nt/README.W32

   1 Copyright (C) 2001-2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
   2 See the end of the file for license conditions.
   3
   4                            Emacs for Windows
   5
   6   This README.W32 file describes how to set up and run a precompiled
   7   distribution of GNU Emacs for Windows.  You can find the precompiled
   8   distribution on the ftp.gnu.org server and its mirrors:
   9
  10         ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/windows/
  11
  12   This server contains other distributions, including the full Emacs
  13   source distribution, as well as older releases of Emacs for Windows.
  14
  15   Information on how to compile Emacs from sources on Windows is in
  16   the files README and INSTALL in the nt/ sub-directory of the
  17   top-level Emacs directory in the source distribution.  If you
  18   received this file as part of the Emacs source distribution, and are
  19   looking for information on how to build Emacs on MS-Windows, please
  20   read those 2 files and not this one.
  21
  22 * Preliminaries
  23
  24   Along with this file should be four subdirectories (bin, libexec,
  25   share, and var).
  26
  27 * Setting up Emacs
  28
  29   To install Emacs, simply unpack all the files into a directory of
  30   your choice.  To complete the installation process, you can
  31   optionally run the program addpm.exe in the bin subdirectory.  This
  32   will put an icon for Emacs in the Start Menu under
  33   "Start -> Programs -> Gnu Emacs".
  34
  35   Some users have reported that the Start Menu item is not created for
  36   them.  If this happens, just create your own shortcut to runemacs.exe,
  37   eg. by dragging it on to the desktop or the Start button.
  38
  39   Note that running addpm is now an optional step; Emacs is able to
  40   locate all of its files without needing any information to be set in
  41   the environment or the registry, although such settings will still
  42   be obeyed if present.  This is convenient for running Emacs on a
  43   machine which disallows registry changes, or on which software
  44   should not be installed.  For instance, you can now run Emacs
  45   directly from a CD or USB flash drive without copying or installing
  46   anything on the machine itself.
  47
  48 * Prerequisites for Windows 9X
  49
  50   To run Emacs on Windows 9X (Windows 95/98/Me), you will need to have
  51   the Microsoft Layer for Unicode (MSLU) installed.  It can be
  52   downloaded from the Microsoft site, and comes in a form of a single
  53   dynamic library called UNICOWS.DLL.  If this library is not
  54   accessible to Emacs, it will pop up a dialog saying that it cannot
  55   find the library, and will refuse to start up.
  56
  57 * Starting Emacs
  58
  59   To run Emacs, simply select Emacs from the Start Menu, or invoke
  60   runemacs.exe directly from Explorer or from a command prompt.  This
  61   will start Emacs in its default GUI mode, ready to use.  If you have
  62   never used Emacs before, you should follow the tutorial at this
  63   point (select Emacs Tutorial from the Help menu), since Emacs is
  64   quite different from ordinary Windows applications in many respects.
  65
  66   If you want to use Emacs in tty or character mode within a command
  67   window, you can start it by typing "emacs -nw" at the command prompt.
  68   (Obviously, you need to ensure that the Emacs bin subdirectory is in
  69   your PATH first, or specify the path to emacs.exe.)  The -nw
  70   (non-windowed) mode of operation is most useful if you have a telnet
  71   server on your machine, allowing you to run Emacs remotely.
  72
  73 * EXE files included
  74
  75   Emacs comes with the following executable files in the bin directory.
  76
  77   + emacs.exe - The main Emacs executable.  As this is designed to run
  78     as both a text-mode application (emacs -nw) and as a GUI application,
  79     it will pop up a command prompt window if run directly from Explorer.
  80
  81   + runemacs.exe - A wrapper for running Emacs as a GUI application
  82     without popping up a command prompt window.  If you create a
  83     desktop shortcut for invoking Emacs, make it point to this
  84     executable, not to emacs.exe.
  85
  86   + emacsclient.exe - A command-line client program that can
  87     communicate with a running Emacs process.  See the `Emacs Server'
  88     node of the Emacs manual.
  89
  90   + emacsclientw.exe - A version of emacsclient that does not open
  91     a command-line window.
  92
  93   + addpm.exe - A basic installer that creates Start Menu icons for Emacs.
  94     Running this is optional.
  95
  96   + ctags.exe, etags.exe - Tools for generating tag files.  See the
  97     `Tags' node of the Emacs manual.
  98
  99   + ebrowse.exe - A tool for generating C++ browse information.  See the
 100     `Ebrowse' manual.
 101
 102   Several helper programs are in a version-specific subdirectory of
 103   the libexec directory:
 104
 105   + cmdproxy.exe - Used internally by Emacs to work around problems with
 106     the native shells in various versions of Windows.
