Why uninstall instead of upgrade? (1 Viewer)

[Sypher]

Hi,

I am using MP for some time now and I'm following all the updates. I like to stay up-to-date
From RC1 to RC2 my settings weren't deleted, and my thumbnails were still in the folder.

But when I upgraded RC2 to RC3, it removed all my configs and thumbnails. Yes, it did backup them in a folder, but its annoying.

I copied my old configs back and they seem to work just fine. I understand there are a lot of changes, maybe a different {directory|file}structure.

IMHO this is not user friendly. Upgrading is not as easy as downloading a new version, executing the setup and presto. Instead people should do a couple of manual things in order to get their MP installation working like it should.

Some people spent hours (or even longer) on getting MP to behave like they want, so I think they are quite fond of their settings and thumbnails.

This is just my point of view, being a user and one who spent a lot of time on perfecting my own HTPC.

 

[infinite.loop]

if you choose "clean uninstall" then ofc all settings will be deleted.
if you do not choose clean uninstall then your settings, folder thumbs etc. will stay.

during the installation of RCx any present configuration folder will be renamed in order to have a clean installation.

keep in mind that RC's are meant for testing, nothing else.

ofc. you can simply copy back the backup the installer created, but no guarantee that everything will work without sideeffects then.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

The main reason for this is bug reporting, if you already have something screwed up and it carries over to the new release, but has already been fixed, this may include database errors.

Thumbs folder i restored original myself, but everything else i rescanned.

All this just makes life easier for the volunteers who make Mediaportal possible, but sorry for the inconvenience, hope you understand why this is now done.

Beaten by i-loop, but above still stands

 

[Seidelin]

There is a new plugin that handles the copying of old settings automatically for TVserver and MediaPortal. Be aware that it may also copy buggy settings etc. so only use it after verifying everything is working fine without the old settings. The plugin can be found here

 

[Dadeo]

All this just makes life easier for the volunteers who make Mediaportal possible, but sorry for the inconvenience, hope you understand why this is now done.

The inconvenience could be greatly reduced by a simple paragraph in the MP1QuickSetupGuide re Upgrading! Or at least a link to the WIKI instructions on upgrading.

When a program alters the location of user data, I think the user should be informed. I could not easily find anywhere that tells you the new locations of user folders/data. The MP1QuickSetupGuide barely mentions the Wiki on the Deploy tool (which is excellent). The Deploy Tool then refers you to the Wiki page on upgrading (although it doesn't say it is for Upgrading Insructions)

Also, it would be nice to have more guidance and assistance in the Deploy Tool for upgrading from one stable release (0.2.3) to the next (MP 1.0)

1. Download wmp11 automatically (after confirmation by user) (at least the deploy tool told me where to store it!)
2. Check my quartz.dll and tell me I need the hotfix then link to download or auto download on confirm
3. At the end of the install, ask me if I want to copy basic configurations settings that would not break the install (such as folder locations, view options and most importantly thumbs.) Yes the thumbs are still there, but no instructions on where to put them!

I posted this here because it relates to Upgrading, but since a lot of my remarks relate to the Deploy Tool, perhaps it should be in that forum. I wasn't sure, so feel free to move it if you think it would be more useful there.