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Lizard
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 Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 6:43 pm Post subject: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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Greetings!
We have had a number of support problems due to clients running other
BDE-using software and being, for the most part, unaware of it. I was
wondering if there is a methodology (programmatic or not, ideally
something which can be done via an installer or explained to a
cluele^h^h^h novice user over the phone using words of one syl la ble)
for determining the following:
a)If any other apps are using the BDE.
b)What they are.
In most cases, there are corporate apps with no local BDE install, but
which start up automatically and interfere with our installer's effort
to smash the BDE into the configuration we want.
We are using Delphi 4, if that matters.
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Aage Johansen
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2004 8:20 am Post subject: Re: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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På Wed, 11 Feb 2004 10:43:31 -0800, skrev Lizard:
| Quote: | We have had a number of support problems due to clients running other
BDE-using software and being, for the most part, unaware of it. I was
wondering if there is a methodology (programmatic or not, ideally
something which can be done via an installer or explained to a
cluele^h^h^h novice user over the phone using words of one syl la ble)
for determining the following:
a)If any other apps are using the BDE.
b)What they are.
In most cases, there are corporate apps with no local BDE install, but
which start up automatically and interfere with our installer's effort
to smash the BDE into the configuration we want.
We are using Delphi 4, if that matters.
|
In my experience, the problem is mostly that someone messes up by not
configuring the NetDir parameter (correctly). Fixing this is quite often
all that need be done. However, the customer usually won't believe this
is the problem. Only after you visit them and start fixing the
configurations will he realize this (when he sees the applications running
ok).
There is one 'final solution' - using something that doesn't need the
BDE. When the BDE is configured properly it works fine, but otherwise it
can be a real pain.
BTW, Delphi 4 isn't a recent version, and it did need a couple of update
packs.
--
Aage J.
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Bruce Roberts
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2004 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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"Lizard" <lizard (AT) mrlizard (DOT) com> wrote
| Quote: | We have had a number of support problems due to clients running other
BDE-using software and being, for the most part, unaware of it. I was
wondering if there is a methodology (programmatic or not, ideally
something which can be done via an installer or explained to a
cluele^h^h^h novice user over the phone using words of one syl la ble)
for determining the following:
a)If any other apps are using the BDE.
b)What they are.
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I guess one could look for an installed BDE and check all the aliases
defined in the configuration file. It won't catch apps that don't uses
aliases and one whould have to distinguish a BDE that was there only because
of a version of one's own app. Without examining exe and dll files I don't
see how one could determine what applications, if any, actually use the BDE.
| Quote: | In most cases, there are corporate apps with no local BDE install, but
which start up automatically and interfere with our installer's effort
to smash the BDE into the configuration we want.
|
The only problems I've ever encountered when there are other apps that use
the BDE is when they insist on a particular BDE configuration. I recall one
with a particularly stupid installer that insisted on one and only one
configuration. Each time an upgrade was installed the user had to then
re-adjust several parameters - most notably re-increase MaxBufSize and
MaxFileHandles.
I have encountered several installers that replaced a BDE installation with
their own, regardless of version. IIRC several versions of WordPerfect did
this. They also installed the BDE in a non-standard location. ISTRC that
some versions of Avery labeling software also did nasty things to existing
BDE installations.
I suspect that your best protection is a note in the installations
instructions that cautions users both generally - "If you have applications
that use the BDE . . .", and specifically - "such as WordPerfect, . . .".
If you need to adjust directory settings do so at runtime in your app
startup code. There is no need to force a particular BDE configuration in
this case. Just make sure that all the adjustments are done before anything
that uses the BDE is opened.
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Lizard
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2004 5:33 pm Post subject: Re: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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Bruce Roberts wrote:
| Quote: | If you need to adjust directory settings do so at runtime in your app
startup code. There is no need to force a particular BDE configuration in
this case. Just make sure that all the adjustments are done before anything
that uses the BDE is opened.
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Just to be clear, the general sequence of events is this:
a)Our installer detects there is no local BDE installed.
b)It goes to install one.
c)It hits the 'BDE is already running' error, because another app is,
apparently, accessing a network BDE install.
(As a side note to another poster, I am *painfully* aware that D4 is out
of date. Unfortunately, no one here will sign off on upgrading it since
"it still works".)
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Bruce Roberts
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2004 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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"Lizard" <lizard (AT) mrlizard (DOT) com> wrote
| Quote: | Just to be clear, the general sequence of events is this:
a)Our installer detects there is no local BDE installed.
b)It goes to install one.
c)It hits the 'BDE is already running' error, because another app is,
apparently, accessing a network BDE install.
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I presume that users are advised to close all programs before attempting an
install. I guess this means that the BDE is being used by a service. Doesn't
this mean that there should be some BDE entries in the registry, or dll in
the system directory? You might want to ask how one detects a running BDE in
the appropriate Borland database ng.
| Quote: | (As a side note to another poster, I am *painfully* aware that D4 is out
of date. Unfortunately, no one here will sign off on upgrading it since
"it still works".)
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 Newer is not necessarily better. Even if it is, sometimes known bugs are
easier to cope with than the unknown ones caused by a major upgrade. Let
alone the costs that can be incurred in rolling out the even simplest of
upgrades.
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Markku Nevalainen
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 9:42 am Post subject: Re: Determining the existence of other BDE-using apps |
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Lizard wrote:
| Quote: |
a)If any other apps are using the BDE.
b)What they are.
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I don't know any ways how you could scan through all the hard disk drives,
and check which app will use BDE when the app is running.
There might be ways to check if BDE is currently running.
First to check from the registry if BDE is installed in the target system.
If it was, then the next step could be to use the free Delphi code 'Delphi
System Enumerator' to see which DLL-modules are currently loaded. Is
there IDAPI32.DLL, IDPDX32.DLL modules etc. on that list.
Or maybe check the existence of BDE's locking files .NET and .LCK on
any of the hard drives.
One alternative beside these of course is abandoning BDE. One reason
being just these simultaneous BDE configuration problems.
Take about half a day and you have 90% of your BDE app turned to a fully
functional DBISAM engine based app. There are converters available that
will do this basic job.
Well, of course there's still that 5..10% that need extra tinkering.
Check the small differences between BDE and DBISAM SQL-sentences etc.
This part is slower, and the differences pop up during the next couple
of weeks.
Markku Nevalainen
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