How can I get a preloader to launch a main (external) swf file, and have the main file remove the preloader once it's fully loaded?

Question

Using Flash MX, ActionScript 2:
I’ve been struggling for several weeks, trying to get a preloader to work on a large (~80 MB) photo portfolio file (using the method where the preloader is on frame 1 of the file, and when loading is completed, it jumps to the content).  I’ve done countless tutorials, and none seem to work on my presentation.  I even tried downloading a trial version of CS4 so I could export every one of the file’s library movie clips and images so that they load on Frame 2 (a feature MX doesn’t have).  It takes about 20 seconds for the .exe to load from a CD, and no matter which preloader construction I use, it always seems to appear in the last few seconds before the movie loads completely.  During the initial wait time, there’s no indication that anything is happening:  no hourglass on the mouse, and not even a blank screen. This is only true for the first time that the file is loaded from the CD; on subsequent loads, the file must already be in RAM, because it loads within a few seconds. 
I decided that I’m going to try and make the file which the user clicks on (one named Windows_Portfolio.exe or another called Mac_Portfolio.hqx) the preloader so that it would be tiny, and would load instantly.  I want that file to launch the external huge portfolio file (renamed files.swf), keep track of its loading progress, and cycle through a slideshow (10 thumbnail images that transition into each other over 100 frames) proportionally, based upon the percentage of files.swf that had been loaded.
I assume that there should be a loadMovie() or a loadMovieNum() command on the preloader’s timeline to launch files.swf, and that the initial code of files.swf should have some sort of this._parent._visible=false or other way of deleting the preloader on level0.  Can anyone explain the steps to me, or direct me to a good Flash MX tutorial that explains how to launch another external swf from a preloader .exe, keep track of its load progress, and delete the preloader .exe once the external swf had been loaded?
Also, I’ve read that, using this construction on a CD, every file has to be in the same place, and that I can’t nest files.swf in a folder named “files,” and reference it with files/files.swf.  Is this true?
Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Answer 1

If you know JavaScript (ECMA Script) then you might be able to get it done applying a for loop and a random function
to the for loop if you know how to get a page-loaded request into JavaScript.
But an easier solution, if you know ActionScript 3.0, and if your SWF's don't need to be recoded and can load into a "container" SWF would be to create a master FLA file that loads your SWF's in a random fashion using Math.random() as a multiplier, though you won't see much variation if you only have 2-3 SWF's to load--if you had more than that then you would begin to benefit from the random function's capabilities.  In ActionScript 3.0 use the load() method along with addChild() to load the SWF and add it to the stage.  You will be able to search for specifics on how to code the FLA properly by using Flash's Adobe Help tool and also using an internet search.
-markerline
P.S. Once you have the master FLA coded you can Publish it to an SWF and an HTML and if the container/master SWF needs to be in a page with other content you can simply copy and paste the object and embed tags for the container SWF from the published HTML into any place on your master HTML that you need it to reside.  You can then use CSS to control placement of the SWF object if it is in a div tag.