persistent data deletes - is not persistent

[marine2026]

AIP 8.1.3
Vista SP2 current
Files and Folders: several items in the APPDIR and a sub APPDIR have their properties set to "always update".
The Persistent Data Wizard has three files in the APPDIR included to be Preserved.
The build has a new Product Version.
The new version is targeted to install in the same directory as the old version.

After running the installer all three files to be preserved have been deleted. They were not replaced by the same named files present in the installer package. I did not want them to be deleted or replaced if old ones exist, that's why I used the Persistent Data Wizard.

This seems like an explicit bug. The very files to be preserved are the only ones deleted, missing after the update installation of a new product version.

Please help!
THANKS!!
David

[marine2026]

If it will help to debug the problem I can send the .aip and the installer upgrade log.

[mihai.petcu]

Hello,

Can you please make sure that in the Upgrades page, the Order is set to "Install new version first and then uninstall old version" ? This setting is required for this feature to function properly.

If this is not the case, please send us the .AIP (project) and a verbose log of the installation to support at advancedinstaller dot com so we can investigate them.

All the best,
Mihai

[marine2026]

The "Updates" page had/has "Install new version first..."

I've sent the .aip and the verbose installer log.

Thanks!

[mihai.petcu]

Hello David,

When using the "Synchronized folders" feature, you must pay special attention to the GUIDs of the files' components and the files' components structure in the Organization page, so that they remain the same. In an upgrade process with the "Install new version first and then uninstall old version" option enabled, the components GUIDs are used to verify sharing resources between versions, thus if the GUIDs will not be the same, the resources will get deleted.

You can try to synchronize the folder in the first version, disable the option( the folder will keep its file contents ) and then use that version as a template for future versions.

All the best,
Mihai

[marine2026]

Mihai,

Thank you for recommending a work-around to this bug. At least I know something can be done about it for now.

Using the "Syncronize Content with folder from disk" option for me ensures that the installer project has all the correct components.

Using the "Persistent Data" wizard SHOULD MEAN that the same named items in the target installation are not replaced.

Using GUID's and losing GUID's has failed, is unreliable, undependable for persistent data. The installer should instead rely on file names in the same directory. Someone chose an easy way to do it, and it fails.

Please record this as a bug, because "Persistent Data" means "Persistent Data".

Thank you!!!
David

[octavian.vasilovici]

Hello David,

Thank you for recommending a work-around to this bug. At least I know something can be done about it for now.

This is not a bug. This is how Windows Installer handles components and upgrades.

When using " Install new version first and then uninstall old version" option for an Upgrade the installer checks the GUID of components. If a file from two different versions has two different GUIDS the "older" file gets removed/replaced by the "new" one.

Using the "Persistent Data" wizard SHOULD MEAN that the same named items in the target installation are not replaced.

The comparison is not based on filenames (if this would be the case then no actually upgrade could be performed) but based on the component GUIDs.

To use the "Persistent Data Wizard" successfully you must check in the "Organization Page" for the Upgrade package that the components have the same GUIDS as the older version.
If you have different GUIs for components you can "fix" this problem by either disabling "synchronized folder" option and use the older project as a template for future upgrades or manually check that the components from the newer and older version are the same.

Using GUID's and losing GUID's has failed, is unreliable, undependable for persistent data. The installer should instead rely on file names in the same directory. Someone chose an easy way to do it, and it fails.

Again, this is standard Microsoft Windows Installer practice and as Advanced Installer is build on Windows Installer technology there is nothing we can do regarding how components are handled.

Hope this clarifies the problem,

Best Regards,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Octavian Vasilovici
Advanced Installer Team
http://www.advancedinstaller.com/