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jpedwards

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Need an executable routine with BDE for Delphi 3 that installs BDE only if it is not installed.

I asked this question once before, but did not get what I needed.

This is what I need:

An executable that will install BDE for Delphi 3 if, and only if, it is not already installed.
What I am looking for is an actual installation executable that will see if the BDE is installed and install it only if it is not installed.  It should not be divided up into 1.44 meg sections, but be an all-at-once "CD" type installation.  It will include the D3 BDE distribuatable files, and not just be a gateway to check for installation.

My email is:

pedwards@anedsociety.org

Please send it to me as an email attachment, and also include a comment here that you sent it, so that I can send you 2,000 points.  Thanks.

I have just been notified by the software that I can only award 500 points at a time.  I will adjust this to 500 points.  That can be it, if you think that is fair or, I am willing to do three additional "points to _______" questions if you would like.  I am not trying to go around the rules, just trying to save some time and effort to hit a deadline.  I have over 17,000 points that I don't need because I don't ask questions that often.

Thanks,
Phil
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CrazyOne
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Install Shield will do this

http://www.installshield.com/
Avatar of BTecho
BTecho

Hi.

The BDE can be a fairly large upload.

You can very simply do this yourself using InstallShield Express, that if I remember correctly comes with Delphi3?

If you dont have InstallShield Express you can use Inno,
http://www.jrsoftware.org/ishowto.phtml?a=bde


Another simple solution is to download BDEInfoSetup.zip from http://ibinstall.defined.net/dl_bdeinfo.htm
and extract the BDEInfoSetup.EXE installation file, it will install the BDE and add needed registry entries.

Then create a very simple Delphi app which will check if the BDE is installed (see this link www.scalabium.com/faq/dct0081.htm), if it isnt just use ShellExecute to run the BDEInfoSetup.exe

ShellExecute(Handle,
             nil,
             PChar('C:\somefolder\BDEInfoSetup.EXE '),  
             nil,nil,SW_SHOWNORMAL);


That seems to be it.
Hello again.

I just checked out your previous post
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/20376600/Installation-package-for-DBE-for-Delphi-3.html

It seems some folks already have suggested using Inno and InstallShield. Has not that helped you in any way? If BDEInfoSetup.EXE is not what you want,  I'll try to makeup something else.
Hello again.

I just checked out your previous post
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/20376600/Installation-package-for-DBE-for-Delphi-3.html

It seems some folks already have suggested using Inno and InstallShield. Has not that helped you in any way? If BDEInfoSetup.EXE is not what you want,  I'll try to makeup something else.
Avatar of jpedwards

ASKER

Thanks BTecho.  That would be great.  I have a daughter named Echo.

Thanks
I don't understand what "BDEInfoSetup.EXE" is.

Phil
Hi Phil.

BDEInfoSetup.EXE is just an installation batch, like any other ordinary setup that many applications use. It will just install the BDE for you. It will check if any application using the BDE are open, and ask you to close them before proceeding. I can't check this at the moment but if it will find an older version of the BDE it will ask if you want to proceed, if that version is already installed it will not install the BDE , but it will overwrite the the existing config file, thats where the BDE settings that you find the BDE Admin are held, there is a Advanced Settings button you click and you'l have some options you can set. So if you custom action like not continuing no matter what BDE version is installed you will have to check that for yourself using the method I mentioned.

Since the BDE is backward compatible you should not have any trouble using version 5.2 of the BDE with a Delphi3 application.

Hope this helps!
Hi Phil.

BDEInfoSetup.EXE is just an installation batch, like any other ordinary setup that many applications use. It will just install the BDE for you. It will check if any applications using the BDE are open, and ask you to close them before proceeding. I can't check this at the moment but if it will find an older version of the BDE it will ask if you want to proceed, if that version is already installed it will not install the BDE , but it will overwrite the the existing config file, thats where the BDE settings that you find in the BDE Administrator are held, there is a Advanced Settings button you click and you'l have some options you can set. So if you want custom action like not continuing no matter what BDE version is installed you will have to check that for yourself using the method I mentioned.

Since the BDE is backward compatible you should not have any trouble using version 5.2 of the BDE with a Delphi3 application.

Hope this helps!
I see why you are called "BTecho".
That is interesting that you say that the BDE is backward compatible, I had not heard that before.  Last summer I had a five year old D3 program that worked fine.  I loaded it into a machine with D4 and it had several errors generated from the db.

I don't remember what the errors were, but I found that whole version of D4 to be trash.  It quickly killed the new hard drive that I had it on, and I had to scrub and start all over again.

I am willing to try a 5.2 version of the BDE installer that you speak of.  Do you have a copy of BDEInfoSetup.EXE?

Phil

Avatar of kretzschmar
you can lookup the registry-key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Borland\Database Engine

for existence,
additional maybe read there the DLLPath-Key,
and lookup the existence for this directory

additional read

http://www.peter3.com/Artiklar/BDE_manualinstall.htm
http://www.jrsoftware.org/ishowto.phtml?a=bde


meikl ;-)

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BTecho

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Why you not simply use the provided from Borland MSI files, which are compatible with the Windows Installer, or the BdeInst.dll, also provided by Borland.
Hi again.

I was browsing Code Central this morning and came about the source the for the BDEInfoSetup application,I hope you can find it to be usefull.

http://codecentral.borland.com/codecentral/ccweb.exe/listing?id=17174

Source:
http://codecentral.borland.com/codecentral/files/2001/12/13/17174/17174_bde_information_utility_source.zip


Also I mentioned a link www.scalabium.com/faq/dct0081.htm

It calls DbiInit to try and initialize the BDE environment. After calling DbiInit you should also call DbiExit to close the BDE connection to the app, that is if you don't plan to use the BDE in anyway after that. In any case the source to BDEInfoSetup also shows how to check if the BDE is installed correctly.

Thanks, BTecho.  I have not tested this routine yet, as I have to build a hard drive that does not have BDE to do so. I will however award you the 500 points here.  If you want the other 1500 points, just put in another comment saying so, and I will put up some dummy questions just for you.  Let me know, and thanks for your kind help.

I also wish to thank the others who offered your kind help.

Phil
Hi Phil :)

Very much would like to know how it went. Did you successfully install the BDE in the manner you wanted?  

P.S
No thanks, no need for the other 1500 points.
Thanks for asking BTecho.  I am on a project and I have to try to schedule my time.  I am going to have to build another computer to try this out on.  I is not presently my highest priority.  But when it is time to test it, I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks Again,
Phil