br><br>
85 <a name=
"be0a8459"></a><b>What platforms does LameXP run on?
</b><br>
87 LameXP is currently being developed on the following platforms:
<br><ul>
88 <li>Microsoft Windows
7 (
32-Bit and
64-Bit editions) with
<a href=
"http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/gg635126" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
1</a>
89 <li>Microsoft Windows XP with
<a href=
"http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb794714" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
3</a></ul>
91 The following platforms should work, but aren't tested extensively:
<br><ul>
92 <li>Microsoft Windows Vista (
32-Bit and
64-Bit editions) with
<a href=
"http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
2</a>
93 <li>Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition with
<a href=
"http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17791" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
2</a>
94 <li>Microsoft Windows
2000 with
<a href=
"http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=4127" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
4</a>
95 <li>Microsoft Windows Server
2008 with
<a href=
"http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
2</a>
96 <li>Microsoft Windows Server
2008 R2 with
<a href=
"http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/gg635126" target=
"_blank">Service Pack
1</a>
97 <li>GNU/Linux using
<a href=
"http://www.winehq.org/" target=
"_blank">Wine
</a> v1.2
.2+ (native Linux version planned)
</ul>
99 The following
"legacy" platforms are NOT supported any longer:
<br><ul>
100 <li>Microsoft Windows NT
4.0
101 <li>Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (*)
102 <li>Microsoft Windows
98 (*)
103 <li>Microsoft Windows
95</ul>
105 (*) Some people claim that LameXP can run on Windows
98 SE or Millennium Edition with the help of
<a href=
"http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/" target=
"_blank">KernelEx
</a>.
<br><br>
109 <a name=
"29065b86"></a><b>What output formats (encoders) does LameXP support?
</b><br>
111 Currently the following output formats are supported by LameXP:
<br><ul>
112 <li>MPEG Audio-Layer III (MP3), using the
<a href=
"http://lamexp.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">LAME
</a> encoder [built-in]
113 <li>Ogg Vorbis, using the
<a href=
"http://www.xiph.org/vorbis/" target=
"_blank">OggEnc2/libvorbis
</a> encoder with
<a href=
"http://www.geocities.jp/aoyoume/aotuv/" target=
"_blank">aoTuV
</a> [built-in]
114 <li>Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), using
<a href=
"http://www.audiocoding.com/nero_aacenc.html" target=
"_blank">Nero AAC
</a> encoder [separate download!]
115 <li>ATSC A/
52 (aka
"AC-3"), using the
<a href=
"http://aften.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">Aften
</a> encoder [built-in]
116 <li>Free Lossless Audio Codec (
<a href=
"http://flac.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">FLAC
</a>) [built-in]
117 <li>Uncompressed PCM / Waveform Audio File (WAV/RIFF)
</ul>
121 <a name=
"4e398a46"></a><b>What input formats (decoders) does LameXP support?
</b><br>
123 Currently the following input formats are supported by LameXP:
<br><ul>
124 <li>AC-
3 (ATSC A/
52), using Valib decoder [built-in]
125 <li>Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), using FAAD decoder [built-in]
126 <li>Apple Lossless (ALAC)
128 <li>Avisynth, audio only [requires Avisynth
2.5.x to be installed]
129 <li>Digital Theater System, using Valib decoder [built-in]
130 <li>Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
132 <li>Monkey's Audio (APE)
133 <li>MPEG Audio-Layer I (MP1), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
134 <li>MPEG Audio-Layer II (MP2), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
135 <li>MPEG Audio-Layer III (MP3), using mpg123 decoder [built-in]
140 <li>The True Audio (TTA)
141 <li>Uncompressed PCM / Waveform Audio File (WAV/RIFF)
142 <li>WavPack Hybrid Lossless Audio
143 <li>Windows Media Audio (WMA), using wma2wav [built-in]
</ul>
147 <a name=
"96205e91"></a><b>My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download/install/launch LameXP. Why is that?
</b><br>
149 Occasionally your anti-virus program may mistakenly(!) detect
"malware" (e.g. virus, trojan horse or worm) in
<br>
150 LameXP. This is called a
"false positive" and the file is actually innocent/clean. It's an error in your
<br>
151 specific anti-virus software. So in case you encounter such problems, please use
<a href=
"http://www.virustotal.com/" target=
"_blank">http://www.virustotal.com/
</a>,
<br>
152 <a href=
"http://www.virscan.org/" target=
"_blank">http://www.virscan.org/
</a> or a similar online-service to check the file in question with multiple(!) anti-virus
<br>
153 engines. Especially take care with scan results like
"suspicious",
"generic" or
"packed", as such results are
<br>
154 NOT confirmed malware detections and in almost any case they can be ignored/discarded safely!
<br>
156 Apparently anti-virus programs tend to suspect installers or uninstallers created with
<a href=
"http://nsis.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">NSIS
</a>. Furthermore some
<br>
157 anti-virus programs blindly suspect all
"packed" executables of being malware. Obviously that is a stupid
<br>
158 generalization, so please ignore these nasty warnings! Last but not least: Always keep in mind that LameXP is
<br>
159 OpenSource software. If you don't trust the provided pre-compiled binaries, simply download the
<a href=
"#982cf1c0">source codes
</a>,
<br>
160 search the code for
"malicious" functions (you won't find any!) and then
<a href=
"#a0c1e92b">compile
</a> your own binary.
<br>
163 <li>IN CASE YOU HAVE A CONFIRMED INFECTION, RE-DOWNLOAD THE FILE FROM ONE OF THE *OFFICIAL* MIRRORS!
164 <li>DO NOT SEND US VIRUS REPORTS, UNLESS YOU HAVE VERIFIED THE INFECTION WITH MULTIPLE ANTI-VIRUS ENGINES!
165 <li>PLEASE REPORT
"FALSE POSITIVES" TO THE DEVELOPER OF YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE. WE CANNOT FIX THEM!
</ul>
169 <a name=
"fd53d98a"></a><b>Who created LameXP?
