I have a machine that once had a specific version of the SDK on it (feb 2003
to be exact). Some of the stuff I have to build requires this specific SDK
and no other. Well, let me rephrase that, it needs that one AND the Win2003
SP1 SDK. (Please don’t ask why, I don’t understand it myself. However, the
build won’t run without access to BOTH SDKs.)
The traditional way to manage this is to install the 2003 SDK and then point
net directories to the other SDK. Since this is very slow I once tried to
install the Win2003 SDK in a separate directory tree from the older SDK so I
could have both locally.
It seemed reasonable to me, but not to the SDK installation “tool”. It
promptly removed all of the old SDK from where it was, then installed the
new
sdk (incorrectly) in the place that I had told it to put it. Of course,
nothing worked at all then. SO I removed the new SDK, and I removed the
traces of the old SDK, and went back to install the old SDK and net mount
the
newer one again.
Wrong.
The old SDK install now informs me that “the SDK isn’t in the place it was
originally installed, and we damn well aren’t going to let you install
another version until you remove that old one that isn’t there. Go to the
Add/Remove Programs menu and remove that SDK that doesn’t show up there
because you already removed it. Press OK because it isn’t”.
I’ve gone through everything in the registry looking for any trace of an SDK
or a reference to any directory where they were once installed, and there
isn’t one. I’ve gone through the INF files. I’vew searched every file on
the local disks for a string that might reference the directory. I’ve
pulled
the network cable during th einstall attempt so that it can’t reach back to
something stored at Microsoft.
None of this works. It is absolutely convinced that that old SDK is
installed (but isn’t installed) and therefore needs to be removed, even
though it has been. And until it is done it isn’t going to let me install
any SDK version ever again.
Short of hard formatting the disks on the machine and installing a new OS
from scratch, does anyone know ANY way to convince that ^&(&( SDK install
idiot “tool” that I really do want to install an SDK?
And yes, I’m frustrated. That particular installation idiocy has caused me
nothing but hours and hours of grief on machine after machine ever since the
idiots invented it. Why couldn’t they have used a rational installation
tool
like everyone else that lets you tell IT where you want things? Heck, they
HAD one before they threw it away!
Thanks,
Loren