installer will not overwrite previous version.

[Siriusly]

Hi,

I have a custom application that I have updated to another revision and have created a new exe and installer.   The new exe/installer works as long as the previous version is manually removed from the add/remove programs window.  Howvever, if the old version is not manually removed before running the new installer the exe comes up with the broken run arrow.  If I uninstall the application via the add/remove programs window and reinstall then it works fine.  

My users dont want to manually uninstall the application.  They request the installer automatically uninstall the old version and reinstall the new. 

How can I replicate the add/remove programs step in my installer?

Development system : LabVIEW 2010, Windows XP

Brian

[smercurio_fc]

You said you update the application to a new revision, but did you actually increase the revision number in the build specification for the application and the installer? The installer should tell you in the penultimate screen what actions it's actually going to perform. When an older version is detected it should tell you it's going to update the existing application.

[Siriusly]

Yes I did update the revision in the build (.exe) and the installer.  When the installer is run with the old version installed it does prompt the user that it is updating the existing application.

[Siriusly]

If I can't uninstall the old version properly via this custom installer can I not allow the user to continue the installation if the previous version is installed?

Brian

[aeastet]

Are you logged in as the administrator? That has bitten me in the past.

[Siriusly]

Yes, I was able to reproduce this on a fresh install of WindowsXP SP3 with full administrator rights.  The complaints were coming from others with full rights as well. 

Brian

[smercurio_fc]

I have not been able to reproduce this issue. Did you change the upgrade code in the version information page by any chance?

Can you build a small project that reproduces this issue?

[altenbach]

I don't think the upgrade code is an issue. If it is upgrading the application the code is correct.

Since the upgrade actually works, but the application ends up broken, I suspect that there is some old interfering file in the install folder that does not get properly removed or changed with the "upgrade".

What LabVIEW version was the previous installer? (Was it also in 2010?)

[Siriusly]

All,

The upgrade code fixed my issue.  I have never changed the upgrade code in the past.  Not even sure of what it does (besides fix my problem).  I will keep this in mind on future installers.

Thanks for you help.

Brian

[smercurio_fc]

I mentioned the upgrade code in case you had accidentally changed it. That code is used by Windows to identify the installer. It's a unique number generated by the OS. When you create an installer you get the code. When you update the application and rebuild the installer you want to keep the same code so the installer performs an upgrade, rather than trying to do a new install. Changing it will make the installer act as if it's a new installation, rather than try to do an upgrade.

I think there's something else going on here that was preventing the upgrade from working properly, and you'd need to provide us with more information to help isolate the problem.