ML USB Installation Tool

[petabyte]

Pre-release for 0.9:
Implemented ExFAT card flag writing (for Linux only)
Any testing and feedback is appreciated.

https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/releases/tag/0.9

[petabyte]

Version 0.9.1 has been released.
https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/releases/tag/0.9.1
- Improved error messages and handling
- Added bound checks wherever possible
- Added ExFAT support
- Made drive code a lot better

The next release will be the final (and hopefully stable) 0.1.0.

[Pelican]

Why not 1.0.0?

[petabyte]

I wanted to wait a while to see if anybody reports any bugs before I call it "officially stable".
In software 1.0.0 is generally considered to be a stable release.

[petabyte]

For Mac users, or people who want a simpler version of mlinstall:
Here's a standalone python script to enable bootdisk flag:
https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/blob/master/boot.py
Untested.
In order to run:
pip3 install ptpy
python3 boot.py EnableBootDisk

[petabyte]

Release 0.9.3
Now recommend win32 libusb filter installer over Zadig
https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/releases/tag/0.9.3

I spent a while working on a Windows driver for PTP, and finished it, but it's pretty much useless. I wrote it
with Wia (Windows image acquisition), and the win32 API seems to build a tree of all files on the SD card
when the device is opened, which takes around 5 minutes if your card if filled up. Other than that it works perfectly.

[petabyte]

2023 Update:
I'm currently slowly working on a DLL that will help me interface with PTP devices on Windows natively.
I spent a lot of time writing code that will interface with the ancient WIA driver, but I had to scrap it because it was too slow.
This time, I'm interfacing with WPD (Windows Portable Devices). Like Wia, the driver is completely different compared to something like libusb.
WPD requires sending the command opcode, parameters, and data separately, letting Windows handle transaction IDs, and determining whether the response will have a data phase or not before sending the command. My camlib library is young enough for me to port it, but existing code may need major refactoring.

This DLL will be written in C++ and compiled with Visual Studio, and I will then host the binaries on Github.

Moving mlinstall from ptpcam to camlib will be relatively easy, but I might end up rewriting it the front end and trying another GUI library. GTK is nice but I'd like to try something different. Open to suggestions.

[petabyte]

Finished porting mlinstall to camlib/WPD. It's a very early test, still needs some work. It only reads the first device found, so it might try and open a phone or USB drive.
https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/releases/tag/0.9.4
This means that eventually there should be no more libusb/zadig/filter nonsense on Windows. Everything should work out of the box. On Linux, it should function the same.

For the 1.0.0 release, hoping to implement shutter count reading, and the ability to update to any firmware version over USB.

[petabyte]

mlinstall 1.0.0 is finally released.
Github release: https://github.com/petabyt/mlinstall/releases/tag/1.0.0

I knew from the start how painful all the libusb nonsense was, but there was no other option at the time. This release deletes all the PTP/USB backend and replaces it with a library I wrote from scratch.
Native Windows support is now available without any modification to the system drivers. This means you won't install Zadig or libusb if you're on Windows.

[iaburn]

Sounds great! I'll give it a try later 

[iaburn]

I don't need it very often, but it comes in very handy when I need it  Great tool 

[petabyte]

I don't need it very often, but it comes in very handy when I need it  Great tool 

Thanks. I think for now the entire tool is stable and won't get any more major changes. Next updates will probably be a MacOS port, and maybe localization.
MacOS should be pretty easy, camlib is very stable and has been tested on Macs, so it should just be a matter of some makefile tweaks.