Installer removes QCad from a wrong directory?

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Husky
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Installer removes QCad from a wrong directory?

Post by Husky » Sun Dec 25, 2016 6:49 pm

Hi,

I'm used to install QCad Pro and CE on the same Windows machine. But now I learned that if I have a working pro installation and I install CE in a new directory the QCad installer will remove the pro files. Until now it was fine working with my XP but now I'm with Win10 - but I can't believe that is related to the OS ...
My installation directory for Pro is called .... QCad Pro 3.16.2
My installation directory for CE is called .... QCad CE 3.16.2

The problem exist in both directions
Working Pro - > install trail = Pro will be deleted
Working trail -> install Pro = trail will be deleted

How can I tell the installer not to delete files in another directory? Yes I knew that I could use the zip but .... :wink:

Edit: I used the 64 bit msi installation file.
Work smart, not hard: QCad Pro
Win10/64, QcadPro, QcadCam version: Current.
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andrew
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Re: Installer removes QCad from a wrong directory?

Post by andrew » Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:29 pm

This is indeed the intention behind this type of installers (MSI). Only one version / edition of the same software can ever be installed at any time. This should make sure that users don't install QCAD Professional and then accidentally still run the previously installed QCAD Trial or Community Edition. The installation directory is irrelevant: the installer removes the installed version of the same software before installing a new one. Note that this is the general behaviour of all MSI installers, not just the QCAD one.

Here's how I would recommend to handle different versions:
- Use the installer for the 'main' version of QCAD, the one you usually work with and more importantly, the one you want to open when you double-click a DXF or DWG file.
- Use the ZIP file for all other installations of QCAD you want to have installed in parallel to the main one (older versions, community editions, trial versions, etc). Everything installed from a ZIP archive will be left untouched by an MSI installer.

Finally, never install an MSI installer into a directory in which you have previously installed a ZIP archive, that will almost certainly mess up things.

It's a bit of a mess, I know, but that's how Microsoft wants it to be and that's how it 'should' be under Windows, I guess.

On a side note: macOS clearly has a much better system in place with an application being shown as one single 'thing' (an app bundle) that can be deleted, overwritten, renamed or moved as one single 'thing', completely self-contained.

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Husky
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Re: Installer removes QCad from a wrong directory?

Post by Husky » Sun Dec 25, 2016 10:22 pm

What do you doing here? You should celebrate the holidays!!!!
andrew wrote:Note that this is the general behaviour of all MSI installers, not just the QCAD one.
Ok, I learned something - thanks for explanation!

But honestly most of the time I don't have to deal with a msi installation. I was already wondering why the new QCad installation is working now with this file type but I thought you have a reason for that. I think the Windows Support is generally working with it but normally all other Win Installation from third party's are working with exe. I'm doing a lot of Win installations since decades - a msi is still extremely rare to find.

Thanks for the recommendation how to handle multiple QCad version on the same system - I'll do that.

Edit: Thinking about this msi installer ....
What is the benefit for QCad / you? If I update QCad I like to keep a running "old" installation for safety purposes. Maybe the update is not perfect running and it is also a repeated recommendation from you/us (in this forum) to stay on the safe side. This msi installer will remove the old installation and if the update doesn't works .... I've to install the old version again? That makes not really sense to me ... What is wrong with an exe installation which is used by most of all Win installations?
Work smart, not hard: QCad Pro
Win10/64, QcadPro, QcadCam version: Current.
If a thread is considered as "solved" please change the title of the first post to "[solved] Title..."

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andrew
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Re: Installer removes QCad from a wrong directory?

Post by andrew » Mon Dec 26, 2016 9:19 am

Husky wrote:What do you doing here? You should celebrate the holidays!!!!
Yes.. you too :)
Husky wrote:I'm doing a lot of Win installations since decades - a msi is still extremely rare to find.
True. I can imagine, however, that most MSI installers are simply converted to .exe which is easy enough to do and results in the same thing. I don't quite see the point though ;)
Husky wrote:What is the benefit for QCad / you? If I update QCad I like to keep a running "old" installation for safety purposes. Maybe the update is not perfect running and it is also a repeated recommendation from you/us (in this forum) to stay on the safe side. This msi installer will remove the old installation and if the update doesn't works .... I've to install the old version again? That makes not really sense to me ...
I tend to agree, but most Windows users probably don't. The fact that old versions have to be uninstalled before installing a new version has been perceived as a nuance by many users who provided feedback on the install experience.

Anyway: with the ZIP archive, I hope I'm able to provide the best of both worlds.

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