installer extracts the most files to the wrong folder (bug?)

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Leopoldus
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Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:55 am

installer extracts the most files to the wrong folder (bug?)

Post by Leopoldus »

TRying to install the last Atlantis Word version 1.6.6.5 at Windows 7 x64.
In the installer dialog I select my custom folder D:\Programs\Atlantis Word to install Atlantis in.
The result is quite amazing: only 4 files (Atlantis.exe, Hyphenation.dat, Install.log, License.txt) are extracted to the folder D:\Programs\Atlantis Word. All other files (accessories, templates, Clip Library, spell checker dictionaries etc - 305 files in total) are extracted to the folder %Program Files%\Atlantis.
Furthermore, almost the same files set (308 files) are extracted to the folder %My Documents%\Atlantis .

Seems to be a bug?
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admin
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Post by admin »

User-specific files are not installed to "Program files". Only the read-only files shared by all users of a system are installed to "Program files".
Leopoldus
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Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:55 am

Post by Leopoldus »

admin wrote:User-specific files are not installed to "Program files". Only the read-only files shared by all users of a system are installed to "Program files".
Well, I see. But is there any reason to extract the same files set twice?
BTW I'm the only user at my personal computer. I suppose, that today it the most common situation.

Under this approach the option in the installer dialog to assign a custom Atlantis location is rather an illusion. I can't see any reason to have the executive and other 3 files separately in my custom folder on D: partition, while the whole stuff resides actually in %Program Files% on the system partition.

Is there any way not to distribute Atlantis' files over all folders and partitions (at least three places on the two disks). Is there any portable mode?
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Post by admin »

Atlantis cannot store editable files under "Program files". Windows Vista (and higher) does not allow writing to "Program files" unless you run the application as administrator.

You can create a portable copy of Atlantis:
http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en ... drives.htm
Leopoldus
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Post by Leopoldus »

admin wrote:Atlantis cannot store editable files under "Program files". Windows Vista (and higher) does not allow writing to "Program files" unless you run the application as administrator.
Yes, everybody knows of this limitation. But I don't see any connection of this well known fact with the issue I have described above. My situation is straight opposite.
Excuse me, but I am afraid, that you have not carefully read my first message in this topic. Could you please do it now? If something is not clear enough (sorry for my English), I will be happy to provide additional explanations.
You can create a portable copy of Atlantis:
http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en ... drives.htm
Yes, I have already read and tried it. The problem is, that this command does not allow to create a portable copy on internal HDD. It demands that a user has to connect a USB flash drive.
Robert
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Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:27 pm

Post by Robert »

Hi Leopoldus,
First note that Atlantis Word Processor would never install your “personal” User files into %Program Files%\Atlantis. By default, your personal User files are installed into %My Documents%\Atlantis.
Now x64 means that you have a 64-bit system.
In 64-bit Windows systems, the default install folder for any 32-bit application is <b>C:\Program Files (x86)</b>. And Atlantis Word Processor is a 32-bit application. So the main shared files from Atlantis Word Processor are by default located in <b>C:\Program Files (x86)</b>. The C: drive is used because it is the standard system partition for a Windows system. On systems with a SSD, it becomes all the more important to abide by this rule: all applications should be installed on the fastest drive, i.e. the system drive.
Here is from Why Does Windows 7 64-bit Need Two Program Files Folders?:
Microsoft has designated that all 32-bit application should, by default, be loaded into the Program Files (x86) folder rather than getting mixed in with true 64-bit applications in the regular Program Files folder.
And from The 'Program Files (x86)' and 'SysWOW64' folders explained:
to be sure that everything always works as expected, you should always install files with a specific bitness to the correct Program Files folder. So on a 64-bit computer with a 64-bit Windows, remember this:
<ul>
<li>always install a 32-bit program into the Program Files (x86) folder</li>
<li>always install a 64-bit program into the Program Files folder</li>
</ul>
To sum up, on 64-bit Windows systems there is no reason to install Atlantis Word Processor in any other folder than the one intended by Microsoft for all 32-bit applications, i.e. the Program Files (x86) folder.

