I am in the middle of deploying BO across multiple sites, but will be sending out the CDs to the sites for them to install themselves.
During a standard install, the installer provides you with the default install directory. Does anyone know if this is hard coded into the installer, or is the location of the Program Files directory obtained somehow from the registry?
The reason I ask is that some of the sites use their C drive purely for Windows and the D drive (or other) has applications. Is it possible to pick up automatically where the Program Files dir is located, and change the default directory provided by the installer?
The Default of C:\Program Files\Business Objects is probably hard-coded in the installer. But you can naturally change that to just about anything you like.
We also have general applications installed on the D: drive, leaving C: for system stuff, company utilities, etc. Changing it from C: to D: at the install time is no big deal.
I also think, using D: as your standard drive or not, that having a Windows computer that Does Not have a folder of C:\Program Files would be extremely unusual. Maybe even impossible? So, even if the install looked first, it would still default to C:
All that aside, My personal feeling on matters like this is that if you are going to be sending out installation CD’s for a major application, you should be able to rely on the brainpower of the person doing the install to understand the written instruction “Please install on Drive D:”. When discussions like this arise here, one of my first questions is “Just how stupid are you presuming the users to be?”
I like to presume they are reasonably smart, untill proven otherwise.
just a follow-up note
in my experience doing ZABO installs, if not using C drive as default, BO still needs to go into D:\Program Files. I’ve had trouble if it was not in Program Files, no matter which drive you use. Full client does not seem to have this restriction.
(BOB member since 2003-01-15)