I currently run WD on a W2k3 server. WD is installed in d:\Program Files\wdisplay
I’m undertaking a hardware review at the moment and it is very likely that I’ll be moving WD to a laptop running W7 Pro.
My initial intention (if I decide to move to a different platform) was to install WD onto the laptop, dump all the old folders over the top of the new installation and import the old registry settings.
However, I noticed that WD Downloads states to install to c:\wdisplay and an FAQ dated 27 May 2005 says to install to c:\wdisplay to prevent UAC and administrator permission problems in W7. Clearly, if I do that then I can’t import the reg entries either.
My questions are:
Is that FAQ still relevant?
If it is does that mean I will have to install WD from scratch?
If not, what are my options?
If it is, how do I copy the current data and import it into the new installation?
Will I need another code from Brian for WD, WDL & MML?
WD wants to write files to its installation directory, which Microsoft specifically does not want so the privilege model introduced in Vista as part of UAC will not allow this. You have two options:
Install into a directory not under “\Program Files” or “\Program Files (x86)”, such as “\wdisplay”.
Install in to “\Program Files” (or “\Program Files (x86)” on a 64-bit OS) and run WD as an administrator.
I prefer #1, and use “\Local\Program Files (x86)”.
If you choose to switch to option #1 you can, and will need to, edit the .reg file before importing to the registry. It is a text file that you can modify (carefully!) using notepad or similar. A simple find/replace should work for this but I believe there is a posting for FAQ somewhere in these forums with specifics. You will also want to edit the .ini files in the WD install directory if you choose to overwrite these, such as when you restore from a WD backup or copy the directory from an older install.
If you restore from a backup or copy the contents from a previous install you likely won’t need a new key, but if you do just drop an email to Brian. He is pretty responsive.
I’m not sure if it is how I’m reading reading your response but you say that you prefer #1, which I understood to mean, c:\wdisplay but then you say, and use \Local\Program Files (x64) which has confused me a bit. I’m using 32-bit Windows so (x64) won’t feature. The laptop I would use only has one drive (c:). Could you be more explicit?
The FAQ you quoted is the same one that I referred to in my first post. I’ll also search the forum for any postings relating to the editing of the registry. Whatever I do I’m going to have to edit the registry and ini files because WD is currently installed on d: which doesn’t exist on the laptop unless I installed a larger HDD and partition it but that would be even more work.
By #1 I meant the option of installing somewhere outside of ‘\Program Files’. The actual location is up to you. I used ‘\Local\Program Files (x86)’ instead of ‘\wdisplay’, but either is fine just as would be any other path.
I just moved to a new computer. I copied my C:\ wdisplay folder from old win7 32 bit to new win7 64 bit to C:\wdisplay. It has been running for several weeks OK. I did not put it in program files (x86)
If it is not installed in ‘\Program Files’ (or ‘\Program Files (x86)’) then it does not need to run as admin. I have never run WD as an administrator but I have never installed in those paths.
‘\Program Files’ has special very restrictive ACLs that prevent an application (or anyone) from writing to subdirectories without Administrator privileges. IIRC originally with Vista even Administrator could not write to ‘\Program Files’ by default (‘Trusted Installer’ was the only allowed ID) but this had been relaxed slightly since there were too many programs such as WD that had problems with this.
WD writes its files to the same directory where it is installed, so if it is installed in the standard application path it must run as Administrator. If WD is installed to a directory outside of ‘\Program Files’ then the ACLs are far more open so there is no need to run as administrator.
the default install location has always been c:\wdisplay\
windows only expects the .exe file to be in program files …and the programs actual data and settings to be in your users/documents folder
(which I did not do as we were talking about windows 95 originally when WD started)
Sorry about the delay in updating this thread but I’ve been occupied doing other things.
I had in my head the procedure to move WD to a different PC, basically it was:
Run Data Backup from Control Panel ensuring the registry entries were backed up as well and then immediately shutdown WD
Edit the registry file and wdisplay.ini to reflect location and path changes
Install WD on new PC
Copy all wd files and folders to new PC including the edited files
Import the amended registry settings into the registry
Start-up WD
A quick read of:
Moving WD to a new/different PC on the support forum confirmed I was on the right track
All went okay until I started up WD and received an ‘Not found’ error for msvcp71.dll
Copied this from the old system to the new one but still got the same error. Went back and read the above posting again only this time more carefully to find it says to install WD after moving everything. Did that and all worked okay.
I suspect that it might have been because the dll wasn’t registered after copying which could have been done using regsvr32 but I’m not completely sure.
Anyway, the moral of the story is: Read the instructions carefully the first time.