Updating any of the apps destroys symlink/junction C:\Program Files\Affinity <- S:\Program Files\Affinity

[amix]

Hello,

I am on Windows 10 Home.

All three applications have been installed to

C:\Program Files\Affinity\

and were then moved to 

S:\Program Files\Affinity\

After that, C:\Program Files\Affinity\ has been deleted and replaced with a SYMLINK to S:\Program Files\Affinity\.

Yesterday I updated Designer to the latest version. The installer first detected the installed program, deleted it, then deleted the SYMLINK and created a folder Affinity in C:\Program Files\.

I then did the move again and relinked the folder, this time using a JUNCTION.

Today I installed Photo and Publisher, the same thing happened, the JUNCTION got replaced with a physical folder Affinity in C:\Program Files\, though, the Application was found in S:\Program Files\Affinity before update, since it has been deleted from that folder.

The report is true for all three applications, Photo, Designer and Publisher.

 

Thanks and greets,
Andreas

[walt.farrell]

The update is a delete and install, as you've noticed. And since the system thinks the program was installed on C:\Program Files\Affinity that's where it's going to create the directory, I think.

Why don't you just install to the S: drive in the first place?

(I'm pretty sure that installing as your trying to is not a method supported by Serif, by the way. Directly installing to S: is supported, though.)

[amix]

Thanks Walt, the reason I did not install directly, was, that there was no option to do so, if I remember correctly. I am somewhat surprised, that the operating system does not handle the links transparently. Affinity's installer shouldn't even realize that the folder is a link.

[Komatös]

8 hours ago, amix said:

Thanks Walt, the reason I did not install directly, was, that there was no option to do so, if I remember correctly. I am somewhat surprised, that the operating system does not handle the links transparently. Affinity's installer shouldn't even realize that the folder is a link.

I think the installer takes the paths from the registry. The default installation location was entered during the initial installation.

Perhaps it would help to adjust the paths here "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Serif\Affinity".

And by the way, it makes no sense to install the programmes on another drive/partition, because a clean reinstallation of Windows also requires the programmes to be reinstalled.

[Patrick Connor]

For versions 2.0 we would like to have binary patch updates in place rather than the full uninstall reinstall ones for version 1.x Sorry for the inconvenience

[amix]

1 hour ago, Patrick Connor said:

For versions 2.0 we would like to have binary patch updates in place rather than the full uninstall reinstall ones for version 1.x Sorry for the inconvenience

Ah, that is great! Indeed, that was another question I wanted to ask and which now has been answered. Thank you.

[Ron P.]

FWIW, what I've been doing instead going the update route, I first uninstall the previous version. Then download the update. This presents the common dialog of you determining where you want the program installed. So  ( I think as I've not tried this), in your case you should have been able to point the installer to your S: .

Also when doing a simple uninstall, the folder found (in windows) AppData\Roaming\Affinity, are not removed. This is where all the *.propcol files are. So I don't have to redownload, or copy/paste them from a backup.

That said I do occasionally do complete, clean, unistall/reinstalls, which requires deleting those folders. 

[walt.farrell]

14 hours ago, amix said:

the reason I did not install directly, was, that there was no option to do so, if I remember correctly.

The first time you installed, you had that option. Subsequent installations go where you installed the first time.