[Python-Dev] RELEASED Python 2.4, alpha 2

[vincent wehren]

"Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:4113429a$0$26993$9b622d9e at news.freenet.de...
> Vincent Wehren wrote:
> > What surprised me a little is that on Win XP I could install 2.4a2 as a
user
> > with restricted rights over a previously administrator-installed
> > for-all-users 2.4a1 standard-paths-used installation without
> > warnings/problems - well, except for the obvious errors writing to the
> > registry (and yes, I tried it intentionally ;). I am not entirely on
board
> > with the MSI's capabilities, but is there a way to tell the user (before
the
> > registry errors happen), that he/she may have insufficient rights to
> > install?
>
> I'm not quite sure I understand what you were doing, and in what way
> this has surprised you. It seems
> - you made a per-machine installation as the administrator

True.

> - you then upgraded as a restricted user (not being asked whether this
>    is going to be per-user or per-machine)

True

>
> What *should* have happened is this:
> - MSI finds that the new installation is per user, and the old
>    installation is per-machine, so no upgrade is possible

Can't say, but I take your word for it ;)

> - the UI then tells you that the target directory already exists,
>    and wants confirmation

Yes.

> - if you proceed, it overwrites the existing files, creating a
>    per-user installation (i.e. shortcuts in your profile, registry
>    keys in HKEY_CURRENT_USER)
>
> Are you saying that somebody else has happened instead?

Well, writing a bunch of the registry keys fails. This user has no rights to
write them and is greated with several error messages as in:

"Could not write value to key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\.py Verify that you have
sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel."

.. Same for .pyw, .pyc, *.pyo etc.
.. Python.File\shell\open\command
.. Python.NoConFile\shell\open\command
.. Python.CompiledFile\shell
.. Edit with Idle

and so on. I was just wondering if the installer should be aware of the
rights situation and not try to write those keys in the first place.

--
Vincent

> If not, in what way did that surprise you?
>
> Regards,
> Martin