Installing and Uninstalling the GNU Tools under Microsoft Windows

This document shows you how to install and uninstall the precompiled GNU Tools for the ARM microcontroller under Microsoft Windows.

In this document, something like “Start » Settings » Control Panel” means that you click on the Start button, select the Settings sub-menu and finally click on Control Panel. “$” will indicate the Cygwin shell prompt. Anything in a bold monospaced font is what you are expected to type in; an ordinary monospaced font is used for the computer’s response. Please note that this document doesn’t always show every response from the computer!

Minimum System Requirements

In order to successfully install and run the GNU Tools, you will need to meet at least the following requirements:

1. Microsoft Windows NT 4 or later (including Windows 2000, Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional), or Windows 98SE, as your operating system,

You almost certainly know the operating system that you are running. If not, select Start » Settings » Control Panel, then double-click on the System icon. (Of course, this is different under Windows XP: you need to select Start » Control Panel, then select Classic View from the View menu, before double-clicking on the System icon…)

As a rule, Linux is the recommended platform for the GNU Tools and for all serious programming in general. If you insist on using Microsoft Windows, then Windows 2000, Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional are the better options. Windows 98SE (Second Edition) is not really recommended for serious work due to its many problems (also known as bugs!). You should positively avoid Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME (Millennium Edition).

2. A complete installation of the Cygwin Unix Emulator, as found on this CD-ROM,

Cygwin gives you a complete Unix environment (the Unix command line shell, all of the usual system and programming tools, header files and libraries, and so on) — everything you need to run Unix-like programs under Windows. It is essential to install Cygwin on your system if you want to run the GNU Tools under Windows.

3. At least 125 MB of free disk space (after Cygwin has been installed),

You can find out how much disk space you have free on your C: drive by opening the Windows Explorer (Start » Programs » Accessories » Windows Explorer), right-clicking on the C: drive under “My Computer”, then selecting Properties. Use the figure under “Free Space” only as a guide.

4. If you are running Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional, the password for the Administrator account on your system.

Installation Instructions

Installing the GNU Tools is reasonably simple, but be careful that you type in the commands exactly as shown. These instructions assume that the CD-ROM can be found as drive D: on your computer (/cygdrive/d within the Cygwin environment). If it is not, simply substitute the actual drive letter for the “d”. See the instructions for mounting the CD-ROM for more details.

Important: Please note that you must install the Cygwin Unix environment before installing the GNU Tools, as these installation instructions actually use that environment.

1. If you are running Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional, log in as Administrator. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Home or Windows 98SE, simply log in.

2. Start a Cygwin command line (usually by selecting Start » Programs » Cygwin » Cygwin Bash Shell).

3. Change to the root directory:

$ cd /

4. Unpack the GNU Tools archive:

`$`	`tar xzvf /cygdrive/d/gnutools/win32/arm-elf-gnutools-win32-2003-06.tar.gz`

By the way, the cautious (ie, good) system administrator will check the contents of this archive before installing it! To do this, use tzvf instead of xzvf in the above command. Remember that /cygdrive/d refers to your Windows drive D: — replace the “d” with whatever is appropriate for your system.

5. Exit the Cygwin shell:

$ exit

6. You have successfully installed the GNU Tools under Microsoft Windows!

Uninstallation Instructions

Removing the precompiled GNU Tools from your system is as simple as installing them. Once again, these instructions assume that your CD-ROM can be found as drive D: on your system (/cygdrive/d within the Cygwin environment).

1. If you are running Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional, log in as Administrator. If you are running Microsoft Windows XP Home or Windows 98SE, simply log in.

2. Start a Cygwin command line (usually by selecting Start » Programs » Cygwin » Cygwin Bash Shell).

3. Change to the root directory:

$ cd /

4. Execute the uninstall script:

`$`	`/cygdrive/d/gnutools/win32/arm-elf-gnutools-win32-2003-06.uninstall`

By the way, any system administrator worth his or her salt will check the contents of this uninstall script before running it! You wouldn’t open an executable attachment sent to you in an e-mail, now, would you?

5. Exit the Cygwin shell:

$ exit

6. You have successfully installed the GNU Tools from your system. You can now uninstall the Cygwin environment, if you so wish.

Common Problems

In most cases, you will not encounter any problems in installing the GNU Tools. There might be exceptions, however. You should check the following list if any step terminates with an error:

•	Check that you entered all commands exactly as specified. Please note that your browser may split up commands over a number of lines (depending on the width of your browser window); that does not mean you do the same! Each shell prompt (“`$`”) indicates a single command line.

If your efforts at installing the GNU Tools under Microsoft Windows fail, please try to install the GNU Tools under Linux instead. If all else fails, please consult your lecturer or another suitably competent person. Good luck!