Deleting this

[buttslapper]

Hi,

I'm writing an unistall program (unistall.exe).
When I install my application, I also install unistall.exe.
When I execute unistall.exe, I want to be able to delete the current
folder and contained files.
My problem is that unistall.exe is in use, and therefore, I can not
delete the folder.

Any ideas how can I achieve this ?

[Kevin Spencer]

If you do achieve this, be sure and publish your results. AFAIK, no software
has ever been able to do this.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Professional Chicken Salad Alchemist

What You Seek Is What You Get.
<bu*********@gmail.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@h48g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...

Hi,

I'm writing an unistall program (unistall.exe).
When I install my application, I also install unistall.exe.
When I execute unistall.exe, I want to be able to delete the current
folder and contained files.
My problem is that unistall.exe is in use, and therefore, I can not
delete the folder.

Any ideas how can I achieve this ?

[Chris Marshall]

Unfortunately I cannot find the article now but I know in the past to achieve
this you needed to update a batch file in windows that would force the deletion
on reboot.

Hope this helps find more information.

Regards
Chris

Hello Kevin,

If you do achieve this, be sure and publish your results. AFAIK, no
software has ever been able to do this.

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Professional Chicken Salad Alchemist
What You Seek Is What You Get.

<bu*********@gmail.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@h48g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...

>Hi,

I'm writing an unistall program (unistall.exe).
When I install my application, I also install unistall.exe.
When I execute unistall.exe, I want to be able to delete the current
folder and contained files.
My problem is that unistall.exe is in use, and therefore, I can not
delete the folder.
Any ideas how can I achieve this ?

[Kevin Spencer]

Hey, now that you mention it, yes, you could do that, but it would require a
reboot. It can be done by adding a registry entry to the RunOnce registry:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;137367

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Professional Chicken Salad Alchemist

What You Seek Is What You Get.
"Chris Marshall" <cd*@newsgroups.nospamwrote in message
news:b8************************@msnews.microsoft.c om...

Unfortunately I cannot find the article now but I know in the past to
achieve this you needed to update a batch file in windows that would force
the deletion on reboot.

Hope this helps find more information.

Regards
Chris

Hello Kevin,

>If you do achieve this, be sure and publish your results. AFAIK, no
software has ever been able to do this.

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Professional Chicken Salad Alchemist
What You Seek Is What You Get.

<bu*********@gmail.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@h48g2000cwc.googleg roups.com...

>>Hi,

I'm writing an unistall program (unistall.exe).
When I install my application, I also install unistall.exe.
When I execute unistall.exe, I want to be able to delete the current
folder and contained files.
My problem is that unistall.exe is in use, and therefore, I can not
delete the folder.
Any ideas how can I achieve this ?

[buttslapper]

I found an interesting way to do this.

Using the MoveFileEx kernel API call.

Since moving a program in execution is allowed, first, you do a move
for the executable in a temp directory.

Then, you recall a move on this file and new location, with the
destination null and flags sets to DELAY_UNTIL_REBOOT.

The first call has moved your file, so you can copy a new one in the
orginal directory.
The second call will delete (destination == null) the file, and the
flags says "next time you reboot the pc"

I guess MSI is using this technique.

Here's the C# import

[Flags]
enum MoveFileFlags
{
MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING = 0x00000001,
MOVEFILE_COPY_ALLOWED = 0x00000002,
MOVEFILE_DELAY_UNTIL_REBOOT = 0x00000004,
MOVEFILE_WRITE_THROUGH = 0x00000008,
MOVEFILE_CREATE_HARDLINK = 0x00000010,
MOVEFILE_FAIL_IF_NOT_TRACKABLE = 0x00000020
}

[DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError=true, CharSet=CharSet.Auto)]
static extern bool MoveFileEx(string lpExistingFileName, string
lpNewFileName, MoveFileFlags dwFlags);