Re: Need to create an uninstall program...

This is not code I wrote... and I am not sure if it stores entries in one
location or several...

"Roger Lascelles" <rogerlasAToptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:43bb1ed3$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Lee Parker" <lee@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:43bb000c$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> I take a clean machine, get a snapshot of the registry, install the
>> application, get a snap shot of the registry after the install, should I
> be
>> able to figure out how to properly uninstall the application?
>
> I think you are saying that you have so many registry entries that you
> find
> it hard to be sure you have removed every last one.
>
> I don't recommend the registry snapshot, because :
>
> - It is a manual procedure, and you will have to repeat it every time you
> release code.
>
> - It is not watertight. Many apps only create certain registry entries if
> the user actually alters the configuration.
>
> - The registry snapshot diff can show changes other than just your own
> program install, so you have to go thru the diff carefully.
>
>
> My own solution is design my programs so I can remove an entire registry
> folder during uninstall. This deletes all the keys associated with that
> program and does not get broken every time I add a new key to a program.
> If
> you have MyCompany\, MyCompany\Program1, MyCompany\Program2, it is
> possible
> to work up the tree, deleting the parent MyCompany only if it has no
> subfolders belonging to other installed programs from MyCompany.
>
> This will not work for cases where you need to scatter single entries
> around
> the registry, but that is less common, and I perform these individually.
> For
> a service, I use the WinAPI to remove the service without touching the
> service registry entry, and I think that is what you do also.
>
> Even a complicated uninstall can be achieved by using an install/uninstall
> package which can call a dll for tricky cases like Service removal. In
> this
> way I am still getting a lot of value from InnoSetup, saving massive
> amounts
> of time on testing, and getting support across the range of Windows
> versions
> for stuff like {Windows} and {Program Files} locations and full cleanup
> even
> of the uninstaller itself. While we can do these things ourselves, we
> don't
> want to become uninstall experts if we don't have to, and we cannot expect
> to have the expertise of someone who has spent years learning how to do
> reliable installs on a wide range of PC configurations. Installer
> programs
> also do magic like allow later installs to "freshen" the files in an
> existing install, giving you a free upgrade tool. You also get a user
> interface, file compression etc.
>
> Roger Lascelles
>
>


.

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