Installing a .reg file

[gazeranco]

Hey all,

I am a noob...

That said, I am trying to create an installer for a little program I made, I tried using an actual installer creator type program but it was way too confusing, so far auto it works perfectly except for the registry part which I found on a post in the forums...

run("c:windowsregedit.exe /s c:myregfile.reg")

I thought that was install the file in silent mode?? but nothing happens, I dont mind if it pops up and asks the user to confirm changes to the registry if thats an easier option??

The files get copied using fileinstall but the registry does not get edited

Please help!!

Thanks,

Edited August 23, 2012 by gazeranco

[rodent1]

try c:windowsregedit c:myregfile.reg

[gazeranco]

hmm that works, wonder why the /s option doesn't work.

[gazeranco]

wait... no it doesn't, but it's ok... there appears to be an issue in the format of the command, it seems to be reading the directories as 2 different installs, it tries silently and reports no erros... cos its silent, when i take s away it asks me i say ok and then it asks me twice and there appears to be a problem with the directory structure... ill look at code again.

[BrewManNH]

Have you tried modifying the registry settings with AutoIt and not the .reg file?

[gazeranco]

I think there is a problem with this, it's typed out wrong?

run("c:windowsregedit.exe /s c:myregfile.reg")

Can anyone see the mistake?

[gazeranco]

Brewman, no. I dont know how to do that? I thought if I can just run the .reg file then that does it all for me?

[gazeranco]

You know what it is? I have a space, I think it doesn't like it??

"C:ProgramDataMy Program"

How do I make it like the space?

[Emiel Wieldraaijer]

See RegWrite in the Help much easier

run('c:windowsregedit.exe /s "c:folder with spacemyregfile.reg"')

Edited August 23, 2012 by Emiel Wieldraaijer

[gazeranco]

RegWrite doesn't look easier?

I have what you put there, ("c:windowsregedit.exe /s c:folder spacemyregfile.reg')

If I run the example here, i will get this error...

regedit --> are you sure you want to run... "c:folder" --> ok, file does not exist!

then again

regedit --> are you sure you want to run... "spacemyregfile.reg" --> ok, file does not exist!

[BrewManNH]

You missed where Emiel used single quotes around the whole string, and double quotes around the path and filename of your .reg file.

[BrewManNH]

BTW, if you wrote the program, and I assume you also wrote the .reg file, then using RegWrite to recreate the keys/values on the machine you're installing on shouldn't be that difficult, after all, 90% of the work is already done inside the .reg file. It's mostly just cut and paste from there.

[JLogan3o13]

I would only add the caveat that it depends upon the number of registry entries. I worked on an install package that included several hundred entries, scattered among all the hives. In that case I opted for the one .reg file over a couple hundred RegWrites.

My preference, however, is to use shellexecute as it is a little easier to separate the program from the switches. I use this:

ShellExecute("regedit.exe", '/s "' & @DesktopDir & 'Mykey.reg"')

Edited August 23, 2012 by JLogan3o13

[BrewManNH]

Didn't you have to write the reg file initially, or at least the registry entries? I don't see how installing a reg file is any different than doing it programmatically. Also, if this is being done in any type of corporate environment, regedit is usually disable.

[JLogan3o13]

I did have to write the reg file initially, though for some of it I was able to do an export and merge, but you definitely have a point

[gazeranco]

Hey, I can see your point. But in this instance I just exported what I needed.

Thanks for the responses.

[gazeranco]

I can only get it to work without the silent option, which is not an issue as the people using it know what it is and are all administrators on the network. Would be cool if it just did it though.

Thanks guys,

[gazeranco]

Just a side note, as this might help another noob.

Windows does something called installer detection, so if you call your file setup.exe or installer.exe it will think it's an installer (which it kind of is!) and more than likely display a message at the end saying "this file failed to install properly" because your not doing things windows expects from an installer I guess...

So call it something more ambigious, like RunMe.exe. I am sure the detection process is more complex than this, but just renaming the output .exe worked for me.