Old installation (obsolete) files?

[Helix751]

Hi. I have a really old TC installation I have been (successfully) migrating to each new PC: the totalcmd base dir+subdirs and the Roaming\GHISLER profile dir. This way I haven't had to mess with reconfiguring and reinstalling plugins and the like.

But yesterday I tried backing up the base dir and starting from a fresh install, just to find if there were differences that may be affecting TC operation/performance/compatibility.

I found some differences and wonder if:

1. These files are deprecated and can all be safely removed?
   

   Code: Select all

   REGISTER.rtf (a very old registration form I keep just for nostalgia)
   TCKEYHANDLER.DLL
   TCKEYHANDLER64.DLL  both dated from 2020/03
   TOTALCMD.GID
   TOTALCMD.HLP  Replaced by the updated TOTALCMD.chm help file
   EVERYTHING32.DLL
   EVERYTHING64.DLL  I understand today TC uses the Everything service and not these?

   [edit] For TCKEYHANDLER*.dll and EVERYTHING*.dll I found this thread and this one and also this one. They are seemingly obsolete.
   
   As suggestion, the TC installer could take action on these leftover files from previous beta and older versions, but no longer needed by updated versions. (perhaps by keeping an internal list of deprecated files for deletion)

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   wincmd.ini

   Formerly I had a physical wincmd.ini in TC's base dir that is not used (the user profile wincmd.ini file is being used instead),
   BUT the fresh install shows WINCMD.ini symlinked to the user profile WINCMD.ini.
   Was this done by the installer?
   Does it work (symlink) properly when the ini file is called TOTALCMD.ini in the user profile folder?
3. Also I found I had WINCMD.ini and TOTACMD.ini files in TC's base dir besides the WINCMD.ini file in my profile dir. I bet the profile dir takes precedence over the others, but can anybody confirm this and also confirm which (TOTALCMD.ini or WINCMD.ini) file has priority over the other when both are present?

[white]

Code: Select all

TCKEYHANDLER.DLL
TCKEYHANDLER64.DLL  both dated from 2020/03

Those were introduced in Total Commander 9.51 release candidate 3 and removed in Total Commander 9.51 release candidate 6 (RC6).
So fire at will

Code: Select all

TOTALCMD.GID
TOTALCMD.HLP  Replaced by the updated TOTALCMD.chm help file

You can delete those as well of course. I you want to use the Help file in .HLP format, it it still being released. Download the current version at: https://www.totalcommander.ch/help/tcmde1101_hlp.zip

[petermad]

These files are deprecated and can all be safely removed?

Yes

BUT the fresh install shows WINCMD.ini symlinked to the user profile WINCMD.ini.
Was this done by the installer?

Not as far as I know.

Also I found I had WINCMD.ini and TOTACMD.ini files in TC's base dir besides the WINCMD.ini file in my profile dir. I bet the profile dir takes precedence over the others, but can anybody confirm this and also confirm which (TOTALCMD.ini or WINCMD.ini) file has priority over the other when both are present?

TC does not install or use a TOTALCMD.ini file (it has a TOTALCMD.inc file though)
The wincmd.ini in the profile dir takes precedence if the wincmd.ini in TC's program dir does NOT contain a line with UseIniInProgramDir

UseIniInProgramDir=0 This variable will only be read if the wincmd.ini is located in the same dir as the program. It must be put in wincmd.ini directly, RedirectSection has no effect on this variable.
It is the sum of the following values:
1: Use wincmd.ini in program dir if no other location is set via registry or parameters
2: Use wcx_ftp.ini in program dir if no other location is set via registry or parameters
4: Override registry settings (but not command line parameters)

You can always see the location of your TC's ini-files via menu: Help -> "About Total Commander" - or you can run: CD %COMMANDER_INI% from TC' command line, that will take you to the currently used wincmd.ini. Or you can use menu: "Configuration" -> "Save Settings Files Directly".


In the Windows registry you can find TC's ini-file location in these Keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ghisler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Ghisler


See also:
https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Finding_the_paths_of_Total_Commander_files
https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Ini-settings
https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Backup

[white]

Formerly I had a physical wincmd.ini in TC's base dir that is not used (the user profile wincmd.ini file is being used instead),
BUT the fresh install shows WINCMD.ini symlinked to the user profile WINCMD.ini.
Was this done by the installer?
Does it work (symlink) properly when the ini file is called TOTALCMD.ini in the user profile folder?

Symlink? Don't think so.

Also I found I had WINCMD.ini and TOTACMD.ini files in TC's base dir besides the WINCMD.ini file in my profile dir. I bet the profile dir takes precedence over the others, but can anybody confirm this and also confirm which (TOTALCMD.ini or WINCMD.ini) file has priority over the other when both are present?

TOTALCMD.ini is no official ini name. You could have set it yourself in registry or used a command line parameter. The installer sets the location and name in registry and this is used unless it is not writable or the UseIniInProgramDir directive is used in a wincmd.ini file in the program folder.

[Helix751]

I you want to use the Help file in .HLP format, it it still being released. Download the current version at: https://www.totalcommander.ch/help/tcmde1101_hlp.zip

Go figure! Thanks. Maybe useful for testing the .HLP viewer plugin, anyway.

[Helix751]

Symlink? Don't think so.

I may have symlinked the file myself decades ago for some obscure reason. I can't recall anything about it, anyway but it's good to discard the installer doing this.

TOTALCMD.ini is no official ini name. You could have set it yourself in registry or used a command line parameter. The installer sets the location and name in registry and this is used unless it is not writable or the UseIniInProgramDir directive is used in a wincmd.ini file in the program folder.

Good to know. Thanks. Safe to delete, then.

I'm getting closer than ever to having a clean TC installation (at least since I 1st installed from the original blue floppy disk, anyway )