setup DOES delete my preferences even if I dont want it

[gernoth]

Scenario: you upgrade to a new version of VLC
the first option is to install the previous version.
In that uninstaller, there is an option "delete preferences and cache"
but even if you remove the checkmark (i.e. KEEP your preferences) they are usually deleted
why? because in the installer to come, there is another option "delete preferences and cache" and that is CHECKED by default and does not even know that I unchecked a similar option a few seconds ago.

so please tell part 2 of installer what I checked in part 1 of installer
or maybe make the second "delete preferences and cache" UNchecked by default
the current way is rather silly....

[vlc_fan-01]

This does not sound good.

I can fill a bug for you and let the devs check this out.

[gernoth]

I have created (and verified) a trac account but found no web only bug interface, otherwise I would file one myself

i would be grateful if you do
thanks in advance,
Gernot

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

This does not sound good.

I can fill a bug for you and let the devs check this out.

Please do.

[vlc_fan-01]

Filled

btw: experiencing a lot of frequent error pages currently on the trac

[thannoy]

As technical / historical point of view:

You are asked twice about preferences removal because two programs are executed roughly (hope I'm not wrong):
- You run the installer 1.0.0
- It detects an old VLC and propose you to uninstall it (%PROGRAMFILES%\VideoLAN\VLC\uninstall.exe)
- Old VLC uninstaller is launched (0.9.9a for example)
- new VLC installer (1.0.0) go on after previous uninstall process ends.
- it proposes you to delete preferences and cache during install.

VLC 1.0.0 installer don't know that you (un)checked something VLC 0.9.9a uninstaller. The way to make it aware can be to create/modify a file for example, not so clean.

Historical reason why "delete preferences and cache" option is/was checked as default is (I think) during transition from 0.8.6 to 0.9. Cached modules of 0.8.6 were not compatible with 0.9 modules or something like that. Keeping them gave/should have given) many complains on forum about non functionals modules so default was to clear this cache. Also, there is no reason the config file is really portable from a version to another.

[grozea]

A related problem: When I update VLC and choose to keep my settings the installer STILL as default associates VLC with ALL video files, ALL audio files.

But I want to associate it with some video and audio file types and not others. That is one setting I do on each and every VLC install. Why does not the installer recognize those previous settings and use THEM as default? It is after all very easy to associate ALL or NO audio/video file types with VLC. It just takes one click each. But to associate with a certain number of file types takes a lot of time to do manually.

In general, the first screen of the installer could have a big checkbox with the text "use all settings from previous VLC install". After checking that box the user would just have to click install and be done with it. Even better, if it is an update install (which the installer could know because it has already gone through the step of uninstalling the previous VLC version) then that box should be checked by default.

Alternatively, the installer would at least need to be changed to correctly inform the user that some user settings can be saved but that others (their current VLC file association settings) are just impossible for the installer to keep.

[vlc_fan-01]

Well in the recent nightly install versions I have been using this issue still hasn't been fixed, so maybe just by 1.0 final hopefully.

[grozea]

A related problem: When I update VLC and choose to keep my settings the installer STILL as default associates VLC with ALL video files, ALL audio files.

But I want to associate it with some video and audio file types and not others. That is one setting I do on each and every VLC install. Why does not the installer recognize those previous settings and use THEM as default? It is after all very easy to associate ALL or NO audio/video file types with VLC. It just takes one click each. But to associate with a certain number of file types takes a lot of time to do manually.

In general, the first screen of the installer could have a big checkbox with the text "use all settings from previous VLC install". After checking that box the user would just have to click install and be done with it. Even better, if it is an update install (which the installer could know because it has already gone through the step of uninstalling the previous VLC version) then that box should be checked by default.

Alternatively, the installer would at least need to be changed to correctly inform the user that some user settings can be saved but that others (their current VLC file association settings) are just impossible for the installer to keep.

This problem is still there. Has there been any news regarding a fix for it? For each new release of VLC there must be many more users who update than who install VLC for the first time. Then it would make a lot of sense to have VLC by default reuse all and only the VLC file associations the user already has. Those wanting to reset or change association to all possible audio/video should actively have to click for that I think.

[neimo]

Please fix this. Every time there's a new version, users should not have to check or un-check specific file types they don't want to use VLC for.