03-10-2015 02:20 AM - edited 03-10-2015 02:21 AM
Hi,
Previously I had build a installer, called it version 1.0. It will include many folders & files use by the program in the C drive.
But recently I have build another installer version 2.0, which is meant for the upgrade from the previous installer.
The new installer works great, it overwritten & include the folders that were not existed in the previous installer. Files were still intact.
However, when I uninstalled the program from add/remove program, I still see the folders in C drive. It did not remove the entired folder.
How to completely remove the entired folder when I uninstall the program?
03-10-2015 03:36 AM
I've seen this issue for most applications. Most of these were NOT written in LV. So it seems to be an issue from MSI (Microsoft Installer).
My assumption is that folders are not deleted if files in these folders (including subfolders!) are created by the application which are not part of the initial installation.
A good guess might be a missing <EXE-name>.ini file in the installer which is then created by the LV RTE once you start the EXE for the first time.
Norbert
03-10-2015 05:29 AM
Hi,
yes it is true that files generated by application are not removed after uninstallation.
After I installed, the folders were created. Then I uninstalled it without running the application. All the folders were completely removed.
How to overcome this?
03-10-2015 05:59 AM
Sorry, i am no MSI expert so i don't know if there is a 'solution' at all....
That being said, the best way would be to have the application stick to files/folders it initially gets by the installer. This will ensure deletion of folders at least in the <program files> directory.
What about "dynamic" files/folders?
Please follow Microsofts recommendation to create these items in the <user> folder instead of <program files>.....
Maybe someone here has knowledge about MSI and can tell you how to modify "uninstall" to even delete "dynamic" stuff, but if i were you, i would also try other forums or even Microsoft support directly (if its urgent).
Norbert
03-10-2015 06:33 AM
If you have specific installer requirements, you might want to look at using a 3rd party installer and packaging the application yourself. The Deploy toolkit for LabVIEW (which replaces the LV installer creation) uses Inno Setup and it allows you to create extra configuration options that can delete/remove additional files/folders when uninstalling.
03-12-2015 07:59 PM
Hi, I have never used any 3rd party installer before.
Any information that I can refer to?
03-13-2015 04:35 AM
Deploy is a LabVIEW toolkit that does it for you - replaces/compliments the NI Installer builder.
It uses Inno Setup, which you can learn about here: http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php