[OT] Win convention question

[Richard Gaskin]

Frank D. Engel, Jr. wrote:
 > On Feb 1, 2005, at 7:19 PM, Richard Gaskin wrote:
 >
 >> On a Mac, you customarily install an app by dragging the app or a
 >> folder from a DMG to your drive.  Uninstalling means simply dragging
 >> it to the trach, and any preferences files are left behind.
 >>
 >> On Windows I use Wise Install to copy the app into its own folder in
 >> /Program Files/, and when the app is run it puts its prefs data in a
 >> folder within the user's Documents and Settings folder.
 >>
 >> Historically I've treated everything in the Documents and Settings
 >> folder as belonging to the user, and do not bother with uninstalling.
 >> Moreover, on multi-user systems I may not know where to find all of
 >> the user Documents and Settings folders for everyone who may have run
 >> the app.
 >>
 >> So what is the normal convention for uninstall on Win XP?
 >>
 >> Should I:
 >>
 >> a) leave prefs in the user's Documents and Settings files
 >>    as is common with files in the Mac's Preferences folder?
 >>
 >> b) Delete only the prefs data in the current user's Documents
 >>    and Settings folder?
 >>
 >> c) Attempt to delete prefs from the Documents and Settings
 >>    folders for all users on the computer?
 >>
 >>
 >> Extra bonus points for Win HIG verse and chapter; I couldn't find the
 >> section on how to handle such things.
 >
 > You can't possibly be expected to track down prefs files for each user
 > on a multiuser system.  Consider that the uninstaller may be running
 > on a system where the software would be accessed by users who have
 > roaming profiles on a windows server; the preferences would not be
 > stored on the local machine, and the account under which the installer
 > is run may not even have access to the users' profiles in order to
 > delete the prefs files even if it tried!

Good point.  So I can rule out #3.

So should I bother with #2, or treat the user's Documents folder like 
Mac developers treat the Prefs folder and not bother with deleting it?

Is there an established convention?

I could only find a recommendation from Micro$oft on cleaning up any 
added registry entries, and I'm already doing that.


 > What are the bonus points good 4, btw?  ;-)

At the moment, Karma.  :)  But if someone can point me to where the Win 
HIG tells me I should leave the user's Documents and Settings folder 
alone I'll give them a license for their choice of WebMerge or devolution.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Media Corporation
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