'Program Updates' in control panel

[CChong]

Hi,

Is it possible to remove the 'Program Updates' applet in the control via a new setup.exe? For some reason, someone included it in one of our older setups, but we don't want it installed on the users' systems because it automatically checks for updates and pops up at random times.

I am using developer 8 sp2 to create installers.

thanks in advance

[CChong]

Keep in mind that even after you hack it, your user will still get pop-ups announcing that InstallShield needs to check for updates. These occur for both your application as well as for the InstallShield Update Manager itself.

In my company's opinion even this was too much - thus the decision to pull the update support all together.

Scott

[Chris_Woerner]

A couple of points for this thread….


1. If you want to create an update experience that does not include the Update Manager, we want to support you. We have a release of the V3 runtime available that does not install the Update Manager. It is currently available via our support group. We are working to make it available via the Publisher website.

2. Why doesn’t the Update Manager get uninstalled? We were forced to mark the Update Manager as permanent due to a MSI bug. The bug caused the Update Manager (and Agent) to be removed during a major upgrade. We are now going back and testing all MSI releases to determine if we can now mark the component as shared.

[CChong]

Chris,

I appreciate the need to work around MSI bug and your efforts to solve the problem in the new release. I got this “feature” when installing an eval version of InstallShiled. Presently I am not planning on using it, yet I am stuck with the Update Manager. A utility that removes it completely would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

[CChong]

Chris,
This is good news. I'm very happy to see the response from InstallShield. My company will review the new release and hopefully it allow us to include update alerting in our application again.

However, there still is the issue of users that have the persistent version of the Update Manager. Is there anyway to safely get this off of our current and previous users' machines? We're willing to write a utility, whatever it takes....

Thanks in advance,
Scott

[CChong]

JoeB1969 wrote:
Chris,

Presently I am not planning on using it, yet I am stuck with the Update Manager. A utility that removes it completely would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe

I am also in the same boat, I would like instructions on how to remove all references to your application from my system.

The InstallShield Update Manager unwanted installation has already cost pluck www.pluck.com this customer and frankly its InstallShield's fault.

[Stefan_Krueger]

From my understanding of this thread, what really is necessary is an option to not display your application in Update Manager (for users of Update Service Professional) so that your application can control update notification and download. Am I right?

[rsknowles]

That option is fine, but I believe an option that would prevent Update Manager from installing in the first place would be more beneficial. (Thankfully, the new SDK doesn't install the Update Manager)

[Stefan_Krueger]

Yes, of course. But I think you will need both options, because some other setup might install the Update Manager in control panel, and maybe you don't want your application to show up there.

[rsknowles]

Correct. If the option is added I would prefer it default to false that way it would only add your project to the Update Manager if you explicitly request it.

[Paulxx]

I am not a developer, but an end-user of a product that has inflicted the uninstallable update manager on me. I have read this entire thread, and am absolutely disgusted that nothing has been done to solve this major issue years after it was first reported. This is dismal customer service, and even if it wasn't, Install Shield's decision to add this "nice" feature without consulting anybody is beyond the pale. It has no place in any software product of any kind.

Why?

Because as the user, I choose what and when to install any software that is loaded on my machine. No one else, no matter how good intentioned, has that right. I'm the one who has to deal with potential bugs and conflicts with other products. I'm the one who may or may not like the new features. I'm the one whose productivity is affected when you make a stupid mistake like this.

Moreover, my machine is private property. I have the right to be informed before anything gets installed, especially something that always runs as a background task and interferes with other applications, including my firewall. You are consuming my memory for something that, at best, is very rarely required. Not only do I have the right to know what is being installed before it is, I have the right to remove it if I don't want it. Yet your garbage persists, and is virtually impossible, even with manual editing of my registry to get off. This is incredibly irresponsible of you, and I can't believe that you haven't yet been sued both by end-users and by your direct customers who are dealing with all the customer pain.

By the way, I downloaded the supposed uninstaller, but it does nothing. In fact, it seems to restore deleted entries in the registry and leave all the executables and shortcuts on the machine. Who are you trying to fool? This is just plain dishonest.

I got infected by your spyware (Whether you call it spyware, malware, a trojan horse or junkware is only a matter of semantics. By definition, any unwelcome executable that hides its installation, offers no option for removal, that buries itself so deeply that a skilled person is virtually unable to restore their machine, and that sends information about the user and their machine configuration without their knowledge to some unknown place without their permission is no better than a malicious virus, regardless of how you view it) when I downloaded a trial upgrade of otherwise reputable software I've been using for several years. Unfortunately, their technical support people don't even seem to be aware that your junk is coming along for the ride and have no idea how to help. In fact, they deny their software did it, even though it is the only new thing to be installed, and their software is the only tool besides yours in the auto update window.

I don't want to put too fine a point on this, but developers who build features like this without consulting users as to their desirability and who are so incredibly unresponsive to their customers that years later it is still a problem, and who don't care that their customers are going backwards in release versions to avoid complaints from their end customers and to regain control of their own internal development processes -- frankly those kind of people just don't deserve jobs. They may even deserve to be in jail. At best, Install Shield deserves to be bankrupt. Can't you see the harm you are causing and just do something about it? :mad:

[#12]

Yes, it is possible. You'd need, however, to modify ISUS.msm merge module by simply deleting a shortcut to ISUSPM.exe and you won't see it again in the Control Panel.

