Adobe DE 1.5 -- can you keep it?

[rhadin]

As part of my Sony firmware update process, I also downloaded and installed Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 from the Adobe website. But I don't seem able to keep it. At night, I turn off my computer and in the morning, when I reboot, ADE has disappeared from my system -- completely disappeared. This has happened 3 times. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by rhadin

As part of my Sony firmware update process, I also downloaded and installed Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 from the Adobe website. But I don't seem able to keep it. At night, I turn off my computer and in the morning, when I reboot, ADE has disappeared from my system -- completely disappeared. This has happened 3 times. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?

Mine has stuck around for several weeks now .... so I think something very odd is happening at your end. Are you installing directly from the site, or are you saving to disk and then installing?? Not that I would think that it would make a difference, but I always save to disk and then install.

[rhadin]

How did you save to disk? I'm installing directly from Adobe's website. It doesn't give me the option to save it to disk (or my desktop).

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by rhadin

How did you save to disk? I'm installing directly from Adobe's website. It doesn't give me the option to save it to disk (or my desktop).

Well .... I think (maybe) that I found the problem. The flash player installer doesn't allow you to save to disk and then install ... it just installs to a specific location, and that's that. The thing that is odd is that the program doesn't install to the usual program site. It installs (apparently by default) to C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\http://www.macromedia.com\bin\digita...ditions1x5.exe

And, unless you have view hidden files and folders selected, you aren't going to see the Application Data folder.

It's a really strange sort of installation. I mean ... my Documents folder isn't on my C drive, and except for poking around in the shortcut, I would never have thought to look in the Documents folder there ... much less the Application Data folder. Nothing but nothing normally gets installed on C ... but there it is.

So, I hope that helps you find your copy of the program. Adobe really took the long way around to hide the silly thing.

[rhadin]

Thanks for the information, Ricky. What I really find strange is that I can't get ADE to stick on my desktop, but no problem on my laptop, even though they are configured (software wise) the same. I've put in a request for Adobe Tech Support to see what they have to say.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Well .... I think (maybe) that I found the problem. The flash player installer doesn't allow you to save to disk and then install ... it just installs to a specific location, and that's that. The thing that is odd is that the program doesn't install to the usual program site. It installs (apparently by default) to C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\http://www.macromedia.com\bin\digita...ditions1x5.exe

It didn't do that here. My copy installed to H:\Documents and Settings\Dennis McCunney\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\www.macromedia.com\bin\digitaleditions1x5.

H: is my XP drive. I multi-boot, with Win2K Pro and WinXP Pro in the mix, and Linux about to be added.

The shortcut appeared on my desktop, and I right-clicked, selected Properties, then clicked Find Target to open the containing folder. the actual program is a 9,726KB executable, and is self-contained. I could copy it to another drive and run it, and it came up fine.

Adobe's installed is a flash based annoyance. It should let you download the installation file and install later. It should also give you control over where it gets installed. Ah, well. It's not the first time Adobe has ignored existing standards and conventions and done things their way.
______
Dennis

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

It didn't do that here. My copy installed to H:\Documents and Settings\Dennis McCunney\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\www.macromedia.com\bin\digitaleditions1x5.

H: is my XP drive. I multi-boot, with Win2K Pro and WinXP Pro in the mix, and Linux about to be added.

The shortcut appeared on my desktop, and I right-clicked, selected Properties, then clicked Find Target to open the containing folder. the actual program is a 9,726KB executable, and is self-contained. I could copy it to another drive and run it, and it came up fine.

Adobe's installed is a flash based annoyance. It should let you download the installation file and install later. It should also give you control over where it gets installed. Ah, well. It's not the first time Adobe has ignored existing standards and conventions and done things their way.
______
Dennis

And C: is my XP drive. That's really the only thing that is on C ... just my system. I like to keep all programs elsewhere (and all data on another disk, and all downloads on yet another disk), so that whenever I feel the need to wipe and reinstall the system, I don't necessarily have to reinstall every damned program I own. So, maybe the flash installer defaults to where ever it sees the OS??

Perhaps I'll copy it to my Programs disk ... that's if I decide to use it. I might find it a nice way to keep/search my pdf files.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Thanks for the information, Ricky. What I really find strange is that I can't get ADE to stick on my desktop, but no problem on my laptop, even though they are configured (software wise) the same. I've put in a request for Adobe Tech Support to see what they have to say.

