[Suggestion] snags ahoy, when updating to 2.9.0.17

Scrivener Windows Beta (Archived)
1

Ok, you know I’m long on your side, and also, I had thought all this was long taken care of. But…

  • first point. As anyone sensible to security risks will, and by Microsoft recommendation for a decade, I’m running as a non-admin user in Windows 10. I go admin as needed, just as you do in *nix/nux.

  • Then. I long ago discombobulated Beta installs so that they don’t go to Documents, but were installed correctly from the base 64-bit installer, in C:\Programs Files . Fine.

  • So, 2.9.0.17 arrives. First point is that Scrivener itself doesn’t tell me anything about an available update. Each time, I’ve had to also run Check for Updates to see it, and this is consistent on later runs of Scrivener since I’m not yet updated.

  • I downloaded the updater directly from the link in the still-mis-titled parked message above. Running this tries to install Scrivener in my Documents folder. No thank you, and why doesn’t it hint that maybe you want to install as Admin to send it to the right place??

  • So, I decide to use the in-program updater after all. This in turn crashes out, telling me it can’t write in C:\Program Files.

Now, you know I’m very able to and will fix this (run the installer as Admin).

What can save you a lot of grief for new Beta testers, and for your eventual release, is to straighten up this picture, no?

So it hangs properly, the various ways, yes… ?

A smile, and a gentle enough chide, I will hope,
Clive

p,s, Also could ask about this business of putting executables in Documents – isn’t the usual practice these days for determinedly non-admin installs to use AppData/Roaming, or the like?

2

All good suggestions! I’ve marked this for us to take a look at.

3

Along these same lines (installer issues):

– Expected behavior is that when you run a newer installer of Scrivener (whether from the in-app updater, or manually) and older version of the same major release of Scrivener is already installed, that there is only a single entry in the installed programs list at the end, that its installation date is update, and that its version is updated. On Windows 10 today, when I ran the updater from within Scrivener, in Control Panel/Programs I only see a single Scrivener entry, but it has beta 16’s install date and version. Looking at the new installed programs functionality in the new Windows 10 system settings, I can see three entries hanging around, one of which is beta 16 and today’s date.

– When running the installer from the Scrivener updater, I should not require as much interaction; the installer should already know what my preferences are from the previous version’s settings and apply them as silently as possible.

4

Yes, both your points, and especially the one about multiple versions appearing, are what I meant about prior ‘discombobulating’ results of beta installs.

I undid all that, and still got my issues today, but really the installer should do the undoing,yes.

Or perhaps a cleanup program should be provided when the installer is fully sensible so as to not do this again, possibly a nicer way for the programming crew, if they think so?