First run installer

• US 6,353,928 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Crockrill, Jennifer C., Hussey, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/225,028
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 709/221, 709/222, 709/327, 709/321, 709/318, 709/331, 713/1, 713/100, 707/203, 707/200
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A method for installing files required by an application during execution, without requiring the user to invoke a installation procedure if the required file is deleted or missing. Briefly described, the present invention makes possible a method for detecting whether a file required by the application'"'"'s execution is missing. If the file is missing, the application calls an installer module to install the missing file in the location expected by a shared library Dynamic Link Library (DLL). The application then terminates. In the event a second required file is being used by another application or computer process, the installer module will restart the system following the replacement of the missing file. In the event that a second required file is not being used by another application or computer process, the install module re-executes the application after replacing the missing required file.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for installing, in a computer system, a file required by an application during the application'"'"'s execution, which when executed perform steps comprising:

launching an execution process for the application;

calling a shared process with information corresponding to an identity of the required file;

verifying via the shared process the existence of the required file on the computer system;

in the event the required file is not in existence,

installing the required file onto the computer system; and

completing the execution process for the application.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the step of installing the required file comprises the steps of:

terminating the execution process for the application;

automatically installing the required file by an installer program onto the computer system; and

automatically re-launching the execution process for the application when the required file is installed.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the required file is compressed, and having instructions which, when executed, perform further, prior to the step of installing the required file, the step of decompressing the compressed required file.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying the existence of the required file comprises searching a system folder in the computer system to determine if the required file is located in the system folder.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the step of completing the execution process for the application comprises the step of:

in the event a second file version required by the application has another version thereof currently being used by another application, installing the second file version and restarting the computer system.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying the existence of the required file is performed by a procedure called by the execution process for the application.

7. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for installing, in a computer system, a file required by an application during the application'"'"'s execution, which when executed perform steps comprising;

launching an execution process of the application;

verifying the existence of a required file;

in the event a required file is not in existence,

terminating the execution process for the application,

automatically installing the required file onto the computer system, wherein the required file is located via an installer program, and

automatically re-launching the execution process for the application; and

completing the execution process for the application.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein prior to the step of completing the execution process for the application, having instructions which, when executed, further perform the step of, verifying the version of the required file.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the required file located in the installer program is a compressed file, the step of installing the required file has instructions which, when executed, further perform the steps of:

decompressing the compressed required file located in the installer program; and

installing the decompressed required file onto the computer system.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the step of verifying the existence of the required file comprises searching a system folder in the computer system to determine if the required file is located in the system folder.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the step of completing the execution process for the application comprises the step of:

in the event a second file version required by the application has another version thereof currently being used by another application, installing the second file version and restarting the computer system.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the step of verifying the existence of the required file is performed by a procedure called by the execution process for the application.

13. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for installing, in a computer system, a file required by an application during the application'"'"'s execution, which when executed perform steps comprising:

launching an execution process for the application;

searching a system folder in the computer system of verify the existence of a file required by the application;

in the event the required file is not in existence,

storing the location of the application associated with the execution process for the application,

automatically initiating an installer program having access to the required file in a compressed format,

terminating the execution process for the application,

decompressing the compressed required file,

installing the decompressed required file in the system folder of the computer system,

retrieving the location of the application, and

automatically re-launching the execution process for the application; and

completing the execution process for the application.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein in the event a second file required by the application is currently being used by another application, restarting the computer system.

15. A method of communicating between an installer application, a procedure in a shared library and an application program in a computer system, comprising:

receiving from the application program, a call to the procedure in the shared library to search for a file required by the application in the computer system;

in response to receiving the call, determining, by the procedure, that the required file does not exist in the computer system;

receiving from the procedure, a call to initiate an installer program,

receiving at the application program, from the installer program, a request to terminate the application program;

in response to receiving the request to terminate, terminating the application program;

after the application program is terminated, automatically installing the required file on the computer system by the installer program;

initiating a call to execute the application program from the installer program; and

in response to receiving the call to execute, automatically executing the application program on the computer system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

searching the computer system for an older version of the required file; and

in response to finding an older version of the required file, replacing the older version of the required file, by the installer program, with the required file located in a medium accessible to the installer program.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein installing the required files comprises:

decompressing, by the installer program, a compressed required file located in the installer program; and

storing, by the installer program, the decompressed required file in the computer system.

18. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 15.

19. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

an executable application program configured to be executed in the computing environment;

an installer mechanism; and

a process shared by a plurality of application programs and configured to receive a call related to executing the executable application program, and in response to determine whether a required component of the application program is installed in the computing environment, and if not installed, to automatically invoke the installer mechanism to install the required component.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the executable application program is executing, is terminated when the required component is determined by the process to not be installed on the system, and is automatically re-executed following installation of the required component.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein when invoked, the installer mechanism replaces at least one other file that was previously installed on the system by installing an updated version thereof.