c# forms - deployment problem

[siggy]

Hi Guys

I've created a win forms app in VS 2005 using c#.

I created the deployment project / app & all is fine when I install & run it in the same account, ie. as 'Just for me'.

When I uninstalled it, then re-installed it again for everyone, it installs as I'd expect (putting the shortcut icon on the desktop & link into 'Program Files', etc).
However, if other accounts (ie, accounts other than the account which did the install) try to run the app using the desktop icon / 'program files' route then the app tries to run up the installation .msi file.

If I navigate to the actual app directory and double click its icon, then the application starts okay!

Any Ideas what's going on here and more importantly how to give access / use of the application for all users of the XP PC?

Cheers

Pete

[Plater]

That just sounds like your icon is pointing to the wrong file?

[siggy]

Normally this behaviour is due to a change in the application's files (ie. if one of the files loaded by the installer gets deleted) then the icon or program file link will try to re-instate the application by running the msi file.

However, in my case the app & all its files are intact and available for use.
The installer of the application can use the app as intended.
Another account user can use the app as intended if he uses the app icon directly from its install directory, but the icon & prog files link start the msi installer.

For now I just replaced the installed shortcuts with ones I created myself.

But I really want to know the answer to this for future reference.

I even made the InstallForEveryone property of the deployment project = true.
Although I'd assumed that selecting this at installation would do this anyway!?!?
Anyway, this didn't resolve the issue.

Cheers

Pete

PS. I noticed that the shortcuts created by the VS windows installer aren't the same as those you create yourself - the fields are uneditable, etc.

[Plater]

Yeah they make like REAL links or something.
Does your application write any files to the user directory or set any registry settings? Maybe it's picking up on that (when the active user changes a different set of reg settings are loaded) and wants to re-install?

[siggy]

Nope my app doesn't set anything in the registry.

All it does is copy the exe to the app dir in 'Prog Files', plus 2 txt files and a mdb (access db file) to a 'resources' dir located within the app dir.