[mhlavinka]

I have given IS C++ code and a modified merge module that addresses most of the problems indicated in this thread (see the post http://community.installshield.com/showthread.php?t=140199). I gave that to them over one year ago with the rights to redistribute it. All I was asking them to do was to include it in their future products. It took me a whole 2 days to come up with the solution. I have yet to see IS act on my request. They virtually ignore the fact I've provide this to them--and I'm a maintenance customer.

[veryangry]

right...

i finally found the unistaller http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q111006 but all it did was remove the icon from control panel. the program is still in the Program Files\Common Files folder and still in msconfig and still runs. the uninstaller isn't an uninstaller its just a load of crap.

what you have done is a total violation of me and my property, its disgusting

u dont just come into my home, put something there i dont want and then not let me remove it(if u did u'd receive a severe beating)

now i demand that you tell me how to remove it...

[Marcel_NL]

vvikhnov,

How can I modify the ISUS.msm merge module?
I'm using DevStudio 9 and when I take a look at the InstallShield Update Service Object, I see a nice list of all the files contained within the object, but I can't delete ISUSPM.exe anywhere.

Also, this won't uninstall the already installed Update Manager on our end-users computers, or am I wrong? Do you know how this can be done?
And - to make it more complicated - is it possible to uninstall the Update Manager only when it was not present on the computer when our application was installed, but leave it intact when another program installed the Update Manager already?

Thanks,
Marcel

[seven31]

Well I got from Corel 12.

I Just got rid off the goddammed InstallShield Program Upates as follows:

1-Uninstall with uninstallupdatemanager.exe (http://saturn.installshield.com/isus/310/sdk/uninstallupdatemanager.exe) (remove control panel icon but not the program, on the contrary if you ever tried to remove it manually the uninstaller will re-create the InstallShield folder, as veryangry said, it's a lot of crap).
But if already removed mannually, doesn't matter continue doing as I am telling.

2-I deleted the entire folder with Norton WipeInfo configured as Government Type, repeat 5x (not forgetting to unmark the only read option from InstallShield Folder - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield).

3-Regedit (at least 2x, removing all InstallShield entries one including the entire sequence), just to be sure.

4-ReBoot and voila!!!! It's gone!!!!!

For now I am tired, but as I need Corel, I will reinstall personalized, and let you know how it went. I must confess I did the normal installation, because I was never asked if I wanted Install Shield, I believe Corel Personal installation will give me a chance to make MY choice. If not I will do again as I just told.
I am no programmer just an angry user who wanted to get rid of an unwanted program.

Best regards,
seven31

[flighterpilot]

:mad:

I agree with comments by PaulXX and Veryangry.

This is one of the most sneaky bits of spyware I've come across lately.

I removed it by fist shutting down ISDM.exe in task manager then wiped the whole folder and cleaned out the registry.

I am also an end user and not a developer You guys are rightly hacked off (sic)

[mhlavinka]

I've FREELY GIVEN Macrovision C++ code, a revised merge module, and detailed implementation instructions that:

1) Allows the control panel applet to be installed conditionally by configuring the merge module when inserting in your application.
2) Allows the shortcut on the start menu to be placed conditionally as well.
3) Allows your application to properly and completely (i.e., all files AND registry entries) remove ISUS when uninstalled, or more importantly, when the feature associated with ISUS is uninstalled. Obviously, this removal is based on WIS reference counting so your application does not remove ISUS when another application still requires it.
4) Allows ISUS to be installed through a group policy setting. InstallShield totally ignored this desirable feature in corporate deployment. Not only does ISUS fail to install in this scenario, the entire application fails because the original ISUS merge module assumes too many privileges for this scenario.

My changes also fix bugs that cause many MSI related API's to fail if called in the installed product itself (not the installation package) due to incorrect InstallShield conditioning of custom actions.

I've been totally ignored in this request and my free will offering of what I consider a far superior product installation. I personally have modified MSM's for ISUS 3.1, 4.5, and 5.0 to work properly. With the instructions I've provided, this modification takes less than 1 hour to accomplish, yet I've not even been offered the courtesy of a response from Macrovision even though I'm a support paying customer.

[nomadcanuck]

I successfully removed installshield updater. Thanks seven31!

seven31 wrote:

I Just got rid off the goddammed InstallShield Program Upates as follows:

1-Uninstall with uninstallupdatemanager.exe (http://saturn.installshield.com/isus/310/sdk/uninstallupdatemanager.exe) (remove control panel icon but not the program, on the contrary if you ever tried to remove it manually the uninstaller will re-create the InstallShield folder, as veryangry said, it's a lot of crap).
But if already removed mannually, doesn't matter continue doing as I am telling.

2-I deleted the entire folder with Norton WipeInfo configured as Government Type, repeat 5x (not forgetting to unmark the only read option from InstallShield Folder - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield).

3-Regedit (at least 2x, removing all InstallShield entries one including the entire sequence), just to be sure.

4-ReBoot and voila!!!! It's gone!!!!!

However, I suggest running a regcleaning utility such as RegistryMechanic or RegSeeker. After following seven31's step 1 and two I ran RegistryMechanic and it picked up approximately 150 registry entries directly related installshield.

This of course may be relative to the number of programs that had been installed which were associated with installshield updater, shared dlls and the like.

Cheers