CSIDL OS Compatibility

[NewsArchive]

Just for kicks I tried a CSIDL install on my Windows 98 computer. Didn't
work and eventually crashed before the install was complete.

This begs the question which OS's will a CSIDL installation support?

--
Lynn Howard
www.linkedsoftware.com

[NewsArchive]

Windows 2000 on

--

Ben E. Brady
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[NewsArchive]

Thanks Ben!

Lynn

[NewsArchive]

I don't know what you're doing, Lynn.

But I have no trouble getting CSIDL paths from Windows 98 using either a
little app I wrote or the demo Randy Rogers posted on ClarionMag:
http://www.clarionmag.com/cmag/v9/v9n03vistaini.html

I'd suggest running Randy's app on a Win98 machine.
CSIDLs are supported on Win98, however not all of them return valid paths.
On my Win98 test machine, for example, CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA returns
c:\windows\all users\application data
But CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS does not return any path.

Jane

[NewsArchive]

Hi Jane,

>I don't know what you're doing, Lynn.

Neither do I. <G>

> CSIDLs are supported on Win98, however not all of them return valid paths.
> On my Win98 test machine, for example, CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA returns
> c:\windows\all users\application data
> But CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS does not return any path.

Aye, there's the rub. I am installing stuff in CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS and
the installer upchucks. Can't create the folder as I recall.

So what's the best way to notify the installer if they are trying to install
on Win 98?

Thanks for the reply!

Lynn

[NewsArchive]

<G>

Well, there's Windows 98 and Win 98 Se.
Don't forget Windows Mediocre Edition. And I don't know about NT 4 (don't
have an NT machine at the moment.)

If you look at Friedrich's Common Definitions.sbi, you'll see that Windows
2000 equates to 32.

So you might want to use a predefined runtime variable to do something like
If %WINVER% < $WIN_2000$
set folder name to something
create folder
else
set folder name to CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS
end

Jane Fleming

[NewsArchive]

Hi Lynn,

>> On my Win98 test machine, for example, CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA returns
>> c:\windows\all users\application data
>> But CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS does not return any path.
>
>Aye, there's the rub. I am installing stuff in CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS and
>the installer upchucks. Can't create the folder as I recall.

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms649274.aspx

"CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS (FOLDERID_PublicDocuments)
The file system directory that contains documents that are common to
all users. A typical paths is C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Documents. Valid for Windows NT systems and Microsoft Windows 95
and Windows 98 systems with Shfolder.dll installed."

Maybe this will help...

Best regards,

Arnór Baldvinsson
Icetips Creative, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas, USA
www.icetips.com


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[NewsArchive]

Arnór,

Not to doubt MS' documentation...LOL... But have you actually tried to read
that value on a Win98 machine?

But on my one remaining Win98 machine, I've tried SHFOLDER.DLL files dated
08-29-02 and 08-04-04.

With neither one do either my or Randy's CSIDL programs return any value for
CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS

Jane

[NewsArchive]

Interesting :) I agree. MSDN documentation seems to be incorrect.

Friedrich

[NewsArchive]

Thanks Arnor, Jane and Friedrich,

My head is swimming. <G>

Let me rephrase my original question. Friedrich you are excused because you
are on vacation. ;-)

In my install and my applications I use CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS and
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES. Can I say the install and programs are for ALL 2000,
XP and Vista machines?

Lynn

[NewsArchive]

Hi Jane,

>But on my one remaining Win98 machine, I've tried SHFOLDER.DLL files dated
>08-29-02 and 08-04-04.
>
>With neither one do either my or Randy's CSIDL programs return any value for
>CSIDL_COMMON_DOCUMENTS

I only have my old laptop with 98, but it is a Danish 98 and it does
things a bit differently (including the standard folder names are all
in Danish) and I haven't bothered waking it up from it's almost
permanent sleep to test this<g>

My next step would be to investigate the registry and see if this
folder is there somewhere and then investigate the keys and see if
they are consistent on 98 and if so, I'd use that for 98. I have no
idea if that holds water or not...<g>

Best regards,

Arnór Baldvinsson
Icetips Creative, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas, USA
www.icetips.com


Subscribe to information from Icetips.com:
http://www.icetips.com/subscribe.php

[NewsArchive]

Hi Lynn,

Please see "Shell and Common Controls Versions" topic in the manual or
online help (and the "Get Special Folder Path" documentation). ;-)

Friedrich