</b><br>
171 LameXP was written from the scratch by
<a href=
"mailto:mulder2-nospam@gmx.de">LoRd_MuldeR
<MuldeR2
@GMX.de
></a>. However it has to be noted that LameXP
<br>
172 uses a number of third-party tools, which have been created by the individual authors. Moreover various
<br>
173 people have contributed LameXP translations. Please see the
"About" dialog for details! Also please do NOT
<br>
174 send e-mail to LoRd_MuldeR directly, if the problem or suggestion can be discussed in the
<a href=
"#9c2e273d">support
</a> forums!
<br>
176 More OpenSource projects by LoRd_MuldeR available at
<a href=
"http://mulder.at.gg/" target=
"_blank">http://mulder.at.gg/
</a> or
<a href=
"http://mulder.googlecode.com/" target=
"_blank">http://mulder.googlecode.com/
</a>.
<br><br>
180 <a name=
"de1c5e44"></a><b>What license is LameXP released under?
</b><br>
182 LameXP is free software. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
<br>
183 License (GPL) as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version
2 of the License, or (at your
<br>
184 option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
<br>
185 WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
<br>
187 The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and
<br>
188 change the works. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share
<br>
189 and change all versions of a program
- to make sure it remains free software for all its users.
<br>
191 Please see the
<a href=
"http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html" target=
"_blank">GNU General Public License
</a> for more details!
<br><br>
195 <a name=
"303e5fa7"></a><b>Do I have to pay for LameXP? / How can I donate to the authors of LameXP?
</b><br>
197 LameXP is
<a href=
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software" target=
"_blank">free software
</a>, so you may use it for free and for any purpose. Moreover the authors of LameXP
<br>
198 currently do NOT accept any donations. Therefore you should NOT pay or donate any money in order to obtain
<br>
199 LameXP! However it was brought to our attention that some dubious third-party web-sites offer
"payed"<br>
200 downloads of LameXP and/or include Adware into the LameXP download. We do NOT cooperate with any of these
<br>
201 sites. So if you pay for the LameXP download, the authors of LameXP will not get a single cent! Instead you
<br>
202 should save your money and download LameXP from the official mirrors (
<a href=
"#8dba381f">see below
</a>), which is
100% free.
<br>
204 If you want to support the development of LameXP, you can do so by contributing translations or code :-)
<br><br>
208 <a name=
"054010d9"></a><b>MP3, AAC or Vorbis - What is the best compressed audio format?
</b><br>
210 This question can NOT be answered in general. The best audio format is the format that works best for you!
<br>
212 Having said that, there are a few things to consider. First of all: All output formats supported by LameXP,
<br>
213 except for FLAC and PCM/Wave, use a lossy(!) kind of compression. That applies to MP3 and AAC as well as
<br>
214 Vorbis. Consequently with these formats a certain quality loss is unavoidable when re-encoding/converting, no
<br>
215 matter what. This is called
"generation loss". Nonetheless all three formats (MP3, AAC and Vorbis) are able
<br>
216 to retain an EXCELLENT audio quality, given that the chosen bitrate (quality level) is sufficient/reasonable.
<br>
218 Secondly, the audio quality does not depend on the audio format and the chosen bitrate only. It also depends
<br>
219 greatly on the encoder software that is being used. LameXP uses the LAME MP3 encoder, probably the most
<br>
220 sophisticated MP3 encoder out there, the Nero AAC encoder, one of the best AAC encoders available, and the
<br>
221 aoTuV Vorbis encoder, an improved/tuned version of the reference Vorbis encoder. Consequently LameXP provides
<br>
222 you with state-of-the-art encoders, which ensures maximum encoding quality for ALL supported output formats.
<br>
224 Another thing to consider is hardware support, i.e. support on stand-alone and portable players. The MP3
<br>
225 format still has the best support on hardware players, but support for AAC/MP4 has become widespread too -
<br>
226 especially on portable devices. Hardware support for Vorbis is more limited, but growing. So if portability
<br>
227 is a priority, then MP3 is a good choice. However the MP3 format does NOT support multi-channel audio, which
<br>
228 means that you will have to use AAC or Vorbis for multi-channel files. Last but not least, if you prefer a
<br>
229 truly
"open" and patent-free audio format, then Vorbis will be the format of your choice!
<br>
231 Another resource you might find interesting are Sebastian's Public Listening Tests:
<br><ul>
232 <li><a href=
"http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mp3-128-1/results.htm" target=
"_blank">MP3 listening test @
128 kbps, includes MP3 encoders (like LAME) only
</a>
233 <li><a href=
"http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mf-128-1/results.htm" target=
"_blank">Multiformat listening test @
128 kbps, includes LAME MP3, Vorbis AoTuV and others
</a>
234 <li><a href=
"http://listening-tests.hydrogenaudio.org/sebastian/mf-64-1/results.htm" target=
"_blank">Multiformat listening test @
64 kbps, includes Vorbis AoTuV, Nero AAC and others
</a>
236 (However be aware that some of the results from these listening tests are not up-to-date anymore)
<br><br>
240 <a name=
"411d1257"></a><b>What is the difference between the CBR, VBR and ABR rate control modes?
</b><br>
242 CBR means
"constant bitrate" and, as the name implies, CBR mode allocates the bits at a constant rate. This
<br>
243 means that each part of the audio will get the same amount of bits, regardless of its content. Obviously this
<br>
244 will waste bits in parts of the audio that are easy to compress. At the same time the quality of parts of the
<br>
245 audio that are hard to compress will be degraded. Consequently using CBR mode is NOT a very good idea, unless
<br>
246 you really have to for some reason. However CBR mode has the advantage that the final size of the compressed
<br>
247 file is perfectly predictable. The resulting file size is defined simply as
"duration × fixed bitrate".
<br>
249 VBR means
"variable bitrate" and, in contrast to CBR mode, VBR mode allows the bitrate to vary/fluctuate.
