Upgrade install nuked all settings, everything

[Scuttle]

So, I am a registered user, just downloaded the latest version to upgrade. I start the installation, point NB to the folder of the existing installation. It tells me that it found an existing config and that it will move it to Newsbin.nbi.bak

After installation all my settings are gone. In the AppData-folder I have the new Newsbin.nbi, a "backup" named Newsbin.nbi.bak and one file called Newsbin.nbi.old

All three files are identical to Newsbin.nbi, so no settings were backed up, all subscribed groups are gone, server settings, gone...

What in the actual fuck?

[Quade]

What in the actual fuck?

Yeah, not sure. Do you have a backup copy of the NBI? You could try using the "restore backup config on restart" from the options menu and see if you can pull out a backup NBI file. If you've haven't restarted too many times you might still find one.

You don't want the install folder and the data folder to be the same. Typically you want the install folder in "Program Files" and the data folder someplace else. Normally to do an upgrade, you just let it upgrade and don't pick any folders I believe.

I'll ask dex what he things. Many people do the upgrade and have no issues so, I can only guess there's something unexpected in the way you did the upgrade.

[dexter]

If you upgraded your OS since Newsbin we originally installed or you did some other non-traditional install originally, the installer won't be able to detect that the installation already exists. Still, the newsbin.nbi.bak file should still be intact, I can't explain why it isn't for you.

Quade's suggestion should work too, if the prior copy of Newsbin was already on this machine then a backup of the configuration should be available if you go under Options -> Load Backup Configuration on Restart. Then close and restart Newsbin and you'll see a list of saved configurations with a timestamp from when they were saved. Choose a configuration from when Newsbin was last configured correctly. This will work unless you have restarted Newsbin more than 4-5 times since you lost your configuration.

If you moved Newsbin from another machine before upgrading then this will not work. You'll want to find the guiitems.db3 file off the other machine to restore your configuration.

[Scuttle]

Had to pull the config from a four week old backup, so got back up and running, sort of...

But why can't I point the installer to an existing folder and have it pick up that it is already installed? It seems like if the installer doesn't pick up that NB is already installed, there is no way to tell it. It defaults to a new install and nukes everything

[mister_loaf]

What in the actual fuck?

Yeah, not sure. Do you have a backup copy of the NBI? You could try using the "restore backup config on restart" from the options menu and see if you can pull out a backup NBI file. If you've haven't restarted too many times you might still find one.

You don't want the install folder and the data folder to be the same. Typically you want the install folder in "Program Files" and the data folder someplace else. Normally to do an upgrade, you just let it upgrade and don't pick any folders I believe.

Same thing happened to me when I installed 6.8beta7. I have the data folder in a different location from the program folder. Fortunately, I'm extremely anal about backups, so I just replaced the entire data folder with a backup copy and then everything was fine. But there is definitely a problem with your upgrade process.

[dexter]

But there is definitely a problem with your upgrade process.

To be clear, it's only a problem for non-standard installs. If you move the Newsbin Data Folder after initial installation, the installer doesn't know where it is anymore.

Enough people are running into this issue now, I'll look into making the installer smarter when I get a chance.

[Scuttle]

But there is definitely a problem with your upgrade process.

To be clear, it's only a problem for non-standard installs. If you move the Newsbin Data Folder after initial installation, the installer doesn't know where it is anymore.

Not quite true. If you install NB, then reinstalls your computer, you can run NB just fine without it having to be "installed". I install it on my D-drive which persists through reinstallations.

If you install NB, reformat your system-drive, reinstall your OS and then run the installer, you're in trouble...

[dexter]

Well yeah, because the OS reinstall wipes out settings the installer made in the Windows Registry. Newsbin will run because it recreates anything it needs that is missing. I did not design the installer to analyze your system and recover from any number things that happened outside of it's knowledge. After an OS reinstall, if you have a backup of your Newsbin environment, the suggested course of action would be to run the installer, let it do a clean install, then restore your old Newsbin settings over that.