Getting the Windows CE uninstaller to work properly

Question

On some of the devices that I am working on, the \Windows directory is not on permanent storage. That is, once the device is rebooted, whatever was written to \Windows is lost. This is particularly problematic for uninstalling programs since wceload.exe (the Windows CE CAB installer program) generates a .unload file and places it in \Windows. The application can be uninstalled before the device is rebooted, but afterward it can't (the "Remove Programs" tool in the control panel comes back with an error about not being able to open the unload file). So how can I get the .unload file to persist across reboots? Is there any way to control where the uninstaller (I believe it is called unload.exe) looks for the .unload file?

Answer 1

I haven't been able to find any good info on this still. It looks like the path to the unload file is hardcoded so the best I can do is make a backup of the unload file. If the user wishes to uninstall they will have to manually copy the file to the \windows directory and then use the uninstall tool in the control panel. Here is more info: http://www.generation-nt.com/us/answer/wince5-force-wceload-install-unload-into-nonvolatile-memory-help-87676002.html

Answer 2

You can probably keep the .unload file across reboots by copying it to a persistent directory after installing. This directory may vary per device, e.g. \Hard Disk\ramroot\Windows or \Backup\Windows. It will then automatically be copied to the \Windows on reboot. (Although I am not sure whether such a directory and behavior exist for every device.)

To copy this file you need to execute a copy-statement from a custom setup-dll after the install completes. This codeproject-site has a very comprehensive explanation, with screenshots and code.

Answer 3

Simply re-Install application and then un-install from remove programs in control panel.