De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

[jbooth]

I just ran into a problem that I thought I'd never run into using Alpha-oriented software: I just purchased A5Doc v6, as I have been using A5Doc v5, just recently purchased A5V8, and wanted the most up-to-date documenter.

I downloaded the new version and have it stored in a separate directory/folder (i.e., it has not been yet installed). I went to the Windows control panel and selected removal of programs and picked A5Doc v5. However, the program will not de-install! I keep getting the message

Wise Uninstall
Invalid INSTALL.LOG file.

I installed the program in the same directory that A5V8 is stored, and the documenter has its own directory.

I can understand that programs have bugs, and things can go wrong; but the one thing that really irritates me, is software that cannot be properly de-installed.

Does anybody have a cure for my problem?

-- John

[MikeC]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

Hi John,

I remembered something I had read a while back regarding this error but it pertained to I believe Alpha 5 V 6. It ended up being the fault of the 3rd party installer in that it created the install.log on the root of the C drive instead of in the A5 folder....the install log in the A5 folder ended up being empty.
Check out the A5 doc install log to see if it is empty---if so maybe it also used the c drive root for the log and then all you would have to do is to copy it into the correct A5 doc directory and would be good to go.

Just a thought..something to try until someone else comes up with a more difinitive answer. Worst case would be a manual uninstall....which I have had to do with various programs due to the same error you recieved (even for products made by Symantic, Ahead -Nero, and other mainstream apps.).


Mike

[Bill Parker]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

John,

Alpha did the installer for A5Doc v5 and it used Wise installer. I can't really speak to how it was set up. As Mike mentioned, something may have happened to the install log.

For A5Doc v6, I did my own install routine using Astrum installer and have tested that it works. The install routine for A5Doc v6 is more flexible in that it lets you install to any (or multiple) versions of Alpha Five. The places where files are written are the same in either version of A5Doc, so installing the new version will replace the older version. Then all you need to worry about is removing the entry in Add/Remove Programs.

Bill.

[jbooth]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

Just a quick status report for others in the forum:

I could only de-install the ADoc5 program from the program listings (i.e., listed via the control panel) manually. I also followed microsoft's directions respective to exporting of a de-installation block in the registry. That worked ok. I.e., the A5Doc entry was removed from the listing.

I thought part of the problem might lie in the fact that I tend to store programs in the D partition of my hard drive, and the OS is stored on the C partition. I thought maybe the problem was due to the fact that something in the installation program was trying to install/find things in the C partition (i.e., hard-wired addresses, as it were), so I decided to install Alpha in the C partition.

Doing that, and re-installing ADoc5 v6 into the directory where A5V8 is stored still didn't work. (I.e., both are on the C partition.)

Other than asking for my money back, I have, for the moment, run out of answers/solution strategies. I have communicated with Bill (Parker) on this, and he's helpfully provided feedback about past steps. When I find out something new, or when things work out, I'll post a note here.

I just hope that nobody else runs into the problems I've been encountering!

:(

-- John

[martinwcole]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

actually, you don't need to uninstall the a5doc for v5 - I have both - when I am in V6-5 I use the one for v5-5 and when in later versions the one for v5-6

just put the version in the addins installed for the version for v5-5 and install to later versions as for v6/7/8 when you run it.

[jbooth]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

actually, you don't need to uninstall the a5doc for v5 - I have both - when I am in V6-5 I use the one for v5-5 and when in later versions the one for v5-6

just put the version in the addins installed for the version for v5-5 and install to later versions as for v6/7/8 when you run it.

Thanks, Martin. The problem has been solved. I'll briefly outline what led to a solving of the problem, as others may run into the same problem.

First off, I only have A5V8 installed. I also store programs in the Program Files folder of the D partition of my computer. (The OS is stored on the C partition, which is reserved as much as possible for OS things--not programs.)

The A5Doc version 6 utility installation program expects A5V6 to be stored on the computer before the A5Doc version 6 utility is installed. The installation program looks for Alpha's path. One is told in the installation dialog that if the path does not show up in the dialog after initial installation steps, then one needs to re-run the Alpha executable (i.e., A5V6) and then re-attempt an installation of A5Doc.

In my case, the A5V6 path was not displayed. (Of course not: it wasn't installed: Version 8 was.) Apparently, if the A5Doc installation program does not locate the expected program ID (here: A5V6), the path ends up being empty in the displayed path just before one hits the "continue" key in installing. As a result, what A5Doc tried to do, was install on the following path:

D:\Program Files\A5Doc

This is, of course, incorrect. (Note: The installation program entered the A5Doc identifier--I didn't). In my case, where I am using A5V8, the path should have read:

D:\Program Files\A5V8

And the identifier "A5Doc" should not appear anywhere in the path name being used for the utility installation.

So, in my case, the installation program was looking for something that wasn't there (A5V8 was installed however), and was telling me to use a path that would have been incorrect. (The first installation used that path, and nothing worked, of course.)

Once I was "into" the logic of the program (I noticed that "A5Doc" was being used as a folder label in a nested manner, as it were, and figured out that I wasn't to enter that folder ID but, rather, let the installation program do its thing), things were ok.

To repeat the solution in my case, where I was using A5V8, the path name to be used was

D:\Program Files\A5V8

At present, or at least as the installation program worked for me, the installation program will not enter that information. One has to manually do this.

I have already communicated with Bill on this.

In general, I think a few extra lines of instructions would be helpful here, in the case of the person who is not using A5V6.

One more thing: I don't know if the same "symptoms" would appear if one were to use A5V7. I assume the same corrective procedure would be needed. I.e., one would have to use the path

D:\Program Files\A5V7

in the path asked for by the installation program.

I hope this information is helpful to others who encounter the same problem space.

Now, to get back to learning this marvelous software development environment!

-- John

[CThomas]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

Thanks John for what you found out during your de-install of v5 and install of v6 of A5doc - it was helpful to others, at least this other.

On another note - from within the main menu of A5doc the field rules section states that field rules can be run for both tables and sets. I have 2 sets and 15 tables in my app but no sets show up in the list of objects that field rules can document.

Is this possibly an indication that the A5doc install didn't go right afterall or possibly something wrong with my app itself?


any ideas are appreciated,

[Bill Parker]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

On another note - from within the main menu of A5doc the field rules section states that field rules can be run for both tables and sets. I have 2 sets and 15 tables in my app but no sets show up in the list of objects that field rules can document.

It looks like my wording in that section could have been more precise. Field rules can be defined at the set level, but they are always applied at the table level. So if you define a field rule for a set, then look at the table rules, that rule is defined for the table. So A5Doc gets all rules, whether defined at the table level or the set level, by documenting the table rules.

I need to change the description to make it clearer.

Thanks.

Bill.

[CThomas]

Re: De-Installing Documentor A5Doc v5 doesn't work.

Thanks much Bill for the clarification and quick reply. I'm an old A4 user and was used to seeing field rules apply to a set or table locally and not react globally within the design. A5 is fantastic but sometimes the learning throws some curves.