Geoserver windows installer; already installed error

GeoServer GeoServer User
1

Hi all,

I am teaching a course involving geoserver and some of my students forgot their password. No problem; I asked them to reinstall. Instead of uninstalling, they have deleted the geoserver program files folder.
Now they get an error message “geoserver is already installed” when running the installed. I’ve worked with them in cleaning up their system (environment variables, data folder, registry) but must have missed something because they keep getting this error message. Can someone point me to the information (and its location, default install) that the installed uses to determine of geoserver is already installed?

Thanks a lot!

2

Welcome @cmmhvandongen and students!

Oh wow, we do not really have any active windows developer to help check…

But it is open source so perhaps we can figure it out together?

  1. Here is the installer script thing: geoserver_winsetup.nsi

  2. Search finds me this:

; Checks if GeoServer has already been installed (also previous versions)
Function CheckIfInstalled

  ClearErrors
  ReadRegStr $0 HKLM "Software\${APPNAME}" ""
  ${IfNot} ${Errors}    
    MessageBox MB_ICONSTOP "${APPNAME} has already been installed on your system.$\r$\n \
                            Please remove that version if you wish to update or re-install."
    Quit
  ${EndIf}

FunctionEnd

  1. Wonder what ${APPNANE} name is?

    You said "“geoserver is already installed” but I am not sure if that is the exact error message you got? Because above it says “${APPNAME} has already been installed on your system” …

    Okay I found it on line 19:

!define APPNAME "GeoServer"                                     ; application name

  1. So I think it is checking in the register for "HKLM " and then Software\GeoServer?

    The HKLM means something to windows people…

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, often shortened to HKLM, is the hive in the registry that contains most of the configuration data for Windows.

  2. Putting all that together can you check in register HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/GeoServer ?

    And remove anything you find there…

3

Hi @jive,

Using your explanation and code extracts I was able to help the students with a cleanup of their registry and install of geoserver. They are now all up and running. Thanks for your help. One small remark: the registry location you found in the code was not the exact location I found. I did found a few entries remaining, but think it was the one in syswow64 that did the trick.

Thanks a lot for your quick help!

4

I expect that others will find this topic when they run into the same problem.

With that in mind cay you be really clear, perhaps with a screen snap, on what you had to do?

aside: I do not personally know what syswow64 is :slight_smile:

Please say hi to your students from the GeoServer community!