 107
 108   + ddeclient.exe - A tool for interacting with DDE servers.  To be
 109     invoked as "ddeclient SERVER [TOPIC]", where SERVER is the DDE
 110     server name, and sends each line of its standard input to the DDE
 111     server using the DdeClientTransaction API.  This program is
 112     supposed to be invoked via the 'call-process-region' Emacs
 113     primitive.
 114
 115   + hexl.exe - A tool for producing hex dumps of binary files.  See the
 116     `Editing Binary Files' node of the Emacs manual.
 117
 118   + movemail.exe - A helper application for safely moving mail from
 119     a mail spool or POP server to a local user mailbox.  See the
 120     `Movemail' node of the Emacs manual.
 121
 122   + profile.exe - A helper program that generates periodic events for
 123     profiling Emacs Lisp code.
 124
 125   + update-game-score.exe - A utility for updating the score files of
 126     Emacs games.
 127
 128 * Image support
 129
 130   Emacs has built in support for XBM and PPM/PGM/PBM images, and the
 131   libXpm library is bundled, providing XPM support (required for color
 132   toolbar icons and splash screen).  Source for libXpm should be available
 133   from the same place from which you got this binary distribution.
 134
 135   Emacs can also support some other image formats with appropriate
 136   libraries.  These libraries are all available on the following sites:
 137
 138   1. http://sourceforge.net/projects/ezwinports/files/
 139      -- leaner, more up-to-date builds, only for 32-bit Emacs
 140   2. http://www.gtk.org/download/win32.php
 141      http://www.gtk.org/download/win64.php
 142      -- the GTK project site; offers much fatter builds, but includes
 143         64-bit DLLs (from the 2nd URL)
 144   3. GnuWin32 project -- very old builds, not recommended
 145
 146   The libraries to download are mentioned below.  Some libraries
 147   depend on others that need to be downloaded separately from the same
 148   site; please consult the download instructions on each site for the
 149   details.  In general, the ezwinports site mentioned above has all
 150   the dependencies bundled in the same zip archive, so installing from
 151   there is the easiest.
 152
 153   Emacs will find these libraries if the directory they are installed
 154   in is on the PATH or in the same directory where you have emacs.exe.
 155   Here are some specific comments about each image type:
 156
 157       PNG: requires the PNG reference library 1.4 or later, which will
 158       be named libpngNN.dll or libpngNN-NN.dll.  LibPNG requires zlib,
 159       which should come from the same source as you got libpng.
 160       Starting with Emacs 23.3, the precompiled Emacs binaries are
 161       built with libpng 1.4.x and later, and are incompatible with
 162       earlier versions of libpng DLLs.  So if you have libpng 1.2.x,
 163       the PNG support will not work, and you will have to download
 164       newer versions.
 165
 166       JPEG: requires the Independent JPEG Group's libjpeg 6b or later,
 167       which will be called jpeg62.dll, libjpeg.dll, jpeg-62.dll or jpeg.dll.
 168
 169       TIFF: requires libTIFF 3.0 or later, which will be called libtiffN.dll
 170       or libtiff-N.dll or libtiff.dll.
 171
 172       GIF: requires libungif or giflib 4.1 or later, which will be
 173       called libgif-6.dll, giflib4.dll, libungif4.dll or libungif.dll.
 174
 175       SVG: requires librsvg 2.x whose DLL will be called
 176       librsvg-2-2.dll.  SVG also requires several dependency DLLs,
 177       such as Pango, Cairo, and Glib, all of them found on the
 178       above-mentioned sites.  If you download from the ezwinports
 179       site, you need only librsvg-2.nn.mm-x-w32-bin.zip, it comes with
 180       all the other dependencies bundled.
 181
 182    If you have image support DLLs under different names, customize the
 183    value of `dynamic-library-alist'.
 184
 185 * GnuTLS support
 186
 187   GnuTLS provides SSL/TLS network support for Emacs (https, imaps and
 188   so on.)
 189
 190   In order to support GnuTLS at runtime, Emacs must be able to find
 191   the relevant DLLs during startup; failure to do so is not an error,
 192   but GnuTLS won't be available to the running session.
 193
 194   You can get pre-built binaries (including any dependency DLLs) at
 195   http://sourceforge.net/projects/ezwinports/files/.
 196
 197 * libxml2 support
 198
 199   libxml2 provides HTML parsing support for Emacs, which is necessary
 200   to use the built-in eww browser.
 201
 202   In order to support libxml2 at runtime, a libxml2-enabled Emacs must
 203   be able to find the relevant DLLs during startup; failure to do so
 204   is not an error, but libxml2 features won't be available to the
 205   running session.
 206
 207   You can get pre-built binaries (including any required DLL and the
 208   header files) at http://sourceforge.net/projects/ezwinports/files/.
