Frank D. Engel, Jr. wrote:
> On Feb 1, 2005, at 7:19 PM, Richard Gaskin wrote:
>
>> On a Mac, you customarily install an app by dragging the app or a
>> folder from a DMG to your drive.  Uninstalling means simply dragging
>> it to the trach, and any preferences files are left behind.
>>
>> On Windows I use Wise Install to copy the app into its own folder in
>> /Program Files/, and when the app is run it puts its prefs data in a
>> folder within the user's Documents and Settings folder.
>>
>> Historically I've treated everything in the Documents and Settings
>> folder as belonging to the user, and do not bother with uninstalling.
>> Moreover, on multi-user systems I may not know where to find all of
>> the user Documents and Settings folders for everyone who may have run
>> the app.
>>
>> So what is the normal convention for uninstall on Win XP?
>>
>> Should I:
>>
>> a) leave prefs in the user's Documents and Settings files
>>    as is common with files in the Mac's Preferences folder?
>>
>> b) Delete only the prefs data in the current user's Documents
>>    and Settings folder?
>>
>> c) Attempt to delete prefs from the Documents and Settings
>>    folders for all users on the computer?
>>
>>
>> Extra bonus points for Win HIG verse and chapter; I couldn't find the
>> section on how to handle such things.
>
> You can't possibly be expected to track down prefs files for each user
> on a multiuser system.  Consider that the uninstaller may be running
> on a system where the software would be accessed by users who have
> roaming profiles on a windows server; the preferences would not be
> stored on the local machine, and the account under which the installer
> is run may not even have access to the users' profiles in order to
> delete the prefs files even if it tried!

Good point.  So I can rule out #3.

So should I bother with #2, or treat the user's Documents folder like Mac developers treat the Prefs folder and not bother with deleting it?

Is there an established convention?

I could only find a recommendation from Micro$oft on cleaning up any added registry entries, and I'm already doing that.


> What are the bonus points good 4, btw? ;-)

At the moment, Karma. :) But if someone can point me to where the Win HIG tells me I should leave the user's Documents and Settings folder alone I'll give them a license for their choice of WebMerge or devolution.

--
 Richard Gaskin
 Fourth World Media Corporation
 ___________________________________________________________
 [EMAIL PROTECTED]       http://www.FourthWorld.com

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