Re: Correcting Wrong Place Install of App

From: cquirke (MVP Win9x) (cquirkenews_at_nospam.mvps.org)
Date: 04/12/04 

Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 08:26:23 +0200

On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 07:12:05 -0400, "Richard Urban"

>Take the time. Do it right. Uninstall and reinstall to the correct location.

That's the cleanest way, and best done before you generate data :-)

>"Nehmo Sergheyev" <nehmo54@hotmail.com> wrote in message

>> Let's say you installed a large program, say, 3ds Max 6 from Discreet,
>> in a place you don't really want (because you weren't paying attention
>> during the install queries), like in C:\Program Files rather than
>> C:\Program Files\3dsmax6 . If you just move all the files to the
>> subfolder, will everything still work?

That *particular* example is a tuffie, for two reasons:
  - every Regedit search will find all subs of "Program Files"
  - confusion between app subdirs and other apps off "Program Files"

So in this case, I'd be even more likely to say, follow Richard
Urban's advice rather than the "how to hack" tips I offer next :-)

>> I realize the desktop shortcut, if there is one, wouldn't be pointing to
>> the right place, but are there other things, perhaps in the registry?

You bet! The scopes are:
  - UI shortcuts (desktop, Start menu, SendTo, QuickLaunch,
    Recent MRU, repeated for Default, All, and each user account)
  - registry (file asns and CLSIDs, HKLM..Software, HKU..Software
    etc.) repeated for Default, system level and all accounts
  - legacy .ini files Win.ini and System.ini
  - private .ini and proprietary config settings files, both in the
    Windows subtree and the app's subtree
  - intradata links, e.g. references from one spread*** to
    another, and other MRU effects
  - other, such as Tasks

Not all scopes will apply in every case, but potentially that's what
you are up against. Some references (in the registry, typically) may
be auto-fixed if you rt-drag the app's subtree to desired location,
and a "this will impact registered..." alert will tip you off that
there are registry references affected.

Other references may be automatically regenerated when you run the
app, or (MRUs) will flush themselves over time.

Where the registry refs are concerned, you should do a non-automated
search and replace to ensure all old paths are updated. Search for
8.3 references (C:\PROGRA~1\SOMEPA~1) as well as LFN references
("C:\Program Files\Some Path").

An alternative to rt-drag and hoping registry refs will be
auto-corrected is to copy the app's subtree to new location, shutdown
and restart Windows, then try to delete the old subtree. If you get
"this will affect registered...", run Regedit, do your s&r, shutdown
and restart Windows, then try again. When you no longer get that
alert, you've likely resolved all your old path refs and can proceed
without worrying about registry. Still have to fix the rest, tho.

>> Is the solution just to uninstall and then reinstall? I'm sure that
>> would work; it would take a while though.

Yes, that's cleaner. You can still look for and manage old refs, in
case there are leftovers.

As I say, in your case it will be really hard, because you don't have
an app-unique path for the existing installation. Every reference you
find to "C:\Program Files\Some Obscure Dir" could be a subdir of your
app or some other unrelated app, and that also makes it hard to decide
whether "C:\Program Files\Some Obscure Dir" should be left where it is
or nested within the app's new base directory.

>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
  Running Windows-based av to kill active malware is like striking
  a match to see if what you are standing in is water or petrol.
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -