[wix-users] Strange problem with permanent component, folder delete, and upgrade.

[Hoover, Jacob]

https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/wix/component.html

What's the component authoring loo like for that file?  Is it in its own component, and is it the key path?  Did you specify NeverOverwrite?

Windows installer doesn't monitor the file system, but at the time you install the newer MSI, it will compare timestamps (because it's not a binary w/ version info) to determine if it should lay down a new file.

From: wix-users <wix-users-bounces at lists.wixtoolset.org> On Behalf Of rmacfadyen--- via wix-users
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 1:31 PM
To: wix-users at lists.wixtoolset.org
Cc: rmacfadyen at rmtrack.com
Subject: [wix-users] Strange problem with permanent component, folder delete, and upgrade.

Hey all,



I've encountered a very odd problem with my installer.



Background: The installer is for a webforms application. It installs a
program files folder and a folder full of web stuff in
c:\inetpub\wwwroot\[whatever]. In the [whatever] folder there is a
component, web.config, that is marked Permanent.



Situation: Customer originally installed months ago. Runs the installer for
the new version. Installer detects that it is upgrading and proceeds to do
it's thing. However. the end result is that the permanent component,
web.config, is overwritten with the web.config from the installer. This is
bad because the web.config had been modified and should not have been
overwritten.



I could hardly believe it. My testing guy poked and prodded and has been
successful in reproducing the problem. It appears that if the [whatever]
folder is deleted and a new [whatever] folder created from a backup copy
then on upgrading the [whatever]\web.config file will be overwritten.



So to me it seems like Windows installer is monitoring folders and detecting
that a permanent component folder has been removed? Does that sound like
something Windows installer does?



I'm not looking for a solution (other than a "don't do that" advisory).
Rather I'm looking for any sort of confirmation that Windows Installer is
indeed the culprit.



Thanks very much!



Rob






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