<br>
250 Thus the VBR mode enables the encoder to adapt the bitrate with respect to the content of the audio. Parts of
<br>
251 the audio that are easy to compress will get a lower bitrate in order to safe bits. Parts of the audio that
<br>
252 are hard to compress will get a higher bitrate in order to avoid quality degradation. Or in other words: VBR
<br>
253 mode
"moves" the bits to the locations where they are actually needed. Therefore the VBR mode achieves a much
<br>
254 better compression efficiency than the CBR mode, i.e. with VBR mode you can get a better quality at the same
<br>
255 file size, or the same quality at a smaller file size (compared to CBR mode). One disadvantage of the VBR
<br>
256 mode is, however, that the final size of the compressed file can NOT be predicted. The resulting file size is
<br>
257 defined as
"duration × average bitrate", but the average bitrate can NOT be known beforehand. That's
<br>
258 because the average bitrate for a specific VBR quality level can vary greatly, depending solely on the
<br>
259 complexity of the individual audio. Nonetheless VBR mode generally should be the preferred encoding mode.
<br>
261 ABR means
"average bitrate". You can think of ABR mode as a compromise between the CBR and VBR mode. With ABR
<br>
262 mode the bitrate is allowed to vary/fluctuate, similar to VBR mode. However the ABR mode doesn't work with a
<br>
263 predefined/fixed quality level, as VBR mode does. Instead in ABR mode the encoder will continuously re-adjust
<br>
264 the quality level in order to hit the target average(!) bitrate. You can also think of ABR mode as a mode
<br>
265 that pre-allocates the bits in a CBR-like fashion and then redistributes the bits within a local neighborhood
<br>
266 as needed. Thus the ABR mode combines advantages of CBR mode (predictability) and VBR mode (good quality).
<br>
267 The final size of the encoded file is still defined as
"duration × average bitrate", but with ABR mode the
<br>
268 average bitrate *is* known beforehand. So if you need to hit a specific file size, ABR mode is the solution.
<br>
270 Hint: The Nero AAC encoder supports a variant of the ABR mode, the so-called
"2-Pass" mode. That mode scans
<br>
271 through the entire file once (first pass) before the actual encoding is performed (second pass). This way the
<br>
272 encoder is able to distribute the bits over the entire file and still hit the desired target average bitrate.
<br>
273 It should be obvious that the advantages of the
"2-Pass" mode come at the cost of increased encoding time.
<br>
275 Hint: A common mistake done by people comparing rate control modes is choosing a bitrate that is too high. Of
<br>
276 course only files of an identical (average) bitrate can be compared by quality. But if that bitrate is chosen
<br>
277 too high, you won't be able to draw any conclusions from the test. That's because at a certain bitrate even
<br>
278 the CBR mode will retain excellent quality. In that situation VBR mode or ABR mode can't give an even better
<br>
279 quality for obvious reasons. But drawing the conclusion that there is no difference between CBR mode and the
<br>
280 VBR/ABR modes would be very wrong! The differences will become significant when using a reasonable bitrate.
<br>
281 Another mistake is starting with a low-quality source file and concluding that all modes perform equally bad.
<br>
283 Summary of rate control modes:
<br><ul>
284 <li>Need to hit a specific fixed file size and still want to retain decent quality?
⇒ ABR mode
285 <li>Want to retain a certain level of quality and the file size doesn't matter that much?
⇒ VBR mode
286 <li>Avoid CBR mode by all means, unless there are crude restrictions that force you to use it!
</ul>
290 <a name=
"71a113b0"></a><b>How do I enable AAC/MP4/M4A output (encoding) in LameXP?
</b><br>
292 LameXP uses the Nero AAC Encoder for creating AAC/MP4/M4A files. The Nero AAC Encoder is available as a free
<br>
293 download. However the license doesn't allow redistribution! Therefore we can NOT ship the Nero encoder along
<br>
294 with LameXP. Instead you will have to obtain the Nero encoder as a separate download from the official
"Nero<br>
295 Digital" web-site. Currently you'll find the latest Nero AAC Encoder version at this location:
<br><ul>
296 <li><a href=
"http://www.nero.com/deu/downloads-nerodigital-nero-aac-codec.php" target=
"_blank">http://www.nero.com/deu/downloads-nerodigital-nero-aac-codec.php
</a>
297 <li><a href=
"http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/" target=
"_blank">http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/
</a></ul>
299 After you have downloaded the Nero AAC Encoder as a ZIP file, you must
"install" the encoder binaries, so
<br>
300 LameXP can use them. Simply unzip the files 'neroAacEnc.exe', 'neroAacDec.exe' as well as 'neroAacTag.exe' to
<br>
301 the same directory where your LameXP executable ('LameXP.exe') is located. For unzipping the ZIP file you can
<br>
302 use any suitable archiver, such as
<a href=
"http://rarlabs.com/download.htm" target=
"_blank">WinRAR
</a> or
<a href=
"http://sevenzip.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">7-Zip
</a>. Once the required Nero encoder binaries are located in
<br>
303 the LameXP directory, the AAC encoding option should be
"enabled" on the next startup of LameXP.
