7 replies to this topic

[StYerk]

Hi,

I have a serious problem with my Installer (DevStudio9):

The user can select if he wants an executable of our software to be installed as a windows service.

If I select that option, the installer is authored to perform a 'ScheduleReboot'.
So far everything works fine, everything gets installed and at the end a reboot is
suggested.

The strange thing that happens is that after the reboot the whole files (ALL of them!)
get silently deleted!

Another strange thing:
The log file I create during the install gets deleted as well.
Now eat this: Not only the log file itself BUT ALSO EVERY COPY I MAKE OF IT!
No matter where I copy that log file, it gets silently deleted when I'm logged in after reboot.

Ghosts on my computer??

What can that be?
Please help, I'm shortly before a deadline...

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Jörg Rohrschneider

[Stefan Krueger]

Is this a physical machine or a virtual machine (VMware, VirtualPC or the likes)?

[StYerk]

It is a physical machine, Win2K.

Right now I'm testing this on a VM.

Edited by StYerk, 31 March 2005 - 07:31.

[StYerk]

OK,

I have tested it on a VM-Ware Machine (With win2k Server on it)

There everything's fine.
On both machines, the Windows Installer Service is running
(With parameter /V, this is documented nowhere, what is it?).

No clue, what's wrong on the other machine. I'l try it on a third machine, if I find one.

[Stefan Krueger]

Something seems to be resetting your machine. I don't think this is a Windows Installer issue. There must be something wrong with the machine.

[StYerk]

Is there any other software that resets the installations status
on a machine than Windows Installer?

Also, it is no real deinstall that is happening there.
Only the files get deleted, the directory structure remains untouched, only
everything is empty then.

The entry in the Software dialog remains present as well.

Another idea:
I have used this computer as test machine for my installations quite often and there
have been some inconsistencies after some false installs.
Can it be that there are 'orphan' components with the same GUIDs as those installed now, and that the installer gets irritated and cleans it all up?

[StYerk]

Hm,

it seems that this problem is really just on this certain machine.

I have tested on a different real (no VM) machine, there it's working
just fine.

But I would really like to know what can cause this;
I would like to exclude that this may happen at the customer's site as well.

Anybody got a hint or ran into that problem as well?

[Stefan Krueger]

Try to generate a log with the ! parameter to make it flush each line to disk immediately. Monitor the log file, and maybe copy the log before it disappears.