Please put an end to this mess!

Hi,

AFAIK, after all these years and after all these new versions of
Windows, Microsoft has been unable to provide an end-user tool that
would be able to check the consistency of the MSI related part registry
and of the Windows\Installer folder and subfolders and to clean up these
if needed. Why? Because nobody seems to be able to master that beast and
to fully understand how the whole thing works. Even its authors (are
they still working for Microsoft?). No, no, don't tell me about msizap
or Windows Installer Cleanup which are last resort tools. I do want a
real Windows Installer Consistency Checker and Cleaner.

Windows Installer is a one-way street. This technology can install and
uninstall applications but it is unaware of its own global state. If
something goes wrong, it cannot check itself and fix the problem. You
can no longer go back to a clean state.

So you just helplessly and hopelessly look at the ever growing number of
registry keys and subkeys, disk folders and msi files invading your
system. You know that a lot of them are useless. You know that this huge
number of registry keys is affecting your system's performance and you
can't do anything about that beside zapping everything (which will of
course generate other problems) or re-install your system as many users
eventually do. However, the more applications you have installed, the
more you are hit by the problem and the more time you'll need to
re-install everything.

Moreover, it is obvious to any reasonably minded developer that all
these data should go to a specific, separate database, not to the
registry. This has been requested since years and nobody moved an
eyebrow at Microsoft. Probably because nobody knows how to migrate the
whole mess to a new data organization.

This technology is a dead-end.

--
Patrick
(speaking as a former MVP)

P> So you just helplessly and hopelessly look at the ever growing number of
P> registry keys and subkeys, disk folders and msi files invading your
P> system.

One percent of the users. The rest 99% cheerfully and hopefully look at the
ever growing number of the icons in their system tray, and don't even think
about removing them. If your proposed consistency tool was created, who
would be its proposed user? in any case he would have to decide what
products he does not need; this task might be relatively easy maybe 5 years
ago, but today, look at the host of all the "products" installed with, say,
sql server, or visual studio. Who will dare to say "I don't need that"?

Further, only a small fraction is being installed by MSI. How about all the
setup.exe's.

Further, what you suggest might be (academically) possible if the MSI were
perfect. But they are not. Let's say, you found MSI stub and decided to
remove. Can you really be sure that what you see in the stub, you can safely
delete from the system? I guess it would be quite bold move.

Bottom line, MSI is very minor contributor to the mess; if we want to clean
the mess, there are much larger players.


Vadim Rapp


P>
P> number of registry keys is affecting your system's performance and you
P>
P> can't do anything about that beside zapping everything (which will of
P>
P> course generate other problems) or re-install your system as many users
P>
P> eventually do. However, the more applications you have installed, the
P>
P> more you are hit by the problem and the more time you'll need to
P>
P> re-install everything.

P> Moreover, it is obvious to any reasonably minded
P> developer that all
P> these data should go to a specific, separate
P> database, not to the
P> registry. This has been requested since years and
P> nobody moved an
P> eyebrow at Microsoft. Probably because nobody knows
P> how to migrate the
P> whole mess to a new data organization.

P> This
P> technology is a dead-end.

P> --
P> Patrick
P> (speaking as a former MVP)
as a former MVP)

regards