<br>
305 Optionally LameXP also supports the FHG AAC Encoder now. Just like the Nero encoder, the FHG encoder can NOT
<br>
306 be redistributed along with LameXP. However the FHG AAC Encoder is included with Winamp v5.62, which is
<br>
307 available as a free download (you don't need to buy the
"Pro" version!) from the official Winamp web-site at:
<br><ul>
308 <li><a href=
"http://www.winamp.com/media-player/" target=
"_blank">http://www.winamp.com/media-player/
</a>
309 <li><a href=
"http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/client/winamp5621_full_emusic-7plus_all.exe" target=
"_blank">http://download.nullsoft.com/winamp/client/winamp5621_full_emusic-
7plus_all.exe
</a></ul>
311 In order to enable the FHG AAC Encoder support you will also need the 'FHG AAC Encoder Add-in' for LameXP:
<br><ul>
312 <li><a href=
"http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GKY3RGPS" target=
"_blank">http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GKY3RGPS
</a>
313 <li><a href=
"http://www.rapidshare.com/files/1807225271/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2011-08-22.zip" target=
"_blank">http://www.rapidshare.com/files/
1807225271/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin
.2011-
08-
22.zip
</a>
314 <li><a href=
"http://www.mediafire.com/?pir8my4belb5krl" target=
"_blank">http://www.mediafire.com/?pir8my4belb5krl
</a>
315 <li><a href=
"http://www.zshare.net/download/93978586842938e6/" target=
"_blank">http://www.zshare.net/download/
93978586842938e6/
</a>
316 <li><a href=
"http://www.gamefront.com/files/20703766/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2011-08-22.zip" target=
"_blank">http://www.gamefront.com/files/
20703766/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin
.2011-
08-
22.zip
</a>
317 <li><a href=
"http://www.easy-share.com/1917653443/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin.2011-08-22.zip" target=
"_blank">http://www.easy-share.com/
1917653443/LameXP.fhgaacenc-addin
.2011-
08-
22.zip
</a>
318 <li><a href=
"http://uploaded.to/file/0h0c7qf6" target=
"_blank">http://uploaded.to/file/
0h0c7qf6
</a></ul>
320 Please follow the install instructions that are included with the 'FHG AAC Encoder Add-in' download package!
<br>
321 Note that you do NOT need to install the Add-in, if you only want to use the Nero AAC Encoder.
<br><br>
325 <a name=
"126abc5a"></a><b>Is there a way to output
".m4a" or
".aac" files with LameXP?
</b><br>
327 LameXP uses the Nero AAC Encoder for AAC encoding. And the Nero encoder always puts the AAC streams into an
<br>
328 MP4 (MPEG-
4 Part
14) container - in almost any case that is exactly what you want/need! The one and only
<br>
329 "correct" file extension for MP4 files is '.mp4'. However sometimes the
"incorrect" file extension '.m4a' is
<br>
330 used to indicate
"audio-only" MP4 files. Even worse: There are some buggy (hardware) players that will
<br>
331 recognize MP4 audio file only with the
"incorrect" .m4a extension, but NOT with the
"correct" .mp4 extension.
<br>
332 Of course LameXP will save your MP4 files with the
"correct" .mp4 extension. But if you need your MP4 files
<br>
333 with an .m4a extension for some reason, you can simply rename(!) these files. This isn't more or less
<br>
334 "incorrect" than saving the files as .m4a directly. After all, an MP4 file remains an MP4 file.
<br>
336 Having said that, you should NOT rename any .mp4 or .m4a files to .aac, because these are MP4 files and NOT
<br>
337 "raw" AAC streams. The Nero AAC encoder has NO option to output
"raw" AAC streams and usually you don't need
<br>
338 such streams. Still, if you want to extract the
"raw" AAC stream from an MP4 file, you can use
<a href=
"http://www.videohelp.com/tools/mp4box" target=
"_blank">MP4Box
</a>.
<br><br>
342 <a name=
"ebf016ab"></a><b>How do I enable WMA input (decoding) in LameXP?
</b><br>
344 LameXP now uses its
"built-in" WMA decoder, thanks to 'wma2wav'. However it has to be noted that the WMA
<br>
345 decoder relies on the Windows Media Format Runtime. All supported versions of Microsoft Windows should have
<br>
346 the Windows Media Format Runtime installed as part of the Windows Media Player. But Wine does not! In case
<br>
347 you encounter problems with the WMA decoder, try installing the
<a href=
"http://anonym.to/http://www.citizeninsomniac.com/WMV/wmfdist11.exe" target=
"_blank">Windows Media Format Runtime
</a> manually. This
<br>
348 should also work under Wine. The 'N' or 'KN' editions of Windows
7 need the
<a href=
"http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=16546" target=
"_blank">Windows Media Feature Pack
</a>.
<br><br>
352 <a name=
"9fd53558"></a><b>How can I use LameXP as a
"portable" application?
</b><br>
354 LameXP always is
"portable", in the sense that the application works out of the box: LameXP does NOT require
<br>
355 any additional software, such as codecs, encoders, decoders or runtime libraries, and it will NOT install
<br>
356 anything of that kind on your local computer! All the third-party tools used by LameXP are already built-in.
<br>
357 There currently are two notable exceptions: The Nero AAC encoder and the WMA decoder cannot be redistributed
<br>
358 along with LameXP for legal reasons. Therefore these tools have to be obtained as separate downloads.
<br>
360 Having said that, LameXP stores its configuration file in the
<a href=
"http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd378457(v=vs.85).aspx#FOLDERID_LocalAppData" target=
"_blank">%LOCALAPPDATA%
</a> folder on the local computer.
<br>
361 That's because on a modern multi-user operating this is the only
"correct" folder to store user-specific
<br>
362 configuration files. Also it's one of the few folders where an application is guaranteed to get write-access,
<br>
363 even when the application was launched by a
"normal" (non-admin) user and did not request elevated rights.
<br>
364 Storing the configuration file in the
"install" folder is antiquated and highly error-prone.
<br>
366 Still some users may want to store the configuration file in the same folder as the LameXP executable file,
<br>
367 e.g. when launching LameXP directly from their USB stick on different computers. For this purpose LameXP now
<br>
368 offers a
"true" portable mode. You can enable that mode simply by renaming the LameXP executable file to
<br>
369 "LameXP-Portable.exe". But be aware: When running LameXP in the
"portable" mode, the user(!) must ensure that
<br>
370 write-access is granted to the directory where the LameXP executable is located.
<br><br>
374 <a name=
"3d6684e9"></a><b>Is there a way to use custom tools (binaries) with LameXP instead of the
"built-in" ones?
</b><br>
376 LameXP uses a number third-party tools. All of these tools are already
"built-in" (with a few exceptions) and
<br>
377 thus it is NOT required to provide separate binaries. Usually it will NOT be necessary to replace any of
<br>
378 the
"built-in" tools with a custom (user-provided) binary. If, however, you need to replace/update/downgrade
<br>
379 one of the binaries for a good reason, the recommended method is re-building LameXP from the sources. If you
<br>
380 don't know how to build LameXP from the sources, then you probably shouldn't be trying to replace the binary.
