Fwd: LilyPond Windows installer entirely erases the PATH environmentvariable

[James Lowe]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Zachary Northrup <address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>>
Date: 9 May 2011 19:32:20 GMT+01:00
To: James Lowe <address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>>
Subject: Re: LilyPond Windows installer entirely erases the PATH 
environmentvariable

I installed it as a clean install, not over an older version. I thought that it 
might be a path length problem as well, as I've run into that before, but I 
actually trimmed down the paths recently, and there should be ample room, 
unless the command line SET command has different maximum length from the 
dialog in the control panel.

--------------------------------------------------------
Zachary Northrup
http://www.z-sys.org/
--------------------------------------------------------

-----Original Message----- From: James Lowe
Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2011 6:38
To: Colin Campbell ; Zachary Northrup
Cc: <mailto:address@hidden> address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>
Subject: RE: LilyPond Windows installer entirely erases the PATH 
environmentvariable

Hello
________________________________________
From: address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden> 
address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>] on behalf of Colin Campbell 
address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>]
Sent: 08 May 2011 04:56
To: Zachary Northrup
Cc: <mailto:address@hidden> address@hidden<mailto:address@hidden>
Subject: Re: LilyPond Windows installer entirely erases the PATH environment 
variable

On 11-05-07 07:38 PM, Zachary Northrup wrote:
I recently installed LilyPond for Windows and soon after noticed that a ton of
development tools stopped working. I then discovered that LilyPond's Windows
installer had completely erased my PATH environment variable and replaced it
with the LilyPond path. Thankfully for me, Windows keeps environment variables
in the backup system control set in the registry, so I was able to find the old
variable and replace it myself.

I then reinstalled LilyPond to verofy that it was, in fact, LilyPond's
installation that caused the variable corruption, and it was.

This is a *serious* corruption of the user environment. The LilyPond for Windows
installer should be rescinded immediately to prevent further data loss. I also
note that the installer never once asked the user whether they even wanted the
PATH variable modified. As a best practice, it should default to /not/ modifying
the variables, unless the user asks for it.


_______________________________________________

I'm about to log this as an issue, Zachary, but would you let me know
what version of of LilyPond you are installing, as well as what version
of Windows, and whether you are running as an administrator or as a
regular user, please?

---

Yes and also if you installed and reinstalled older/newer version - exact steps 
are helpful. For instance did you use add.remove programs (Windows XP/2000) or 
remove it via the Programs and Features option (Vista/Win 7) or did you run in 
the uninstaller in the LP dir.

There is a limit on the length of the PATH statement that certain versions of 
Windows allows and if you have hit this and then installed any software that 
then forces this limit to be exceeded - regardless which software package has 
done this - then you do lose or have problems with your PATH. THis however is a 
general Windows Problem not one specific to LP.

You see, I use LilyPond on Windows most days, I uninstall and reinstall many 
different versions of the software at least 2 or three times a month and have 
yet to find LilyPond remove my PATH, in fact the annoyance is that it *doesn't* 
remove the PATH but actually keep adding to the PATH for each new instance I 
install.

James