Installer issue

[StaticEyePee]

I don't remember how many uTorrent versions ago, the installer started using %APPDATA%\uTorrent as default instdir. Fine, I understand the logic behind that on new OSes, but why the same behavior on XP (which is still used on millions of machines in the real world (and it will remain so beyond April in case you were wondering)). I choose to install to %ProgramFiles%, no problem. Then the next version gets released, and instead of reading the current instdir and using it as default, like any decent installer does, it again defaults to %APPDATA%. Fine, they missed it, it will be fixed in the next version for sure. Then the next version comes out, and the next one, and the next... and I realize this is not going to be fixed, somehow it is not seen as a problem. It provokes discontent but fine, I'll just change instdir every time, nothing to get too worked up about. And now 3.3.2.30586 - the build that broke the camel's back. I don't get to choose instdir at all, I just get to click on 'Upgrade', which installs to %APPDATA% (leaving leftovers in previous location). It also creates all possible shortcuts without being told to do so. Apparently I will now first have to uninstall uTorrent every time prior to installation if I wish to keep it where I want. I happen to have developed quite a few installers myself so I know that defaulting instdir to currently used location is very easy to implement, just a few lines of code, so the reason can't be incompetence or laziness, it has to be sheer arrogance of disrespecting the user's choice of install location. I realize that uTorrent comes free of charge and the developers are free to make the installer as lousy as they please, but I still think it would be in company's best interest to keep users happy by striving for a bit more intelligent design. Please stop trying to enforce %APPDATA%\uTorrent as the install location.

[CphD]

To avoid installation inconsistency, download updates from http://www.utorrent.com/downloads/win_us and replace uTorrent.exe in the active program directory.  To date this has eliminated the problem(s) you describe.

[StaticEyePee]

Thanks for the tip. I know that uTorrent and its installer are one and the same but I didn't want to do it because I wasn't sure about the stuff it possibly does in installer mode exclusively. I suppose I could've tried it already. I'll update that way in the future.

[Firon]

3.3.1 removed the ability to install to a specific directory, even in the installer. It makes updating significantly easier, since it's a directory we know we can write to.

 

If you still want it in a specific directory, you can run it in standalone mode.

[StaticEyePee]

I see that folder selection is now (3.4.0.30596) disabled when updating. It's an improvement over having it enabled but ignored [Edit: my mistake, it wasn't ignored, definitely not an improvement]. But it still makes no real sense that folder selection is allowed on clean install but fixed to %appdata% when updating. You get to install where you want but you only get to keep it there until the next build. Is it really much harder to attempt writing to current instdir and offering %appdata% as fallback if update fails? [Edit: my mistake again, seems that folder selection is now disabled in any case.]

There's another problem with the installer: as soon as it's launched, it writes to %appdata% and registry, before the user gets the chance to click anything. If you just run it and immediately exit, without once clicking Next, it will already have modified e.g. values in HKCU\...\Uninstall\uTorrent like update actually happened, such as DisplayVersion, resulting in wrong version being displayed in 'Programs and Features'. This one's obviously a bug, but writing user data and reg values at the beginning instead of the end is the kind of bug that doesn't happen, it has to be by weird design. At least wait until the actual beginning. You're not supposed to make changes to user's system before he willingly starts the install/update process, it is considered very poor etiquette. Speaking of which, there's a cute new reg_binary written by the installer: HKCU\Software\BitTorrent\computerID. The installer now automatically stores a unique machine identifier?

Finally, a suggestion: maybe it's time for a proper installer. A self-installing exe perhaps made some sense back in the day when uTorrent was truly tiny and took pride in that. When BitTorrent took over, slowly but surely the bloating began and now you're well beyond 1MB mark and racing toward 2MB (325KB increase between the last two builds), so a little more won't really make a difference now (e.g. NSIS installers have only 34KB overhead). It would make things less complicated. You could even allow users to update while retaining the install location of their choice, like regular software does.

@CphD:
Update by simply replacing uTorrent.exe doesn't work (at least not anymore) for non-default install locations; it launches in installer mode. The solution that seems to work for now is to run with /NOINSTALL param (first run only). It makes the necessary modifications to settings.dat, no problems after that. Uninstalling/reinstalling also doesn't work if you wish to keep your settings.

[StaticEyePee]

I just realized that installer behavior in update mode depends on whether internet connection is available. When offline, you just get the 'Upgrade' button straight away, no folder selection (my rant in post #1). When online, in v3.3.2.30586 you can select the location and it works. In v3.4.0.30596 it is disabled.