<br>
382 Having said that, there now is a more convenient method for using a custom tool version (binary) instead of
<br>
383 the
"built-in" one. This method works WITHOUT re-building LameXP. However note that the following is intended
<br>
384 for testing and debugging purposes only! Also note that LameXP was specifically designed to work with the
<br>
385 "built-in" versions of the tools. It may not work properly or may not work at all with custom tool versions!
<br>
387 In order to replace a
"built-in" binary, simply put the user-provided binary to the following location:
388 <blockquote><install_folder
>\tools\
<build_number
>\
<tool_name
>.exe
</blockquote>
389 If, for example, you want to replace 'lame.exe' in Build #
666 of LameXP, you would put it to the this path:
390 <blockquote>C:\Path to your LameXP install folder\tools\
666\lame.exe
</blockquote>
391 (It is intended that the '
<build_number
>' part of the path has to be adjusted with every update of LameXP)
<br><br>
395 <a name=
"df406578"></a><b>The LameXP startup (splash screen) takes very long on my system. What can I do?
</b><br>
397 Starting up LameXP shouldn't take longer than approximately
10 seconds. However it was brought to our
<br>
398 attention that badly optimized anti-virus software can slow down the startup procedure a lot! On our test
<br>
399 system (Windows
7 running on an Intel Core2 Q6600 with
4 GB of RAM) starting up LameXP takes about
3 seconds
<br>
400 without an anti-virus software and about
6 seconds with the
"real-time protection" of Microsoft Security
<br>
401 Essentials enabled. With other anti-virus software the startup was delayed up to
20 seconds and more!
<br>
403 So if you think that LameXP is starting up too slow on your system, you should temporarily(!) disable or
<br>
404 uninstall your current anti-virus program and try again. Usually it should be sufficient to disable only the
<br>
405 "real-time protection",
"file system protection" or
"guard" feature of your anti-virus software. If it turns
<br>
406 out that the startup is significantly(!) faster WITHOUT the anti-virus software, please report the problem to
<br>
407 the developer of the anti-virus software. And, if they don't fix the problem, switch to a better product!
<br><br>
411 <a name=
"900a2a6c"></a><b>Is there a way to hide/show the LameXP console (
"DOS Box") window?
</b><br>
413 It is common for many people to run an alleged
"DOS" program inside Windows, using a so-called
"DOS Box".
<br>
414 Everything works fine. But when you try to run such a program in DOS, you get an ugly message
"This program<br>
415 cannot be run in DOS mode". What's wrong? Well, the affected program is NOT a
"DOS" one. It is a Windows
<br>
416 Console program.
"DOS" is NOT a synonym of Console. And
"Windows" is NOT a synonym of GUI (Graphical User
<br>
417 Interface). Both, DOS and Windows programs, can be either Console or GUI. Actually Windows programs can be
<br>
418 Console *and* GUI at the same time, i.e. a Windows GUI program can have a Console attached.
<br>
420 LameXP is a GUI program for Windows. However it can have a
"Debug" console attached. The purpose of this
<br>
421 console is providing users an insight into what's happening behind the scenes. While the console is mainly
<br>
422 intended for developers, it may be helpful for
"regular" users too. Nonetheless you usually will NOT need the
<br>
423 console, unless something is going wrong. Therefore the LameXP console is disabled by default in all
<br>
424 "release" builds. You can enable the console by passing the
"--console" command-line parameter, if required.
<br>
425 At the same time the console is enabled by default in all
"beta" (pre-release) builds of LameXP. You can
<br>
426 still disable the console by passing the
"--no-console" command-line parameter, if you don't like it.
<br>
428 WARNING: Any attempt to close the LameXP console window will kill the application immediately !!!
<br><br>
432 <a name=
"9b0a5c32"></a><b>Why does application 'xyz' not open the Wave files created by LameXP?
</b><br>
434 Some of the decoders used in LameXP will insert an additional 'JUNK' chunk into the Wave/RIFF file, right
<br>
435 before the 'fmt' chunk (
"Wave header"). There are technical reasons why this 'JUNK' chunk (placeholder) might
<br>
436 be needed at the beginning of the file. The 'JUNK' type is a standard RIFF type and, by definition of the
<br>
437 RIFF file format specification, any reading application must ignore/skip all 'JUNK' chunks it may encounter!
<br>
438 Evidently most reading applications do so and thus will correctly open the Wave file. Unfortunately it was
<br>
439 brought to our attention that there are a few broken(!) applications, which reject Wave/RIFF files with an
<br>
440 additional 'JUNK' chunk in front of the 'fmt' chunk. It seems that these applications make false assumptions
<br>
441 and expect the 'fmt' chunk to be located at a fixed position, rather than parsing the RIFF structure.
<br>
443 While it is evident that applications, which reject the Wave/RIFF file because of the extra 'JUNK' chunk, are
<br>
444 broken with respect to the RIFF specification and should be fixed by the respective author, there is an easy
<br>
445 workaround: Re-saving the Wave/RIFF file with
<a href=
"http://sox.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">SoX
</a> creates a file that even the broken applications seem to
<br>
446 accept, as SoX apparently doesn't insert any 'JUNK' chunks (although it would be free to do so!) Re-saving
<br>
447 your Wave file with SoX does NOT change the actual content at all, as long as no additional filters are used.
<br>
449 You can use a command-line like this:
<br>
450 <blockquote>sox.exe
"c:\some path\input.wav" "c:\some path\output.wav"</blockquote>
454 <a name=
"89cbd3d0"></a><b>Why does LameXP run only 'n' parallel instances/threads on my computer?
</b><br>
456 By default LameXP will detect the number of CPU cores that are available on your system and run as many
<br>
457 encoder/decoder instances in parallel as CPU cores are available. This is done in order to maximize the CPU
<br>
458 usage on modern multi-core processors and thus speed up the overall encoding process. However be aware that
<br>
459 the number of instances that can run in parallel is also limited by the number of files you are converting.
