VidCoder
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RandomEngy
DO NOT Change Install Directories When Previously Selected
Problem Description
Program version: 7.10 Undesired behavior: Prior version was installed in a specified folder. Update required an uninstall (from a 6.x version), but the install automatically went to a subfolder in the \user hierarchy.
I NEVER ALLOW PROGRAMS TO RUN FROM THE \USER HIERARCHY. It's bad security practice. I don't allow multiple logins on my machines, so ALL non-system-level executables run off either \Program Files or dedicated, root-level folders.
Please DO NOT hardcode installation folders, or block users from selecting installation folders. That is: Don't be Google or Adobe.
What version of VidCoder are you running?
7.10 SquirrelInstaller
Encode Log
No response
You can also manually install VidCoder by unzipping to wherever you want. The archive is listed on each GitHub release, for example: https://github.com/RandomEngy/VidCoder/releases/download/v7.10/VidCoder-7.10.zip .
I want to provide an easy install for the majority of users, but still accommodate people who are particular with the zip archive.
First of all, thank you for the constant development of VidCoder, which I've been using for a few years now!
I also do not want to run programs from AppData. My Windows runs with Software Restriction Policies, avoiding such installation locations and preferring the Program folders.
I can't speak for everyone, but I suspect that people who run an installer like to take the opportunity to influence the installation path. I see the portable file then more for the reverse case.
@steff75 I'm glad you are making good use of it! You can extract the zip file to whatever folder you like.
I perhaps wasn't clear enough in the original description.
Yes, I'm aware that one can manually set up to any folder using the .zip file. Which is what I had done, long ago.
The problem was that the update to 7.10 automatically (1) uninstalled the existing 6.xx from the preferred folder and (2) despite having had to "know" that preferred folder's location to do the uninstall, charged right ahead with no user input and installed into ...\Appdata . This is new (mis)behavior — no previous update has done this, since version 3 point something.
It's not an inability to choose folders on a fresh install. It's the mindless change of the install folder on a major-version-number update with no warning and no user input.
I acknowledge that you find it frustrating that the program changed the install location. With the new installer platform it was impossible to keep the same install location. The upgrade was done to minimize hassle for the common-case user.
This is a one-time change that will most likely never happen again.
Unfortunately running applications from user space is a big NO-NO nowadays, and it's not just me saying that: you can read about against this practice almost everywhere there is a talk on security.
I understand your motivation, but the majority of software requires administrative privileges for their installation, and with a reason. Whoever has a PC at home has already the access to his/her own system, so it is not a big hassle to install the software under Program Files. And if they are not administrators and/or they are using a company PC's, there is probably a policy in effect which (again with a reason) prohibits running a software out of the authorized paths.
I would suggest to please reconsider your decision and to make it the other way around: the installer installs your application in the sanctified places, and those users that do not have the proper privileges could use either the portable or the zip solutions.
BTW: thank you for your application, well deserved.
Can you link to an authoritative source? Microsoft's ClickOnce installer platform does the same thing and they have not deprecated it. Also, I am actually not sure what this policy of never running executables from user space is supposed to accomplish, and nobody has reported an actual security breach due to this. And with such a policy wouldn't you be unable to even run installers from the Downloads directory?