Hi,
Any step by step guide for making Symlink installer and uninstaller?! (Personal use!)
Well, I know what Symlink is. I want to know the PROPER way of creating installers for plugins and VSTs.
What's the goal? The goal of this mission is to save fucking C:\ drive & manage system performance. I know you all had been there

 

am intrested as well .... anyone

 

"%PROGRAMFILES%\" Program Files
"%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\" Program Files (x86)
"%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\" Program Files\Common Files
"%COMMONPROGRAMFILES(x86)%\" Program Files (x86)\Common Files
"%PROGRAMDATA%\" C:\ProgramData
"%LOCALAPPDATA%\" C:\Users\*\Appdata\Local
"%APPDATA%\" C:\Users\*\Appdata\Roaming
"%PUBLIC%\Documents\" C:\Users\Public\Documents
"%USERPROFILE%\Documents\" C:Users\*\Documents

* Username

for install - cmd /c mklink /j "%APPDATA%\A1AUDIO.de" "%~dp0Roaming\A1AUDIO.de"
for uninstall - cmd /c rmdir "%APPDATA%\A1AUDIO.de"

edit with notepad

 

How to figure out which paths the plugin installs its files to for filling the above blanks?

 

?

 

The best way besides complex things like using virtual machines is to use this program:
"Total Uninstall" in monitored mode.
It can export all the changes an installation does as files and registry changes.
That's not to say it's easy.

 

You can with Total Uninstall. Then you should use these (%%) variables in order to prevent changes due to Windows language and user. If it's only for yourself you could skip the variables part. Also, for the first ones you try.
After that, I recommend you to use the variables.

 

Yeah I understand why you say to use variables. Well, I will try what you recommended. I wonder if there are more advanced tools which report you what is done to your system after installation.
Thanks

 

So let me get this straight. You put monitoring software in place (Total Uninstall or whatever you're using). You install the plugins. You use the monitoring software to get all the install locations. Then uninstall the plugins completely with Total Uninstall or whatever you're using. Then apply the symlinks. Is that about it?

 

Almost, except the symlink part. That one is totally up to you and the hardest.

It's longer to explain it than to try it. The thing goes like that:
1) Before installing you start a Total Uninstall monitored installation. It takes a snapshot of your entire windows partition.
2) You install the plugin, perhaps even activate it (benefit of symlink installers)
3) After finishing you tell Total Uninstall. It then takes another snapshot of the Windows partition and compare with the previous one.

Until here it's an advanced feature of a program made to uninstall tricky programs. But it can also do backups, so:
4) Go to the monitored installed program (plugin) and make a backup. It saves a zip file with all the files that have changed (not the possibly deleted ones though)
5) Inside the zip there is a file that only Total Uninstall can read that contain the changes in the registry along with other things. But you can also export the registry changes of the installation and the ones that would revert the installation (uninstallation). In standard .reg format.

It probably seems more complex than it is. Perhaps I can do a videotut one of these days.

I suggest you to install Total Uninstall and try the backup thing with any small program you have installed (a plugin itself). It can also do a backup of any program installed. Monitored installs are more precise though.

Keep in mind that you still must create the .cmd file that makes the "no install" possible. Total Uninstall gives you the files and the registry changes. That's the difficult part. Deciding what's needed and not and stuff and several other things...

 

Last edited: Jan 30, 2020

I use sandboxie for this, it retains the folder structure and the reghive.
I use this procedure till 2006, and it still works!

Step by Step:

Download and install sandboxie, make a new sandbox, call it for example TestInstall.

After that, run your installer with right click "open in sandboxie", use the "TestInstall" box and install.

Then go to your C: drive, and click truth the sandbox folder til you got to TestInstall folder, copy the hole contend to another location.

Now you are in the "contend" folder with the folder structure and reghive file.

If the reghive file has more than 32kb in it, then that possibly means, that the installer has written some registry key's.

If so, then download this little portable app:

Windows Registry Recovery: http://www.mitec.cz/wrr.html

Open the app, click on file on the top row, and open the reghive file from the "contend folder", go to "Raw Data" and click the first entry in the hive structure, then back to file>export to REGEDIT4 format, in the popup just press H, the pop up will auto complete with "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and save.

Now you have your registry key's, in a human-readable format.

But you have to strip that file, don't use it as it is, there are also some system calls from sandboxie(+ Extract And Delete Calls) In It!

Open it with notepad, and search for the right key's to run your software....!

Google how to make your custom .reg file.

The rest is up to you, like Xupito stated, this is the tricky part!

I never used CMD files for this, just copy the files in to the appropriate folder(The Structure That Sandboxie Gave To You)and run the .reg file that you created, if needed.

Here Is some information about the registry hive's(Yes, There Are More Than One Hive):

https://helgeklein.com/blog/2009/08/registry-fun-working-with-hive-files/

 

Last edited: Jan 30, 2020

Can you give detailed explanation bro. thanks

 

This is a slower but safest way that gives the same results. The changed files and the registry entries.

 

If you want to create one from an existing setup, use VMWare ThinApp or Advanced Installer. For simpler plugins, which just use Inno, InnoUnpacker will spit out all the contents along with the script. Pretty simple and fast this way. If your plugins deal with licensing and all (registry, iLok etc.) ThinApp is your best bet.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

I just stumbled upon this, great thread. I belong to several other sites. The only one that I am fully engaged in is called TeamOS-HKRG. It is the best file-sharing site on the web, in my humble opinion. So much of "The Scene" has faded away, I take it that being a music program site you know what "The Scene" is or was. Please message me for the proper thread to talk about "treated/inoculated" file access. Also is there actual file posts on here?

 

Oh right. Not AN then?
Don't know why they deleted your thread earlier.

"The proper thread"?
Don't you mean forum?
Just create your own thread in a forum.
There is no 'proper' thread for that.
Sure, we talk about and help with releases from our sister site, or vouched for releases from known releasers on ru.
Don't see why you are being so funny about it, considering 'the scene' and all!

No, there is no, sorry, are no file posts here.