Patching modified files

dawidp · Post by **dawidp** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:18 pm

Patching files that were modified after the original install on the host machine left the files untouched. That is they were not overwritten by the new version. Is this the default behavior? Can we force the files to be overwritten?

I'm using Web Build btw.

Thanks,
Dawid

MichaelNesmith · Post by **MichaelNesmith** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:31 pm

You should force delete such files which might not be recognized as older versions by Windows Installer.

dawidp · Post by **dawidp** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:01 pm

Can you tell me how Windows Installer determines which files to patch / replace?

Thanks,
Dawid

dawidp · Post by **dawidp** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:42 pm

Found the answer:

Versioned File

1. If the file version on the target system is the same as that in the setup package, the file is not updated, irrespective of the date.
2. If the file version on the target system is older than that in the setup, the file is overwritten.
3. If the file version on the target system is newer than the file within the setup, it is not overwritten.

Non-Versioned File

1. If the file on the target system has a later modified date versus created date, it is not overwritten, as it is considered user data.
2. If the file on the target system has the same created and modified date, it is overwritten.
3. If the file on the target system has a created date that is later than the modified date, it is overwritten.