Progress of an unknown install

[QuagmireMan]

i have a program that installs certain software that the user doesn't have as well as microsoft patches, how can i show the progress of the install without knowing the total of the files that will be installed?

i did have set progress points through the install but it was too choppy.

[Hack]

Moved.

Welcome to the forums.

What setup/installation package are you using?

Are you creating these install packages yourself?

[QuagmireMan]

creating it myself

[Hack]

creating it myself

Using what?

[QuagmireMan]

i think i may just let the progressbar reset if it gets to a certain value. I am calling files that are sitting on a server, some were made with landesk, others are the orginal exe, and the win patches are in a vb script that i call from the server.

[Hack]

i think i may just let the progressbar reset if it gets to a certain value. I am calling files that are sitting on a server, some were made with landesk, others are the orginal exe, and the win patches are in a vb script that i call from the server.

My question is are you putting these files together using an installation and setup package like Inno or Wise or InstallShield?

Installation setup packages typically have built in progress bars and show the state of the install as it proceeds.

[RobDog888]

Well the way MS does it is along the lines of getting all the required files noted so you know how many. Then, depending on what each patch or exe does, you can show progress of files bing copied/registered, etc. Then move on to the next showing more progress.

[QuagmireMan]

when i call certain exe's i am having them run verbose, while the gui is telling them the progress. I don't want a zillion windows popping up one after another.

[RobDog888]

Why would you have multiple windows poping up? Just show a form with a progressbar and increment the bar during each exes run and progress of it. Have you done a Windows Update lately? Duplicate that logic. It has one window and all the updates are updated to the same window.