<br>
460 Consequently the number of instances that will run in parallel is the minimum(!) of the number of CPU cores
<br>
461 and the number of files to convert. Moreover the number of parallel instances is currently bounded at four!
<br>
463 Limiting the maximum number of parallel instances to exactly four might seem somewhat arbitrary. But the more
<br>
464 instances are running in parallel, the more instances will be competing for the hard disk. At some point this
<br>
465 will result in
"HDD trashing" and actually slow down the encoding process! The limit will prevent this
<br>
466 situation on computers with a lot of CPU cores. If, however, you want to use even more (or fewer) instances,
<br>
467 then you can use LameXP's option to manually overwrite the maximum number of parallel instances/threads.
<br>
469 Also be aware that LameXP only controls the number of instances that will run in parallel, but it does NOT
<br>
470 control how many threads an individual instance will create! Some encoders use
"built-in" multi-threading and
<br>
471 thus a single encoder instance may create several threads - LameXP has no control over that.
<br><br>
475 <a name=
"12d077d5"></a><b>How can I force LameXP to create ID3 version
2 (ID3v2) tags?
</b><br>
477 The LAME encoder automatically chooses the proper ID3 tag version. By default it will create a version
1 tag,
<br>
478 if possible. Only if the information cannot be embedded into a version
1 tag (ID3v1), e.g. because the string
<br>
479 is too long or the string contains Unicode characters, a version
2 tag (ID3v2) will be added. This behavior
<br>
480 is advisable, because devices that support ID3v2 tags should also be able to read ID3v1 tags - but this
<br>
481 doesn't apply the other way around! Moreover embedding an ID3v1 and an ID3v2 tag at the same time, although
<br>
482 the information would have fit into a single ID3v1 tag, means an unnecessary redundancy!
<br>
484 If, however, you need to enforce the creation of an ID3v2 tag for some reason, you can use the
"--add-id3v2"<br>
485 parameter for that purpose. Simply add the parameter to the
"Custom Encoder Parameters" for LAME.
<br>
487 That's what the LAME help says about ID3 tags:
<br>
488 <blockquote>A version
2 tag will NOT be added unless one of the input fields
<br>
489 won't fit in a version
1 tag (e.g. the title string is longer than
30<br>
490 characters), or the '--add-id3v2' or '--id3v2-only' options are used,
<br>
491 or output is redirected to stdout.
</blockquote>
495 <a name=
"d83ab3c6"></a><b>Why does LameXP use LAME v3.99 rather than v3.98?
</b><br>
497 LAME v3.99 contains the latest improvements and bugfixes of the LAME mp3 encoder, but it's less tested than
<br>
498 the older
3.98 release series. The most important reason why LAME v3.99 is used in LameXP v4.xx is because
<br>
499 LameXP v4.xx focuses on proper Unicode support, but LAME v3.98 did NOT support Unicode filenames or Unicode
<br>
500 meta tags (through the CLI front-end, on the Windows platform). However LAME v3.99 finally does!
<br>
502 So far we have not encountered any noteworthy problems with LAME v3.99. If, however, you encounter a problem
<br>
503 with LAME v3.99, please report your finding to the
<a href=
"http://lame.sourceforge.net/contact.php" target=
"_blank">LAME development team
</a>. Do NOT submit any LAME-specific bug
<br>
504 reports to the LameXP developers, as we generally cannot analyze/fix problems specific to the LAME encoder.
<br><br>
508 <a name=
"4213adbc"></a><b>Can LameXP be used to convert/extract tracks from an Audio CD?
</b><br>
510 LameXP can be used to convert audio files that have been extracted from an Audio CD, but it can NOT extract
<br>
511 or read the audio tracks from the Audio CD directly (yet). Consequently you will have to extract (
"rip") the
<br>
512 audio tracks first, before you can convert them with LameXP. We recommend using the
<a href=
"http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/" target=
"_blank">Exact Audio Copy
</a> software
<br>
513 for that purpose. When ripping tracks from an Audio CD you should always save the tracks as uncompressed Wave
<br>
514 files or as lossless FLAC files! This will avoid a quality loss during the extraction/ripping process.
<br>
516 Warning: The Windows operating system will show CDA files (such as
"Track01.cda") on an Audio CD. These are
<br>
517 dummy/fake files! Actually an Audio CD does NOT contain a file system and thus there are NO files. There only
<br>
518 are audio tracks on an Audio CD. These audio tracks can be extracted as files (e.g. Wave Audio files) using a
<br>
519 ripping software and then the extracted files can be converted. At the same time any attempt to copy/convert
<br>
520 the '.cda' files directly is destined to fail (as the '.cda' files do NOT actually contain any audio data).
<br><br>
524 <a name=
"434f2578"></a><b>Why is the maximum normalization level limited to -
0.5 dB?
</b><br>
527 When an analogue [audio] signal is converted to the digital domain, the signal is sampled at a fixed rate
<br>
528 (e.g.
44100 samples per second) and each
"sample" value is stored with a fixed number of bits (e.g.
16 or
24<br>
529 bits per sample). Consequently [uncompressed] digital audio is represented as a sequence of binary sample
<br>
530 values. The range of possible sample values is determined by the word size (
"bits per sample"). For example
<br>
531 with a word size of
16 bit, the minimum value is
−32768 and the maximum value is
32767 - assuming the values
<br>
532 are signed. The range of the sample values corresponds to the voltage range of the electrical input signal.
<br>
533 The maximum digital sample value (i.e.
32767 at
16-Bit) often is referred to as
0dBFS (
0dB
"full scale").
