Hi,
I’ve opened my Scrivener project, and the message for upgrade popped up. I followed the directions but the last message read:
There has been an error.
Error trying to install file: destination ${installdir} resolved to an empty value
The application will exit now.
PLs help me to resolve the issue
Thanks
Unfortunately it sounds like the automatic updater has bailed out. Can you run the software at all? You may be able to try again, but honestly if an update fails, I always just go to the website and download a fresh copy if possible. Download from our web page and run the .exe installer after it downloads. This will update your existing version in the same manner that the automatic update would have, and will probably repair any issues a partial update might have caused.
Thanks guys, I think I figured it out why. A little while ago I moved the Scrivener from my desktop (duh…) into the documents file, and when I restarted it, all my work was gone. Not to mention the shock. We tried to restore it from back up, but the program didn’t find links and I had to manually copy word files we’ve found into the Scrivener. Since then Scrivener does not back up files when I close it, and I guess this is the reason why it does not upgrade as well.
Should I just create a new project and copy all files into it? Is there a way to do it properly?
Thank you for your prompt reply and suggestions.
Okay, it sounds like more than one issue to be sure. What you are describing with the project that became dismantled where parts of it were removed would not impact a software update. In fact the software itself doesn’t really have anything to do with your project folders unless you actively have one open and are working on it. If a project is closed it is 99.9% (that .1% being a simple entry in a list for the Recent Projects menu) ignorant of it, and so a dismantled project folder wouldn’t impact the installer.
It sounds like you have the software running again, so I believe we can set aside that part of the issue for now? Focussing on the project problem, yes you do not want to mess with that folder that Scrivener creates (the one ending in “.scriv”). Scrivener is a multi-file format, and these multiple files require each other to be placed and named predictably in order for everything to work. If the project cannot be put back together the way it was originally, then yes I believe it would be easiest to just make a new one and drag and drop the RTF files into the Binder. But before doing that, you may want to open Scrivener’s Options dialogue, in the Backup tab, and click the “Open Backup Folder…” button.
Chances are high that the project can be found here in the last state it existed in before it was closed and dismantled externally. The user manual describes backups and how to use them, starting on pg. 53, with §7.8.4.
Yes, as Ioa says, the issues are entirely separate. When the auto-update runs, the installer checks the registry to find where Scrivener is currently installed, so that it can install the updates to that same location. The error message just indicates that the entry was blank or incorrect, which could happen from having multiple copies installed, for instance, or from the entry having been altered from another program’s changes in the registry (third-party “clean uninstall” sort of programs typically edit the registry and sometimes don’t do it quite correctly), etc. A clean full installation of Scrivener will rewrite the value, so the auto-update usually works fine next time after you’ve encountered an error like this.
Thanks guys, I’ll try to reinstall the new version. Does the old one needs to be deleted first, if not, will there be problems with multiple programs? I am just worried that when the new one is installed, all my work will vanish again before I transfer it all. Thank u in advance for helping. 
I’d go ahead and uninstall the existing version for the cleanest installation. Uninstalling will not affect your existing projects, which are saved externally to the program (in your Documents folder by default, though you may have chosen another location when creating the project). If you wish, you can also save your program settings before uninstalling by going to Tools > Options… and choosing “Save Preferences” from the Manage menu button. After the uninstall/reinstall process, just return there to load the saved preference file.
Thanks Jennifer, I’ll try and see how it goes. Have a nice week.