 209
 210 * Uninstalling Emacs
 211
 212   If you should need to uninstall Emacs, simply delete all the files
 213   and subdirectories from the directory where it was unpacked (Emacs
 214   does not install or update any files in system directories or
 215   anywhere else).  If you ran the addpm.exe program to create the
 216   registry entries and the Start menu icon, then you can remove the
 217   registry entries using regedit.  All of the settings are written
 218   under the Software\GNU\Emacs key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, or if you
 219   didn't have administrator privileges when you installed, the same
 220   key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.  Just delete the whole Software\GNU\Emacs
 221   key.
 222
 223   The Start menu entry can be removed by right-clicking on the Task bar
 224   and selecting Properties, then using the Remove option on the Start
 225   Menu Programs page.  (If you installed under an account with
 226   administrator privileges, then you need to click the Advanced button
 227   and look for the Gnu Emacs menu item under All Users.)
 228
 229 * Troubleshooting
 230
 231   Unpacking the distributions
 232
 233   If you encounter trouble trying to run Emacs, there are a number of
 234   possible causes.  Check the following for indications that the
 235   distribution was not corrupted by the tools used to unpack it:
 236
 237     * Be sure to disable CR/LF translation or the executables will
 238       be unusable.  Older versions of WinZipNT would enable this
 239       translation by default.  If you are using WinZipNT, disable it.
 240       (I don't have WinZipNT myself, and I do not know the specific
 241       commands necessary to disable it.)
 242
 243     * Check that filenames were not truncated to 8.3.  For example,
 244       there should be a file lisp\abbrevlist.elc; if this has been
 245       truncated to abbrevli.elc, your distribution has been corrupted
 246       while unpacking and Emacs will not start.
 247
 248     * On Windows 9X, make sure you have the UNICOWS.DLL library either
 249       in the same directory where you have emacs.exe or in the
 250       directory where system-wide DLLs are kept.
 251
 252   If you believe you have unpacked the distributions correctly and are
 253   still encountering problems, see the section on Further Information
 254   below.
 255
 256   Virus scanners
 257
 258   Some virus scanners interfere with Emacs' use of subprocesses.  If you
 259   are unable to use subprocesses and you use Dr. Solomon's WinGuard or
 260   McAfee's Vshield, turn off "Scan all files" (WinGuard) or "boot sector
 261   scanning" (McAfee exclusion properties).
 262
 263 * Further information
 264
 265   The FAQ for the MS Windows port of Emacs is distributed with Emacs
 266   (info manual "efaq-w32"), and also available at
 267
 268         http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/efaq-w32.html
 269
 270   In addition to the FAQ, there is a mailing list for discussing issues
 271   related to the Windows port of Emacs.  For information about the
 272   list, see this Web page:
 273
 274         http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-emacs-windows
 275
 276   To ask questions on the mailing list, send email to
 277   help-emacs-windows@gnu.org.  (You don't need to subscribe for that.)
 278   To subscribe to the list or unsubscribe from it, fill the form you
 279   find at http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/help-emacs-windows as
 280   explained there.
 281
 282   Another valuable source of information and help which should not be
 283   overlooked is the various Usenet news groups dedicated to Emacs.
 284   These are particularly good for help with general issues which aren't
 285   specific to the Windows port of Emacs.  The main news groups to use
 286   for seeking help are:
 287
 288         gnu.emacs.help
 289         comp.emacs
 290
 291   There are also fairly regular postings and announcements of new or
 292   updated Emacs packages on this group:
 293
 294         gnu.emacs.sources
 295
 296 * Reporting bugs
 297
 298   If you encounter a bug in this port of Emacs, we would like to hear
 299   about it.  First check the FAQ on the web page above to see if the bug
 300   is already known and if there are any workarounds.  Then check whether
 301   the bug has something to do with code in your .emacs file, e.g. by
 302   invoking Emacs with the "-Q" option.
 303
 304   If you decide that it is a bug in Emacs, use the built in bug
 305   reporting facility to report it (from the menu; Help -> Send Bug Report).
 306   If you have not yet configured Emacs for mail, then when you press
 307   C-c C-c to send the report, it will ask you to paste the text of the
 308   report into your mail client.  If the bug is related to subprocesses,
 309   also specify which shell you are using (e.g., include the values of
 310   `shell-file-name' and `explicit-shell-file-name' in your message).
 311
 312   Enjoy!
 313
 314 \f
 315 This file is part of GNU Emacs.
 316
 317 GNU Emacs is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 318 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
 319 the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
 320 (at your option) any later version.
 321
 322 GNU Emacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
 323 but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
 324 MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
 325 GNU General Public License for more details.
 326
 327 You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
 328 along with GNU Emacs.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.