<br>
535 Performing a Normalization in the digital domain seems straightforward: We simply multiply all sample values
<br>
536 with the same factor. And we choose this factor in such a way that the highest sample value(s) in the track
<br>
537 will become exactly
0dBFS after the normalization has been performed. However one needs to be aware that when
<br>
538 playing back the digital audio track, it needs to be converted back to an analogue signal. The D/A converter
<br>
539 will convert each sample from its binary representation to the corresponding voltage. Then a
"reconstruction"<br>
540 filter will be applied in order to recover a continuous signal from these individual voltages. And for the
<br>
541 reconstructed analogue signal it is possible to have voltages that are higher than the highest digital sample
<br>
542 in the audio track! This is illustrated in the following image (samples are represented as tiny squares):
<br>
544 <a target=
"_blank" href=
"http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9153/sine0dbfs.png"><img src=
"http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/9153/sine0dbfs.th.png" border=
"0"></a><br>
546 Consequently normalizing the sample values to
0dBFS is NOT a very good idea, as this may very well result in
<br>
547 a reconstructed analogue signal which exceeds(!)
0dBFS. And, as the analogue parts of the playback equipment
<br>
548 generally are NOT prepared for +
0dBFS voltages, this may cause problems, such as annoying distortions!
<br>
550 The help document of a well-known audio editing software contains the following advice:
<br>
551 <blockquote>If you're planning to put normalized audio on CD, you might want to normalize the waveforms to
<br>
552 no more than
96% [-
0.36 dB] as some audio compact disc players have problems accurately reproducing
<br>
553 bits that have been processed to
100% (maximum) amplitude [
0dBFS].
</blockquote>
554 For details please refer to the following article:
<br><ul>
555 <li><a href=
"http://www.audioholics.com/education/audio-formats-technology/issues-with-0dbfs-levels-on-digital-audio-playback-systems" target=
"_blank">http://www.audioholics.com/...issues-with-
0dbfs-levels-on-digital-audio-playback-systems
</a></ul>
559 <a name=
"e7c9ae2b"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'Executable doesn't support Windows compatibility mode' on startup?
</b><br>
561 LameXP was designed to run on all supported platforms natively (except for Linux/Wine). If you see this error
<br>
562 message, that's probably because your system is configured to run LameXP in 'compatibility mode', i.e. your
<br>
563 system will pretend an older OS version than is actually running. In Windows Explorer you can disable(!) the
<br>
564 compatibility mode by right-clicking on the 'LameXP.exe' file, choosing 'Properties' from the context menu,
<br>
565 switching to the 'Compatibility' tab and un-checking the 'Run this program in compatibility mode' option.
<br><br>
569 <a name=
"328b0a18"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'Executable requires Windows
2000 or later' on startup?
</b><br>
570 <a name=
"3ffe490e"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'The procedure entry point
<Something
> could not be located' on startup?
</b><br>
571 <a name=
"01922741"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'LameXP.exe is not a valid Win32 application' on startup?
</b><br>
573 You are trying to run LameXP on a platform that is NOT supported, such as Windows
95, Windows
98, Windows
<br>
574 Millennium Edition, Windows NT
4.0. There is nothing you can do about that, except for updating to a less
<br>
575 antiquated OS. Running an outdated and unsupported OS is a severe security risk anyway!
<br>
577 Note: This error can also occur, if your system has been configured to run LameXP in
<a href=
"#e7c9ae2b">compatibility mode
</a>.
<br><br>
581 <a name=
"491aaad9"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'A device attached to the system is not functioning' on startup?
</b><br>
583 This error message from the Windows operating system is somewhat misleading. It often appears together with
<br>
584 a second error message and it means that Windows was unable to load/execute the program file. There are
<br>
585 various reasons why this error might occur, but usually it indicates that you are trying to run LameXP or the
<br>
586 LameXP setup/update program on a platform that is NOT supported, such as Windows
95, Windows
98, Windows
<br>
587 Millennium Edition, Windows NT
4.0. There is nothing you can do about that, except for updating to a less
<br>
588 antiquated OS. Running an outdated and unsupported OS is a severe security risk anyway!
<br><br>
592 <a name=
"a0fd5ae8"></a><b>Why do I get the error 'File
´tool_foobar.exe
´ could not be locked!' on startup?
</b><br>
594 This error indicates that LameXP was unable to open/read a required file - one that it just has extracted
<br>
595 itself. Generally this should never happen, but we have reports that some bogus
"anti-vrius" software might
<br>
596 trigger this kind of errors. Of course there is nothing we can do on our side, if the error is induced by
<br>
597 proprietary third-party software (such as faulty
"anti-virus" software). So please try to temporarily(!)
<br>
598 uninstall/disable your anti-virus software. If the problem goes away, you can be sure it was caused by the
<br>
599 anti-virus software. In that case report the bug to the support team of your anti-virus software as soon as
<br>
600 possible. Or, if they don't fix the bug (in due time), switch to a better anti-virus product!
<br>
603 <a href=
"#96205e91">My anti-virus program raises an alarm when I try to download/install/launch LameXP. Why is that?
</a><br><br>
607 <a name=
"f35cfa24"></a><b>How can I translate LameXP to my language or improve an existing translation?
</b><br>
609 Please see the guide for translators at:
<br><ul>
610 <li><a href=
"http://mulder.brhack.net/public/doc/lamexp_translate.html" target=
"_blank">http://mulder.brhack.net/public/doc/lamexp_translate.html
</a></ul>
614 <a name=
"8dba381f"></a><b>Where can I download the latest version of LameXP?
</b><br>
616 The latest
"official" release of LameXP can be found on the following mirrors:
<br><ul>
617 <li><a href=
"https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP/downloads" target=
"_blank">https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP/downloads
</a>
618 <li><a href=
"http://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/files/" target=
"_blank">http://sourceforge.net/projects/lamexp/files/
</a>
619 <li><a href=
"http://code.google.com/p/mulder/downloads/list" target=
"_blank">http://code.google.com/p/mulder/downloads/list
</a></ul>
623 <a name=
"9c2e273d"></a><b>Where can I submit bug reports or feature requests?
