ZeroNet Exe Installer for Windows

[krixano]

Update: Download New Installer and Repo

---

I have created a very simple msi installer that will put the ZeroNet files (from ZeroNet Windows Bundle on zeronet.io website) into a ZeroNet folder in Program Files (you can specify a different directory also) and create start menu shortcut for the main ZeroNet.exe file, the data directory, and the other executables (openssl, tor, meed-client, etc). It will also put a ZeroNet shortcut on desktop, and allow uninstallation from Control Panel.

As stated in issue #1428, I had to make the exe and shortcuts only run as Administrator, otherwise I get a Fatal Error message box saying "Failed to execute script boot"

The MSI file is in the linked zip file (GitHub doesn't support uploading msi files to issue apparently).
ZeroNet_MSI.zip

[krixano]

I've also made the installer append the application/installation directory to the PATH environment variable so that the ZeroNet exe file can be accessed from the cmd prompt.

There is one problem. When uninstalling, it only removes the stuff that the installer added and since the data directory along with other stuff is downloaded on first startup of the ZeroNet exe, this stuff isn't removed during uninstallation. This may or may not be desired, not sure. I think it'd be better to provide a checkbox to remove data files during uninstallation, not sure how to do this yet though.

Here's the new msi file with this change:
ZeroNet_MSI.zip

[imachug]

TODO: Add Add to Start Menu.

[krixano]

Update: Repo

---

I have created a new installer, which is now an Exe rather than an MSI, created with Inno Setup 5.
It now has the option to disable Adding to Start Menu and now includes a shortcut to the uninstaller within the Start Menu (as well as link to website).

This file is also smaller than the MSI one.
Updated: ZeroNetInstaller.exe

[imachug]

@krixano It works on my machine. Just one question: should the app start in administrator mode when Open ZeroNet is chosen in setup?

[krixano]

It should be starting up with administrative privileges for that, yes. I might have made that change after I uploaded this though. The last time I've tested it, it worked for me.

I'm going to put the files for this up on GitHub right now.

[imachug]

It definitely works, but why are admin privileges required?

[krixano]

Because ZeroNet needs to modify the files in it's directory under Program Files (e.g. to download zites into data directory) and you have to have admin privileges for that in this particular case.

I think there's a way to make it where ZeroNet doesn't have to do this as long as it's done by ZeroNet exe, but I think that might require modifying ZeroNet itself, and I don't know how to do this.

[imachug]

Yeah, that was quite a silly question then.

[krixano]

I believe there's a way to change the data directory of ZeroNet from the zeronet.conf file (I read some ZeroNet code, and it seems to suggest that you can). However, I tried (by putting data_dir = "newData" in the conf file), and I got an error saying "Failed to execute script boot"

[krixano]

I've made a GitHub repo for the installer here: https://github.com/krixano/ZeroNet-Windows-Exe-Installer
I've also uploaded the exe as the first release.

[slrslr]

@krixano The first link of the first post of this issue (Download New Installer) goes to outdated version 1.0
Link to new release: https://github.com/krixano/ZeroNet-Windows-Exe-Installer/releases

[krixano]

Thanks!

[imachug]

To be even more specific, this is the latest release: https://github.com/krixano/ZeroNet-Windows-Exe-Installer/releases/latest

[jerry-wolf]

I think install ZeroNet to %LocalAppData% is a better idea, it need't Administrator permission, and ZeroNet will install for current user.

[krixano]

@l5h5t7 Sure, but there are many other problems that you aren't considering that I have and will be dealing with in the future. Wait until this installer is more developed and it'll have the option between either with additional things that will hopefully help with these problems that I'm thinking of.