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I am using Startdock Start 10 to replace the ugly, disorganized abomination called Windows 10 Start Menu.
I was sick and tired of applications that keep adding shortcuts to my nicely organized Start Menu without asking for permission or providing a simple user-friendly checkbox giving me the option to not add shortcuts so I denied write privilege to Administrator group to my Start Menu.
In general this accomplished exactly what I wanted but what I discovered along the way totally blew me away!
Apparently, there are developers/companies who think that failure to add a useless Start Menu shortcut is a sufficient reason to fail the entire installation and roll it all back. A program would install and run just fine but after it failed to add the Start Menu shortcut it would display an error and when you click on the OK button it would roll back the entire installation and remove the program. The offenders so far are NordVPN, Boxcryptor and Quicken.
I am totally flabbergasted and cannot comprehend how could supposedly intelligent developers decide that if their completely useless Start Menu shortcut cannot be created, already installed and fully functional program must be uninstalled.
Can someone try to explain how could anyone, ever, think it is somehow a good idea and it is acceptable to not provide users with the ability to skip adding Start Menu shortcuts and on top of that fail the entire installation if shortcuts cannot be created? What in the world are these people thinking?
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It might be a:
try
{
install();
}
catch
{
rollback();
}
I would not say stupidity, probably lazyness or even more probably, not thinking that someone could ever do what you did.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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netizenk wrote: The offenders so far are NordVPN, Boxcryptor and Quicken.
Generally I'm all for naming and shaming offenders, but that's a rather broad brush you're painting these particular developers with.
Most people don't bother rolling up their own installer (do you?) and use a third-party just to take care of the installation process. I'll bet in a lot of cases, handling your particular scenario is out of their control.
Blame the installation software, not the software being installed. In which case, I would agree, if their bread and butter is to anticipate anything and everything that could possible go wrong with an installation (and they should, they should be experts at this), then they've totally dropped the ball.
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I have a few desktop apps packaged with InstallShield. Those installers are configured to add shortcuts to the start menu. Honestly, I have no idea what would happen if I (or one of my clients) denied write access to the start menu but I will be checking thanks to this post. 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I definitely understand your frustration. But if you're posting on CodeProject, you're probably more technically savvy that 99.9% of the people using these applications - even sort of techy apps like NordVPN and Boxcryptor.
The unfortunate reality is that most people who use computers don't really have a good mental model of how computers and filesystems work. For these users, if the application doesn't have a start menu entry, it flat out does not exist.
Image the support headaches caused trying to explain to confused users that yes, the application is on your computer, but no, it's not in that list that's supposed to show all of the applications on your computer. End-user heads would explode. Support staff would be driven to drink. I mean, they're already driven to drink; they'd just drink even more.
I know this probably isn't why these apps are rolling back their installs. But it's why I'd make my app installers do this. Better to have a bunch of pissed off people who can't use my application that to have a few pissed off people incessantly driving me insane with support requests. 
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That's why all good installers have a simple "Create Start menu shortcuts" checkbox... 
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Hi All,
Strange one: firstly during the week I kept getting One Time Password appearing in my Email. A phone call on the land line asking me to 'Press 1 as Amazon are trying to speak to me'?. Ignor (didn't press one!) today looked at my email on my phone see 4 purchases of phone proctective covers. Jump on my PC nothing about them in my Amazon account, think thats strange use the code number from the email paste it into the my purchases serach on Amazon, that brings it up cancel all the orders I didn't make. Get on to HSBC cancell my card, try to log in to my Virgin media account with the password that my email uses, it won't let me in! HOW! I can get email but can't get into my account? I suppose it is becasue I don't use Virgin account as it appear my personal questions have been altered as well...Ideas please?
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1) Change your Amazon password.
2) Remove all cards and accounts from Amazon.
3) Virgin media account password is probably not the same as your Virgin email account password - if you can still get into your email, then use Virgins "forgot password" option to get a new one.
4) Change your eBay password, and PayPal as well.
5) In fact, check your passwords and change everything that uses the same passwords - I know many, many people who use one password for all accounts, but that's dangerous. All it takes is one "soft" system, and even the "hard" ones are compromised. I use different passwords for every system I log into, and use a password manager (in fact two, because I let Chrome handle teh "no money involved" systems) so I just have to remember one.
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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It appears that my Virgin email has been aboanded by Virgin as I have not gone for there mobile option... so I can't log in to change my password have a look:
Quote: We're really sorry but the offers and promotions on our site are no longer available to Virgin Media National customers, due to the move to TalkTalk.
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Then you'll have to ... gulp ... talk to a human being who works for them. 
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I can't find the link, or relavent phone number...
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just call any random number in India, just be ready to give them remote access to your PC
Message Signature
(Click to edit ->)
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That's probably to protect the privacy of the only known eligible Virgin in England ...
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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We will never tell it enough : passphrases[^] are the best passwords.
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By the way, Google just returned this[^] as a search. While the idea is probably not bad, I wonder how much trust I should put in an online website that pulls out passwords for me... Ain't that a good way to build a dictionary of passwords ?
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What a blinding game of rugby - both teams gave everything
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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hmmm, 2015 world cup: England 25 Wales 28
but later lost to Australia (their only loss in the pool round robins)
looks like they're improving.
Welsh are renowned for always putting everything into their matches and punching well above their weight (literally above their weight), hope they really go far this year.
Message Signature
(Click to edit ->)
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They gave their all as did Australia - best game so far by a mile
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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One of the most entertaining games I have watched in ages, pity the better team won 
We get very few free to air matches in Oz and that one was a beauty.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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It truly was so good.
Not the outcome I was hoping for, but what a game.
Really enjoyed it.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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Wondrous ! [^]
«One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.» Salvador Dali
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Glad you liked it!
You know how it is - sometimes I get really p!ssed off with stuff, and I just have to swing my hammer around for a bit until I feel better.
More seriously - fantastic!
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How wonderous nature is.
Technician
1. A person that fixes stuff you can't.
2. One who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.
JaxCoder.com
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Nice video, thanks for the heads up 
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Shocking!
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