Windows native installer: reinstall

[martinl]

It would be useful to improve Windows native installer by adding reinstall method. Currently already installed GRASS is removed (including user settings) and afterwards installed the new version. It would be nice to add "reinstall" option when only modified (size-based or marked) files would be replaced. The user configuration should be untouched which is the key point.

[hellik]

hi,

Replying to martinl:

It would be useful to improve Windows native installer by adding reinstall method. Currently already installed GRASS is removed (including user settings) and afterwards installed the new version. It would be nice to add "reinstall" option when only modified (size-based or marked) files would be replaced. The user configuration should be untouched which is the key point.

actual the wingrass-installer does following (see ​http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/browser/grass/branches/releasebranch_6_4/mswindows/GRASS-Installer.nsi#L160)

 	;.onInit Function (called when the installer is nearly finished initializing)
 	
 	;Check if GRASS is already installed on the system and, if yes, what version and binary release;
 	;depending on that, select the install procedure:
 	
 	;1. first installation = if GRASS is not already installed
 	;install GRASS asking for the install PATH
 	
 	;2. upgrade installation = if an older release of GRASS is already installed
 	;call the uninstaller of the currently installed GRASS release
 	;if the uninstall procedure succeeded, call the current installer without asking for the install PATH
 	;GRASS will be installed in the same PATH of the previous installation
 	
 	;3. downgrade installation = if a newer release of GRASS is already installed
 	;call the uninstaller of the currently installed GRASS release
 	;if the uninstall procedure succeeded, call the current installer without asking for the install PATH
 	;GRASS will be installed in the same PATH of the previous installation
 	
 	;4. repair installation = if the same release of GRASS is already installed
 	;call the uninstaller of the currently installed GRASS release
 	;if the uninstall procedure succeeded, call the current installer asking for the install PATH

so asked is rather an upgrade/update of the installation with a newer version and keeping the user configuration than a reinstall of several changed/newer files?

just replacing modified files (size-based or marked) could maybe problematic, if for example the underlying build system has changed with newer version of the dependecies?

best regards Helmut

[hamish]

I agree that trying to figure out a file-diff would be problematic. The current auto-uninstall the old ver & install from fresh the new ver isn't so bad if you aren't doing it every day.

the grassrc6 file is preserved for all but the msys startup (which has it's own /home/ somewhere other than the user's main one [is that safe for those with no write access to Program Files?])

Hamish