Now User-specific files and folders also have a default location under %My Documents% in Windows. So the Atlantis User-specific files and folders also have a default location, i.e. %My Documents%\Atlantis.
Even though you are the only user of your “personal” computer, you are still running a Microsoft Windows system, and the Microsoft developers are the ones who decide how their system should run. You might think that you are not a "standard" User of your PC, but this is as Windows sees it unless you run Atlantis with full administrative privileges. But if you tried running any application as “Administrator”, including Atlantis Word Processor, you most likely would run into all kind of trouble because in a way you’d be trying to mess with standard folder permissions.
This is not how things were designed. If it is not intended to be done, don’t do it. There is nothing to be gained by it. The amount of problems it might cause will always outweigh any possible benefits you could see in it.

Note that Windows 10 gives you even less leeway as to the kind of customization you can impose on the system…

HTH.
Cheers,
Robert
Leopoldus
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Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 8:55 am

Post by Leopoldus »

Robert wrote:Hi Leopoldus,
First note that Atlantis Word Processor would never install your “personal” User files into %Program Files%\Atlantis. By default, your personal User files are installed into %My Documents%\Atlantis.
Hi, Robert,

It seems, that you the both miss the most essential aspect of the problem. Well, I admit, that I was not able to describe the issue clearly enough. Let my make another try.

1. Problem nr 1
As I have noticed, I was trying to install Atlnatis Word into the regular folder D:\Program\Atlantis. It is not a special system (so-called OS-protected) folder, which has some security limitation by default for a regular (non-Administrator) user. Furthermore, this is even another, non-system disk logical partition. There can not exist any permissions limitations for any 3.rd process, installer or application to write to this folder, to create, delete or modify any files there.

Thus I was expecting, that Atlantis installer should extract all its files into this folder. Instead of it installer has extracted there only the app executable and 3 other files. All other stuff (templates, clipbanks, spell check dictionaries etc etc - approx 350 files) have been extracted into the system folder %Program Data% (not in %Program Files%, as I have stated by mistake before, sorry for it) at the system partition, which needs some precautions by OS. Is there any reason why I can not have the whole Atlantis staff and executable in the single place in my folder D:\Program\Atlantis?

2. Problem nr 2
Furthermore, Atlantis installer has extracted almost the same files (templates, clipbanks, spell check dictionaries etc etc - approx 350 filesl over 10 MB in total) into another place too - that is into the system folder %MyDocuments%\Atlantis. Well, the modern HDD/SDD is quite large, 10 MB of duplicated data does not make a huge problem. However is there any reason to waste the disk space this way without any obvious use? And there is a greater problem with such duplicating, as it brings the mess about the fact, which of this two files set is really being used.

3. Problem nr 3
As I have stated, your stock "portable" installation under this method http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en ... drives.htm does not allow to create a portable copy on internal HDD. It demands that a user has to connect a USB flash drive. Is there any other way to create a portable all-in-one-place installation on an internal HDD/SSD?

Many thanks in advance!
Robert
Posts: 1906
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:27 pm

Post by Robert »

Sorry, Leopoldus, but we missed nothing.
You are trying to make Windows 7 work in the way it still worked under XP. As Admin explained, from Vista onwards, the standard default install folder for 32-bit executables and their dependencies is the Program Files (x86) folder. As you are aware, it is a special, system, OS-protected, folder. There are obvious privacy and security reasons for this.
I personally run a 64-bit Windows 10 system. I am its sole User and I log into Windows as “Administrator”. But there are still plenty of custom things I did under XP that I can no longer even dream of doing in Windows 10. Windows automatically watches over a number of safe and dedicated folders. Any attempt to bypass these constraints is perceived as potentially harmful or detrimental. In other words, what you are trying to do runs against the Windows grain. There is nothing to be gained by it.
Now as I already tried to explain, even though you are logged into Windows as the sole User and Administrator of your system, you are still considered in many ways as an “ordinary” User of the system. Your “personal” files and folders are automatically stored in a protected area under %My Documents%. For Atlantis, it is %My Documents%\Atlantis.
If your installation of Atlantis includes duplicate entries in multiple folders, I suggest that you should make a backup of your personal files, then uninstall Atlantis completely. Then reinstall it with its default settings into the default folders.
Note that you can ask Atlantis to “Suggest saving documents to” a custom folder (“Tools | Options > Load/Save tab”).
As things stand, there is no way to install a portable version of Atlantis on a fixed drive.

Cheers,
Robert
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