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Author Topic: Install MC12 for all users  (Read 2107 times)

Alex B

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Install MC12 for all users
« on: October 24, 2006, 08:06:50 am »

MC saves essential data in the user profile related locations. Each user account creates duplicated data even when not preferred (I mean on a single PC, this has nothing to do with LAN). There is no way to keep this data synchronized between the user accounts.

I think an "Install for all users" install option is needed. Usually user profile aware Windows programs have this option.
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glynor

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2006, 09:10:14 am »

I agree wholeheartedly!

My kludgy workaround is to use a modified version of my Settings Saving Scripts (one that saves and one that restores) and set them to automatically run on login/logoff (which you can do via the Group Policy Editor: Start --> Run --> gpedit.msc).

I have a logoff script that saves the HKCU/Software/JRiver/ key to a REG file.  Then I have a logon script that automatically loads that REG file into the registry.  Works, but is obnoxious.
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Alex B

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2006, 09:32:29 am »

Besides the Windows registry data, also the library files, automatic library backup files, thumbnail files and some other things are stored in user specific locations (at least by default).
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Matt

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2006, 09:52:24 am »

Sorry, but this won't be done for v12.
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Alex B

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2006, 10:37:45 am »

I guessed it might be difficult to add this and also bug test it if you have a tight schedule. However, it is something that really would be needed.

Personally, I have previously preferred a single user account on our home PCs. I just realized this problem with our new laptop that has two actively used user accounts, my private and a public account for all of us.

Please consider it for MC12.1/MC13... :)

Edited a bit.
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glynor

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2006, 11:03:07 am »

Besides the Windows registry data, also the library files, automatic library backup files, thumbnail files and some other things are stored in user specific locations (at least by default).

Yeah.  Luckily, this isn't a problem at all.  If you automate the importing of the registry data from user account to user account it makes all this stuff match too.  You're essentially constantly overwriting each user's individual registry settings with the settings that existed when the previous user logged out.  It's actually even easy enough to prevent users from modifying any of the settings this way (simply don't have that account run the "save to REG file" logout script but still run the "import from REG file" login script).

Like I said... Not ideal (if the computer crashes before you log out it doesn't run the logout script and the settings aren't saved), but it could be worse.  It would be much better for this to be an install option in MC12.1/13/whatever.

I can post the full versions as part of my Registry Saving Scripts if anyone's interested, with instructions on how to set it up properly in gpedit.msc.
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Alex B

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Re: Install MC12 for all users
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2006, 02:56:35 pm »

Yeah.  Luckily, this isn't a problem at all.  If you automate the importing of the registry data from user account to user account it makes all this stuff match too.  You're essentially constantly overwriting each user's individual registry settings with the settings that existed when the previous user logged out.  It's actually even easy enough to prevent users from modifying any of the settings this way (simply don't have that account run the "save to REG file" logout script but still run the "import from REG file" login script).

Like I said... Not ideal (if the computer crashes before you log out it doesn't run the logout script and the settings aren't saved), but it could be worse.  It would be much better for this to be an install option in MC12.1/13/whatever.

I can post the full versions as part of my Registry Saving Scripts if anyone's interested, with instructions on how to set it up properly in gpedit.msc.

I already did a couple of changes to the default file locations so that both user accounts can use the same database and thumbnails without any hassle. I don't need to synchronize the program options (at least for now). Actually, the users may prefer to have some of the options set differently.

Since I had this new PC available, I wanted to try how a vanilla MC12 can be used without any special tweaking and this was the first problem I encountered.

For most common users the only not too difficult workaround is to create a library outside the account specific folders. Though, MC would still create separate thumbnails for each user account and probably these would be constantly out of synch after other users' library edits.
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