</b><br>
625 The preferred place to report bugs or request new features is the LameXP thread at Doom9's Forum:
<br><ul>
626 <li><a href=
"http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=157726" target=
"_blank">http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=
157726</a> (English)
627 <li><a href=
"http://forum.gleitz.info/showthread.php?t=37956" target=
"_blank">http://forum.gleitz.info/showthread.php?t=
37956</a> (German)
</ul>
629 Please do NOT send me E-Mail unless you really have to! I receive a LOT of E-Mail and your mail can get lost!
<br><br>
633 <a name=
"e5694e3e"></a><b>What programming language is LameXP written in?
</b><br>
635 While LameXP v3.xx and all earlier versions were written in Delphi/Pascal, starting with version
4.xx the
<br>
636 software has been re-written in the C++ programming language. LameXP v4.xx is based on the Qt cross-platform
<br>
637 application framework and offers full Unicode support. For the time being LameXP is Windows-only.
<br><br>
641 <a name=
"982cf1c0"></a><b>Where can I find the LameXP source code?
</b><br>
643 LameXP is developed using the
<a href=
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_(software)" target=
"_blank">Git
</a> revision control system. The LameXP Git repository is mirrored at:
<br><ul>
644 <li><a href=
"git://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP.git" target=
"_blank">git://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP.git
</a> (
<a href=
"https://github.com/lordmulder/LameXP/commits/master" target=
"_blank">Log
</a>)
645 <li><a href=
"git://lamexp.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/lamexp/lamexp" target=
"_blank">git://lamexp.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/lamexp/lamexp
</a> (
<a href=
"http://lamexp.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=lamexp/lamexp;a=shortlog;h=HEAD" target=
"_blank">Log
</a>)
646 <li><a href=
"git://gitorious.org/lamexp/lamexp.git" target=
"_blank">git://gitorious.org/lamexp/lamexp.git
</a> (
<a href=
"http://gitorious.org/lamexp/lamexp/commits/master" target=
"_blank">Log
</a>)
</ul>
650 <a name=
"a0c1e92b"></a><b>What are the prerequisites to build LameXP from the sources?
</b><br>
652 LameXP is currently being developed using the following build environment:
<br><ul>
653 <li><a href=
"http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us" target=
"_blank">Visual Studio
2010</a> with Service Pack
1, running on Windows
7 with Service Pack
1
654 <li>Desktop Qt v4.7
.3 (MSVC
2008), included in
<a href=
"http://qt.nokia.com/products/qt-sdk" target=
"_blank">Qt SDK v1.1
</a>
655 <li><a href=
"http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=35AEDA01-421D-4BA5-B44B-543DC8C33A20" target=
"_blank">Windows Platform SDK v7.1
</a> (Windows SDK for Windows
7 and .NET Framework
4)
656 <li>The minimum supported Windows version is Windows XP with Service Pack
2</ul>
658 Also note the following hints:
<br><ul>
659 <li>Run
"qtenv2.bat" before launching Visual Studio in order to set up the Qt environment
660 <li>Visual Studio
2008 solution/project files are still provided for people targeting Windows
2000
661 <li>In order to make a
"fully static" build of LameXP, you need to compile Qt as 'static' libraries
662 <li>The Windows Platform SDK v6.0A should work as well, but there may be a few limitations
663 <li>Support for the GNU Toolchain (GCC/MinGW + Make) is planned for a future version
</ul>
665 In order to use the LameXP deployment scripts you need the following tools:
<br><ul>
666 <li><a href=
"http://www.7-zip.org/" target=
"_blank">7-Zip
</a> - file archiver with a high compression ratio
667 <li><a href=
"http://www.scratchpaper.com/" target=
"_blank">NSIS
</a> - Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (Unicode Version)
<ul>
668 <li><a href=
"http://nsis.sourceforge.net/UAC_plug-in" target=
"_blank">UAC plug-in
</a>
669 <li><a href=
"http://nsis.sourceforge.net/LockedList_plug-in" target=
"_blank">LockedList plug-in
</a>
670 <li><a href=
"http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Inetc_plug-in" target=
"_blank">Inetc plug-in
</a>
671 <li><a href=
"http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=329990" target=
"_blank">Aero plug-in
</a></ul>
672 <li><a href=
"http://upx.sourceforge.net/" target=
"_blank">UPX
</a> - the Ultimate Packer for eXecutables
673 <li><a href=
"http://www.matcode.com/mpress.htm" target=
"_blank">MPRESS
</a> - high-performance executable packer for PE32/PE32+
674 <li><a href=
"ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/binary/" target=
"_blank">GnuPG
</a> - the GNU Privacy Guard v1.4.x
<div style=
"height:7px"></div>
675 <li>Copy 'buildenv.template.txt' to 'buildenv.txt' and edit the paths as needed!
</ul>
677 Instructions to build Qt as 'static' libraries:
<br><ul>
678 <li>Make sure Visual Studio
2010 and Strawberry Perl for Windows are installed
679 <li>Install the Qt SDK v1.1 and choose to install the Qt
4.7.3 Sources
680 <li>Open a new command window (cmd.exe)
681 <li>Add Strawberry Perl to your PATH (e.g. 'set PATH=C:\strawberry\perl\bin;%PATH%')
682 <li>Now run 'vcvarsall.bat' form your Visual C++ install directory - within the same console!
683 <li>Change the current directory to the Qt Sources path (e.g. 'C:\QtSDK\QtSources\
4.7.3')
684 <li>Finally run 'configure.exe -release -static -ltcg
<more options
>' and wait for completion
685 <li>You can now open and build the solution files (e.g. 'src\corelib\QtCore.sln' in Visual Studio
686 <li>Make sure you select the
"Release" configuration for your builds!
687 <li>It is also required to change
"Code Generation ⇒ Runtime Library" to
"/MT" for all projects!
688 <li>Libraries you need to build for LameXP include the following:
<ul>
694 <li>plugins\imageformats\qgif.lib
695 <li>plugins\imageformats\qico.lib
696 <li>plugins\imageformats\qsvg.lib
</ul>
697 <li>Put the static *.lib files into the 'LameXP\etc\Prerequisites\qt4_static\lib' directory
698 <li>ImageFormat plugins go to 'LameXP\etc\Prerequisites\qt4_static\plugins\imageformats'
</ul>