Updating Basilisk

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pedro_deleon
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Updating Basilisk

Unread post by pedro_deleon » 2023-06-07, 12:09

Not a gearhead, but reasonably experienced.
Whenever I update Basilisk, I only get a clean install and nothing from my prior install is retained or retrieved.
No bookmarks, no add ons, no config, etc.
I tried to copy over my profile from another PC to no avail. Something was not accessible.
I had deleted one specific file (parent.lock) that blocks its reuse, per instructions.
Is there another path to take to achieve this? Updating is discouraged without a feature to do this.
TIA.

Blacklab
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by Blacklab » 2023-06-07, 20:57

Not experienced any problems with Basilisk updates here... either using normal built-in updater method... or using old 'over-the-top' method by downloading the new version's .exe file and running that from desktop (with Basilisk shut down).
pedro_deleon wrote:Whenever I update Basilisk, I only get a clean install and nothing from my prior install is retained or retrieved.
No bookmarks, no add ons, no config, etc.
Have you looked at Basilisk's 'about:profiles' page on the problem PC to see if you have any other Basilisk profiles in existence? If unable to start the default profile, for whatever reason, all Mozilla code-base browsers will often create and re-start the browser with a clean new profile.

Since you are where you are... perhaps the simplest way ahead is to do a full uninstall of Basilisk from the 'troublesome' machine... then do a clean reinstall. (Personally, I would use Revo Uninstaller (Free version) to ensure all traces of the old Basilisk installation have been removed and you are starting from a clean slate.)

Some possible ideas and links in previous forum topic 'Update failed; can't seem to recover now': viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27715&p=222640.

Also worth looking at summary in the 'Common causes' and 'Solutions' paragraphs of Mozillazine's Knowledge Base article 'Profile in use'... which offers explanations as to how your problem might have arisen... and offers a list of solutions.

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Shadow
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by Shadow » 2023-06-08, 09:07


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THX-1139
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by THX-1139 » 2023-06-08, 13:16

Currently still using Basilisk 2021.12.13 on win 7pro (64) instructions for updating says;
"On Windows: Copy %appdata%\Moonchild Productions\Basilisk to %appdata%\Basilisk-Dev\Basilisk
IMO these instructions are maybe really not specific/precise? enough for noobs, or old folks like me with memory lags (can't remember past a few minutes) but I digress.
My question is mainly if I already have an older (MC) basilisk install, I did find this "%appdata%\Moonchild Productions\Basilisk" However, I don't have this (yet) "%appdata%\Basilisk-Dev\Basilisk" on my PC.
So am I to assume maybe that I need to copy "%appdata%\Moonchild Productions\Basilisk" to any holding spot ie Folder, desktop etc.
for after the install of the New Basilisk, after then to copy "%appdata%\Moonchild Productions\Basilisk" to "%appdata%\Basilisk-Dev\Basilisk" which now exists.

And, can I install/overwrite the new Basilisk over the old MC install in my preferred existing directory?

I mean it may seem obvious but I would like to be sure. Thanks!
(just a little confused)
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pedro_deleon
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by pedro_deleon » 2023-06-09, 01:11

"Not experienced any problems with Basilisk updates here... either using normal built-in updater method... or using old 'over-the-top' method by downloading the new version's .exe file and running that from desktop (with Basilisk shut down)."

I have this problem on every machine I've tried it on, for several years now. Nothing from an existing install is retained.
Its a fresh install every time through an update, going back two years at least. I have it on two PCs and one laptop. About to add a second laptop. Same deal every time, using the DL and run .exe. approach. This is not confined to the May update. (Note taken on Shadow's pointer for THIS particular update.)

To Shadow. This is not a new issue for me. This was my experience when updating the prior times also. Not just after the recent Basilisk-Dev release.

I don't know what Blacklab means by the "normal built-in updater method". My update settings are to never check, BECAUSE of this problem when I encountered it the first time a few years back. So if there is a run update now option, I haven't spotted it.

I checked about about:profiles, and there's only one profile displayed on each unit.

If there is a reliable way to migrate an Apps Data folder to accomplish re-customization as implied by THX, I'll look into that.

Let's extend this question one step further. Suppose I have a config working on ONE machine using the new May release. And I do version updates (ONLY) on my three other machines, and they all result as fresh installs SANS personalization. Is there a way to COPY an AppData folder from the one that's been customized to the others that are not there yet? Even if it only handles a chunk of the work, that beats repeating the process three times again. (Bookmarks are not the problem, as I can use Restore to .json file easily enough.)

PS ... I apologize for the late response. Responses to this post were not being emailed to me, and I just now checked for comments. I thought I checked the Notify Me box (and did this time for sure) but I don't recall the first time.

THX asks ... And, can I install/overwrite the new Basilisk over the old MC install in my preferred existing directory?
I mean it may seem obvious but I would like to be sure.

Yeah, the language Shadow pointed is anything but transparent to some of us. What are the steps to take? Copy CONTENTS of that folder first and set aside? Then fresh install? Replace CONTENTS OF folder? Even if you say Yes to all, clearly its NOT CLEAR because I had to ask for clarification. If its not Yes to All, its not at all clear even now.

Thank you all for chiming in. And IMO, the coders need some help from non coders to help users navigate these moves!
I go back to FF2 and FF3 so I'm no novice on these maneuvers but some clarity would help.

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pedro_deleon
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by pedro_deleon » 2023-06-09, 01:25

One more detail. Surprising.
I'm composing this on my main machine with version 2022.11.04 (64-bit)
I haven't updated it yet, obviously.

But when I review my Users App Data, I find folders for Basilisk-Dev AND Moonchild Productions. BOTH.
And they each have Profile folders (Dec 2022 for BD, and from 2000 for MC).
About Profiles does not make reference to the MC profile. Only the Bas-Dev version.

This suggests to me that Shadow's pointer would not be applicable here, should I attempt to update THIS machine.
(Perhaps it WAS relevant back in Dec 2022 when I updated then, and nothing came over.)
The profile from the Bas-Dev folder is already in use.
But should I copy that profile to my desktop. Update. Then replace using the saved Profile?
I tried that (per my original note) and got a notice that something was inaccessible. That update path failed.

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loxodont
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Re: Updating Basilisk

Unread post by loxodont » 2023-06-09, 02:38

THX-1139 wrote:
2023-06-08, 13:16
And, can I install/overwrite the new Basilisk over the old MC install in my preferred existing directory?
Yes, you can install the new Basilisk over the old Basilisk in your programs directory.


A method that worked for me with the new profiles folder (and also for updates):

If you have installed (new) Basilisk and started it once, close Basilisk again and it should have created a new profile folder like this:

C:\Users\...\AppData\Roaming\Basilisk-Dev\Basilisk\Profiles\*example123*.default

For "new" Basilisk this is seen as its new default profile folder. Before copying the old profile files into it, I deleted all of the files in that folder, so it was empty.


If you have found your old Basilisk profile folder in
AppData\Roaming\Moonchild Productions\Basilisk\Profiles\*oldprofilefolder.default*

select all files in within that folder and copy them into the Basilisk-Dev\Profiles\example123.default folder.

- I preferred to "copy" them first - instead of "moving" - from the old location in \Moonchild Productions\Basilisk ... for backup reasons and deleted them later.

*edit: This was rather a reply to THX-1139 just before pedro_deleons new posts. As I regularly used the win-installer to update I didn't have any problems with older versions and not for years.
I only had a problem with the internal updater not updating new Basilisk after restart, supposedly caused by a mistake I made in profile locations.

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