Hello John,
Friday, August 27, 2004, 13:04:02, you wrote:
JS> Hello TBBETA,
JS> Just downloadedthe beta 8 msi. It complains that another version is
JS> already installed. Is this normal. Will not install unless I
JS> uninstall TB!.
Also, on the "beating on a dead horse" vein :-) -- follows my previous
e-mail.
One of the problems I see with Microsoft Installer is: once you
installed a specific product/version/release, you usually can only
(a) uninstall;
(b) change options;
(c) repair.
No, you cannot install a "new" image of the same
product/version/release. The MSI package protects you against it by
comparing the product Id of the installed application with the product
Id of the to-be-installed application. If they match, then... no, no,
no. You cannot install what is already installed.
Welcome to the Brave New World of MSI-controlled installs -- this is
how this sorry approach to controlling installations work.
BUT... you can still beat the beast, although at a cost. The following
is all applicable to a *same* product/version/release (i.e., where the
product Id was not changed) -- I hope --. Actually, only RitLabs can
tell us how their implementation of MSI works.
(a) you can un-install/re-install. Costly, complex, and a very good
chance of messing up your settings. This is *certain* to work, thou.
You will get a Brand New Install (TM).
(b) you can delete the old .MSI file, put in the new one, then go to
Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs/The Bat, and select a "Repair". This
will copy in the "same" files as you had, and repair the current
install. End result will be TB!, with the new binaries. Almost certain
to work. Hopefully.
(c) you can run the Microsoft MSI Clean-up Utility (see
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290301), and
use it to "un-install" TB!. What the MSICU will do is clean up your
Registry of any and all references (under the Installer) to TB!, BUT IT
WILL NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE. Then you install fresh, pointing to the
same base directory -- and this is it. Will probably work. Hopefully.
(d) if the new Beta is just a "TB!.exe" replacement, just copy in the
RAR archive, and explode it on the right place. Painless, fast, works.
I have to be very clear here -- I have *NOT* tested them -- I did not
install the MSI, because of the problems above. I KNOW (a) and (d)
work, have used (b) and (d) on other applications. But, we are dealing
with MSI. Anyone who has written/supported MSIs knows "there be
dragons" lurking in it.
--
..hggdh..
Using The Bat! v2.13 "Lucky" Beta/8 on Windows 2000 5.0 Build 2195
Service Pack 4
________________________________________________________
Current beta is 2.13 Beta/8 | 'Using TBBETA' information:
http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
IMPORTANT: To register as a Beta tester, use this link first -
http://www.ritlabs.com/en/partners/testers/
