Install/Uninstall Windows 10 calibre

[BetterRed]

I had occasion last week to install 2.53 32bit calibre alongside 2.54 64 bit calibre. I saw what I needed to see and then uninstalled 2.53 32bit.

After which I noticed when I used Windows Open With a couple of times it referenced non-existent files in Programs Files (X86)\Calibre2. Today I saw it about 3 times, so decided to figure out why, to my surprise I discovered there were approximately 150 dead values in the registry, viz:



I'd rather they weren't put there in the first instance, perhaps an opt-out option could be included for File Associations on the Product features screen at install time, similar to the opt-outs for desktop shortcut and start menu items. Most (all ?) my audio, video and image tools offer something like this

Oh, and on the final occasion the presence of the spurious entries in the Open With list caused me to click on the wrong thing that cascaded in problem that will take quite a lot of elapsed time to 'fix' - like a couple of days. The effected program has lousy (non-existent) error recovery - I should replace it, but... I've used it for nigh 20years, and I have yet to find anything better, even at a non-affordable price

BR

[kovidgoyal]

You want to delete them, run

calibre-debug --default-programs=unregister

Windows uninstall cannot do it for you because it default program registry is per user and the uninstall is run at the system account. Dont ask me why windows is designed like this.

[BetterRed]

I would prefer not to have to do the above for every new release. BTW when I ran it I got this Qt: Untested Windows version 10.0 detected! presumably nothing to worry about.

What is the rationale for calibre.exe being associated with all those file types, i.e. why would I want to open a DOCM (word document with embedded macros) with calibre.exe.

If I want a quick way to add a file to a library from a file manager, Windows Send To is far more convenient, firstly it works for any file type not just file types 'calibre can convert', and its only one shortcut (.lnk file) in the Send To folder.

I uninstalled FastPictureViewer recently, I no longer use it, I know its file associations (RAW, CR2 etc) were removed because I subsequently gave them to Irfanview. I would have definitely noticed had it left 'dead' entries in the Open With list. It's also an msi install.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Sigh, how many times do I need to repeat this. calibre does not associate itself with *any* file types. It only tells windows what filetypes it is *capable* of handling.

And as for IrfanView, it will be creating system wide file associations -- a practice that Microsoft themselves say applications should not do.

Finally, you do not need to run it every time, only if you decide to switch between 32 bit installs and 64 bit installs, though why you would do so, more than once, I haven't the foggiest.

[BetterRed]

Kovid, I appreciate they are not the default associations, but I'm referring to entries such this: HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-3755760686-4144392507-2264908130-1000\SOFTWARE\Classes\calibre.AssocFile.DOCM - of which there are about 150.

They effect what's displayed in the Windows 10 File Explorer Open With offer list, if they are not removed when the program is uninstalled they still appear in that list with reference to .exe.s that no longer exist. I don't recall this happening on Windows 7, but it does happen on Windows 10.

Why do I sometimes install 32bit calibre - mainly to support people in my local community who use calibre - at least a dozen of them. Many have poor English skills, others are intimated by forums such as this -- or both. Occasionally I copy their configuration folders and libraries onto one of my machines and then use the 32bit edition of the version of calibre they are using to resolve their problems -- without disturbing my setup. I also do similar for a couple of people who do frequent this forum.

I assume MS still recommends that the registry entries created by an Install be removed when the corresponding Uninstall is executed. If MS don't provide the wherewithal to do that then perhaps the Install should offer the user the possibility of not creating the entries in the first place.

I normally don't worry much about entries not being removed from the registry when something is uninstalled, but in this instance their continued presence impacts on one of the basic features of Windows - File Explorer->Open With. Well, it's basic for those of us who start with the data and use Open With to select the required program.

BR

[kovidgoyal]

Use the portable calibre for 32 bits IIRC that does not create open with associations. Only a full install does that.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Use the portable calibre for 32 bits IIRC that does not create open with associations. Only a full install does that.

Yes I could do that, but shoehorning their libraries and config ito a calibre portable folder its not as convenient as copying their libraries and config into a regular folder and setting CALIBRE_CONFIG_DIRECTORY appropriately.

So, I've put the HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21blahblah into RegEdits Favourites and I'll set a watch on "Program Files (x86)\calibre2" to remind me to 'clean' the registry immediately after I install calibre 32bit.

BR

[theducks]

IIRC opening another location (HD, Pendrive)with Portable is not a problem.
All that happens, is it does nor remember where you were between sessions

[kovidgoyal]

And here, specially for you: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibr...6a759ed9100bce

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

IIRC opening another location (HD, Pendrive)with Portable is not a problem.
All that happens, is it does nor remember where you were between sessions

True but when there are multiple libraries involved its irritating, and that doesn't address the problem of having to deal with the configuration data. But its moot given the following :-

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

And here, specially for you: https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibr...6a759ed9100bce

- that's the second such 'specially for you I've gotten in the past week or so. Toxaris gave me something similar last week, TOX_EPUBTOOLS_MONITORING=0, I didn't want any monitoring

BR

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Sigh, how many times do I need to repeat this. calibre does not associate itself with *any* file types. It only tells windows what filetypes it is *capable* of handling.

Any idea what could cause Windows to get confused about it? (Other than 'lots of things'? :-)) I've had my Windows box try to open ZIP files with the calibre main program once. Easy to fix of course, and it hasn't returned, but I sure didn't tell it to do that...

[theducks]

"It's Windows" covers sooooo many things

I just ended up with all the supported Formats of ebook-viewer becoming the shown Icon

I was looking for where they moved the Change Icon (for a file type) fro where it was in <= W7, and I may have done an OK where I usually cancel (when I am just snooping)

I did discover W10 HAS a place to bulk assign formats to a program (don't ask me to find again, fast )

Re: Magic changes
I suspect some of these were the 'next' in line on the Open with list and 'W' muffed an update and when the update dropped them (instead of replaced/overwrite) when Calibre updated. I have seen a rash of now it is broken,,,now it is working again... in W10

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Any idea what could cause Windows to get confused about it? (Other than 'lots of things'? :-)) I've had my Windows box try to open ZIP files with the calibre main program once. Easy to fix of course, and it hasn't returned, but I sure didn't tell it to do that...

Windows Open With and Default Program have always been fraught with mystery and misbehaviour.

Maybe, at some time you right clicked a ZIP and selected Open With because you wanted to open it with something other than the default program. Calibre would have been in the 'open with what' list (somewhere near the top), you inadvertently selected it and didn't uncheck the use this as default box.

It seems to be much easier (far too much IMO) to change the Default via the Win10 Open With than it was in Win7. I'd rather have a discrete right click option to Change Default Program.

The other day I noticed that Sigil appears in the Open With offer list for PDF's You can easily add things to the offer lists via Open With but you can't take things out so easily, I hacked it out with regedit. Dunno how it got there, I'm pretty sure I didn't put it there - we shall see if it comes back when I install the next version of Sigil.

BR

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by theducks

I did discover W10 HAS a place to bulk assign formats to a program (don't ask me to find again, fast )

It's where I'd expect it to be:



BR

[kovidgoyal]

File associations on windows are an uholy mess. There are layers and layers of places in the registry where they can be setup. Historically, they were windows explorer specific, then some time IIRC Vista or 7 they were moved to a more global location in the registry, then, in 7 there was an entirely separate layer called "Default Programs" setup. And that's just in the backend.

The mess in the backend creates an even bigger mess in the frontend -- there are literally dozens of ways in which you can change the file association for files in windows. In windows world it is *common* for end user programs to change file associations both in installers and silently in the background. And I mean change the actual association, not just register themselves as capable of handling a format.