Vista - Program Files - Copy vs Install?

I've been told in this forum that appls must be reinstalled into Program
Files, not simply copied from a Backup. Yet some of the copied appls (WinMX,
WinAmp, Audacity, etc) run fine. Others won't. What determines the correct
prodedure? Thanks.

Many programs also create registry entries for storing of configuration
parameters when their program files are installed and when these entries are
not required in order to run then the Program file itself may run just fine.
Some programs also put .dll files in other folders such as the Windows 32
folder that are required when the program runs.

"bilvihur" <bilvihur@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:AD24EE03-C34C-4D73-A6F4-61FBD3814F06@xxxxxx

Hi bilvihur,

The safest way to ensure that applications work correctly is to reinstall
them from their original media. That way, the correct information is written
to the registry in its correct location, which it cannot be if they are just
copied into the 'Program Files' folder. Backups are useful for data purposes,
but they are not designed for programs. An exception to this would be an
image-based backup, which contains everything on the system and which can be
used to restore the system to a previous state.
Dwarf

"bilvihur" wrote:

yep i have just had to reinsall everything after i installed new os and just moved the apps i wanted from program files to flash usb stick none worked....

Copying program files is not the same thing as installing a program, so most
programs won't work properly when copied in this way.

The reason is that when a program is installed, it typically creates both
files and registry entries, and sometimes takes other actions. You need to
use the installation program that came with the program to install it
properly. Also, an installation will often put files in folders other than
C:\Program Files, especially C:\Windows\system32, that you did not copy.

For future reference, Windows Easy Transfer can help you transfer data files
and some other things:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...ytransfer.mspx

However, it will not transfer programs. Microsoft is beta-testing a similar
feature that will also transfer programs, but it will likely only work with
programs that install themselves in a standardized way so that it can keep
track of which files and registry entries it needs to copy over. Old
applications will not be able to be transferred.

The bottom line is that the only way to guarantee that a program works
properly when transferred it to install it using its installation program.

Paul

"skunksmash" <skunksmash.32tqw2@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:skunksmash.32tqw2@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...