Maybe ... and I'm really searching here ... but maybe there is something wrong with how it created the shortcut on your desktop. Perhaps if you move the executable out of that folder and create your own shortcut?? It's just a thought ....

[igorsk]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Adobe's installed is a flash based annoyance. It should let you download the installation file and install later. It should also give you control over where it gets installed. Ah, well. It's not the first time Adobe has ignored existing standards and conventions and done things their way.

They do have a downloadable version.
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/view...3051&sliceId=1
But I agree, online-only installation is annoying.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by igorsk

They do have a downloadable version.
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/view...3051&sliceId=1

Thank you. Grabbed for future reference.

But I agree, online-only installation is annoying.

Yep. I was also amused at the instructions in the Tech Note to manually create the directory where DE will normally go.

As mentioned, it appears to run fine from an alternate location. I think the next test is to uninstall the "properly installed" version, then see what happens when I try running the alternate copy.
______
Dennis

[Timoleon]

For what it's worth, Adobe Digital Editions has disappeared from my Start Menu at least a fistful of times in the last few months. My DE library remains intact, however (thank goodness!).

Tim

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The shortcut appeared on my desktop, and I right-clicked, selected Properties, then clicked Find Target to open the containing folder. the actual program is a 9,726KB executable, and is self-contained. I could copy it to another drive and run it, and it came up fine.

Thanks, Dennis. I forgot about the Find Target option. I used it as you did and copied the .exe to my desktop. This morning, when ADE disappeared again, I simply reinstalled it by double-clicking on the .exe on my desktop. Perhaps it will stick this time. If not, at least I can install it when I need it.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Thanks, Dennis. I forgot about the Find Target option. I used it as you did and copied the .exe to my desktop. This morning, when ADE disappeared again, I simply reinstalled it by double-clicking on the .exe on my desktop. Perhaps it will stick this time. If not, at least I can install it when I need it.

You're welcome.

As a test, I removed Digital Editions from the Add/Remove Prorams applet in the Control Panel. Removal was almost instantaneous.

Clicking on the shortcut to the copy I'd made elsewhere re-installed it. I'm not sure what re-installation did (probably wrote a registry entry or two), but it didn't recreate the structure that the origial install did.

I don't keep shortcuts like that on the desktop - I like a clean, uncluttered screen. Instead, I create folders to hold various types of links, and put the shortcut in the appropriate folder. (It means I have to manually clean up dead links if I uninstall things, but that's easy.) Adobe DE lives in a folder on the desktop called eBook Software, along with Calibre, eReader, Mobi, et al. I'd be quite surprised if it disappeared from there...

I'll probably stick the actual program under \Program Files\Adobe with Acrobat Reader and the like. Why Adobe couldn't do that in the first place is beyond me.
______
Dennis

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

You're welcome.

As a test, I removed Digital Editions from the Add/Remove Prorams applet in the Control Panel. Removal was almost instantaneous.

Clicking on the shortcut to the copy I'd made elsewhere re-installed it. I'm not sure what re-installation did (probably wrote a registry entry or two), but it didn't recreate the structure that the origial install did.

I don't keep shortcuts like that on the desktop - I like a clean, uncluttered screen. Instead, I create folders to hold various types of links, and put the shortcut in the appropriate folder. (It means I have to manually clean up dead links if I uninstall things, but that's easy.) Adobe DE lives in a folder on the desktop called eBook Software, along with Calibre, eReader, Mobi, et al. I'd be quite surprised if it disappeared from there...

I'll probably stick the actual program under \Program Files\Adobe with Acrobat Reader and the like. Why Adobe couldn't do that in the first place is beyond me.
______
Dennis

I used to do the same thing .... I had folders for my various shortcuts. Then, I would create an entry on my toolbar for each folder.

Lately, I've been using Object Dock, which sort of emulates a Mac look ... with docks that can zoom or hide away. In any event, I too love to have a nice clean desktop.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

I used to do the same thing .... I had folders for my various shortcuts. Then, I would create an entry on my toolbar for each folder.

Lately, I've been using Object Dock, which sort of emulates a Mac look ... with docks that can zoom or hide away. In any event, I too love to have a nice clean desktop.

Ah, you're using the StarDock product. I was a big Window Blinds user, but have largely stopped doing that sort of customization.

There is a similar freeware program called Rocket Dock, here.

For a really clean desktop, I add Iconoid from Sillysot Software. Iconoid hides the icons on the desktop after a configurable period of time, among other things. It's Sillyware. Like it? Send him something silly. (That should be no challenge for this group... )
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Dennis