installer / lobby: stuck in "startup directory is not writeable!" loop

[knorker]

As described in http://zero-k.info/Forum/Thread/14163
(seems to be a known problem but I did not find it on git bugtracker)

"Any attempts at launching result in this error popping up over and over again until the task is force closed:
[Startup directory is not writeable!]"
http://i.imgur.com/JA3SgGk.jpg

This post has collected similiar threads and more info:
http://zero-k.info/Forum/Thread/14163#126321

[Anarchid]

Collating from sheep's inquiry on the problem:

Anyway, the error is not issued by the installer, but by ZKL itself:
https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K-Infrastructure/blob/master/ZeroKLobby/Program.cs#L161
An interesting condition:
StartupPath.Contains("Local\Apps")
look again at OP's screenshot...
Then here:
https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K-Infrastructure/blob/master/ZeroKLobby/Program.cs#L171
So, zero-k.exe is moved to ...local\apps... then started again, then of course, when its checking whether it is in local\apps, it complains again...

[xponen]

useful debugging!

[xponen]

fix have been commited e44f92a

very much thanks to [v]sheep for researching the fix!.

IMO this is what possibly happen:

1. new user choose ClickOnce version, which installed ZKL into Local/apps,
2. which then immediately update to recent one that don't use Local/apps,
3. however Spring directory wasn't set yet (old ZKL didn't ask this)!
4. so new ZKL have zero directory except Local/apps!

[xponen]

hopefully fixed in e44f92a
which tell ZKL to ask for Spring dir if current dir is Local/apps

[Orfelius]

Apperently bug still exists but it is no longer a loop.
I have installed it on my brother's computer today and it gave me following error:
Setup directory is not writeable
Please use the newely created desktop icon to start Zero-K not this one.
Zero-K will be moved to C:\Users\xxx\My Documents...

then it writes another error:

Move failed, please copy Zero-K.exe into writeable folder

And then it proceeds to work anyway. And yes I tried to both use the launcher directly as well as the created icon. It gives the same result.

[knorker]

@Orfelius
Open new issue then.

or
@xponen should re-open this one. (I can not, because http://stackoverflow.com/questions/21333654/how-to-re-open-an-issue-in-github )

[Stuart1998]

Issue is not fixed, please reopen.

[Histidine91]

Removed the ClickOnce installer (and all references to 91.0) from the download page.

[Histidine91]

I'm assuming this is fixed. If it occurs with the non-ClickOnce installer (now the only one available) please post here.

[Anarchid]

This happens on my windows partition but i'm not sure which installer i used. I will reinstall for science sometime this week year.