Problems debugging setup

[JoelB]

I have been trying to use Windows Installer and CEAppMgr to deploy my
PocketPC application with minimal demands on the user. The solution I have
been working with is almost identical to the product of the examples in the
URLs below.

In troubleshooting 'invalid setup file' errors from CEAppMgr, I
inadvertantly rebuilt my setup package while the previous version was still
installed on my desktop machine. Now I can't uninstall the old version from
my desktop -- I get the following error:

"Exception occurred while initiailizing the installation:
System.IO.FileNotFoundException: File or assembly name Installer.dll, or
one of its dependencies, was not found."

Installer.dll is my dll, and it is referenced in the setup program for the
Install and Uninstall custom events. The version of the dll that is
referenced by the currently installed app no longer exists.

Can anyone tell me how to uninstall the stupid application?!

(for that matter, can anyone tell me how to keep from installing on my
desktop at all? I'm really only interested in deploying to the PDA, but I
have several things to install at once and need a little sophistication)

I also thought that maybe I could get the new version to overwrite the
existing one, but haven't been able to find anywhere to configure it to do
so.

TIA,
Joel

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnnetcomp/html/netcfdeployment.asp
http://www.codeproject.com/netcf/PackagingAndDeployingPPC.asp

 

[JoelB]

I ended up recklessly hacking my registry -- how exasperating. Now I am
back to the invalid setup file error. I am still interested in any comments
people might have on my original post however.

Joel