A long time ago I uninstalled 3.0.x from my Vista system and started always using the 3.1.0 betas.
About a month or two ago I was purging away like Uncle Joe and noticed I not only had an entry in my Add/Remove programs for the beta but I still had an entry for just plain Vassal which I believe is still for 3.0.x.
However, when I attempted to uninstall (again) it said it was unable to find the program. Which, of course, makes sense since the program is indeed uninstalled. But… there it is on the list nevertheless. Mostly just an annoyance.
I went thru the exercise a few weeks ago (long enough to have forgotten the details) of checking the registry entries for VASSAL and failing to find it (I think this was in between betas so I could do it clean). I might have even posted something here at the time, but I think I was just browsing for online Vista tips. So, anyway, I am mystified as to why my computer believes that VASSAL 3.0 is still there.
Well, I just noticed it again and was wondering, now that maybe a lot of folks have removed 3.0.x, if anyone else was having a similar problem and how (if) they resolved it.
Note - the betas seem to track in the programs list just fine - ie I do not have every beta since 2 or 3 or whenever I started trying 3.1 betas. And I believe when I tried the clean registry search between betas there were no betas in the program list, just that pesky entry for 3.0.x.
What you see in Add/Remove programs is a consequence of what’s in your
registry. I’m curious to know where the registry keys which cause what
you’re seeing came from, as there was no Windows installer for any 3.0
release.
only a folder called “VASSAL (3.1.0-beta8)” with a number of entries
and yes this is what I noticed before - the betas all show up normally under the registry and under the add/remove but add/remove has this extra item with, seemingly impossible, no registry entry.
when I had my machine between betas with no version and I looked I even used a program to convert the registry (portion, including all the uninstall stuff) into a text file which I searched with Notepad++ for every instance of “VASSAL” and found absolutely none, not even buried within some other structure.
yet, there it is.
I might mention that when I was poking around before this is not an uncommon problem but usually it relates back to a broken entry in the registry which can be searched and repaired. This, somehow, has left no trace in the expected part of the registry.
also if it helps, the icon for the extra entry is the red hexagon with a green curved ‘V’ over top. no version info just “VASSAL Publisher: Rodney Kinney Comments: Internet-enabled boardgames Support link: vassalengine.org” ie no size (odd) or product version are listed.
What you have is something which predates my involvement with the project.
The installer I wrote never included an icon like that.
My suggestion is to check the name of the file containing that icon and
then searching the registry for that filename. It has to be in there
someplace.
That’s from the Java Web Start launcher, which has an option to create a shortcut on the desktop. You should be able to clear it from within Java Web Start.
Interesting, as I am “pretty sure” (ok not positive) that I never opted for the java web start. But maybe I could have done it by accident. Well, at this point, I would say obviously I did.
Anyhow, how do you even access the Java Web Start? I have never used it. Is it a VASSAL function on the website or something on my machine? (yes, I know THAT little about it)
Interesting, as I am “pretty sure” (ok not positive) that I never opted for the java web start. But maybe I could have done it by accident. Well, at this point, I would say obviously I did.
Anyhow, how do you even access the Java Web Start? I have never used it. Is it a VASSAL function on the website or something on my machine? (yes, I know THAT little about it)