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Can a Clean Install be Forced? PortableApps.com trying to upgrade

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PixelGod
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Joined: 2014-08-11 13:09
Can a Clean Install be Forced? PortableApps.com trying to upgrade

I am sure this is simple, but I need some help quickly before leaving work today (I hope.)

I keep trying to install PortableApps.com Platform on a drive that previously had it. The intention is to fix an issue that was preventing apps from running earlier. (Every app was showing "cannot start - app already running", although it was not. Due to a removal while the drive was in use, surely.)

I have deleted the PortableApp.com folders - formatting the drive is NOT an option - there is data on it too big to relocate. Each time I attempt to run the installer, though, it does not give me a destination folder option. The details window shows, "Preparing to upgrade PortableApps.com Platform.." and then gives me errors trying to read/write files that do not exist.

Where is it pulling information from stating it is already installed that I can clear out or repair? I have multiple drives with this platform installed and this is the first time I haven't been able to fix it responsibly. Please, any ideas that may be able to help?

Gord Caswell
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Joined: 2008-07-24 18:46
Closed?

Do you have the platform closed prior to reinstalling?

PixelGod
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Last seen: 5 years 6 months ago
Joined: 2014-08-11 13:09
Yes.

Gord,

I sure do. As I stated, I've manually went through and deleted the PortableApps.com folders on the drive already. There's bound to be something that I'm missing that the installer is using to detect that it is already installed somewhere.

While I am writing this reply I went ahead and ran it again so I could best describe the issue... I have PortableApps.com_Platform_Setup_14.2.paf.exe on the root folder of the USB Drive (D:). I execute the file and the installer allows me to 'Accept' the 'EULA'. (Click the "I Agree" button) Immediately, the installation progress bar appears and states, "Installing PortableApps.com Platform..." and then errors out to a Critical error: "Error opening file for writing: '\Documents\Desktop.ini' Click Abort to stop the installation, Retry to try again, or Ignore to skip this file." Of course, anything but Abort results in the same prompt for this or the next file attempted.

If I abort and then access the "Show details" button under the installer progress bar I get:


Output folder:
Preparing to upgrade PortableApps.com Platform...
Installing PortableApps.com Platform...
Output folder: \Documents
Can't write: \Documents\Desktop.ini

All I can do from here is Cancel the 'upgrade'. So, I was hoping there was a simple trigger or something I could run in conjunction with the executable to force a clean install of all PortableApps.com Platform files or something like that. It seems to be a bad or corrupt configuration file that was causing my original problem to begin with.

Jonathan E. Styles
IT Support Analyst

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