How does CPM know an install has completed, like one that requires a reboot to finish?
Comodo Programs Manager
Windows XP Pro SP-3
When I start an installation, there’s no popup from CPM telling me that it is now monitoring that installation. Only when I complete the installation does CPM pop up an alert telling me that it monitored that installation. I don’t see how to tell CPM when to stop monitoring. Even after the installer has exited, I might want to run the program to monitor what config file or registry changes it makes in addition to just the install-time requirements for the program. If I don’t capture these run-time changes then a CPM-managed uninstall won’t include those run-time changes. In other words, I’ll end up with remnants on my host from files and entries made on an initial use of the program.
Also, some installs require a reboot. Maybe they need to delete or replace in-use files and can only do that when Windows is first loading (e.g., using the PendingRename registry key). Maybe they have to install and start a service on the reboot. For whatever reason, the install isn’t over simply because the host got shutdown or because the installer file (setup.exe) happened to unload from memory.
After I start an install, when CPM pops up its alert that it monitored an install, can I tell it “No, there’s still more to record”? The popup might appear before I’ve rebooted the host to complete the installation. I might want to do an initial load of the program and immediately exit to record what file and registry changes it made on its first use. For now, an install that requires a reboot is my main concern so CPM actually does monitor the entire installation. I don’t see how I can tell CPM when the install is actually completed.
As a test, and with CPM already installed and its service started, I downloaded and installed Microsoft’s Network Monitor 3.2 (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=4865, x86/32-bit version). I did NOT right-click on the setup file to start CPM monitoring the install. I wanted to see what happened using its auto-detect so I just ran the installer. Before the installer even exited, CPM pops up an alert that it has monitored the installation. The install wasn’t over yet! That install is followed by another install (something called “parsers”). So one installer started another installer. Again, before that 2nd installer actually exits (and I see there is still some hard disk activity), CPM pops up another alert that it recorded the 2nd install. In fact, nmbuild.exe was running for quite a while at 98% CPU after CPM said it was done monitoring that install. So, great, now I have 2 SEPARATE installs recorded in CPM instead of just the 1 that I would want to use to uninstall the whole thing. This particular test didn’t require a reboot to complete the install but it had multiple installers for the entire product. Yes, the Add/Remove Programs applet is expected to have 2 entries but I’d like them both to be encompassed by 1 entry in CPM because if I uninstall 1 then the other has to go, too, and it’s possible the uninstalls need to be performed in the reverse order of the installs.
Some uninstalls require a reboot to complete. CPM will do its reboot-to-clean procedure for in-use files but that’s not the same thing as letting the program’s own installer complete the uninstall after a required reboot. I’m pretty sure video drivers all require a reboot to complete and a reboot to uninstall. If the user cannot tell CPM when to start monitoring for host changes and when to stop recording those changes, how is it going to record ALL changes?