What's your approach with system dlls?

LelJuly 9, 2006 at 6:00 AM#

What's your approach with system dlls?

Hi,
I'd like to know your opinion on how to deploy system dlls used by my app that could be shared by other aplications.
I found this thread :

redistributable dll's - Winamp & Shoutcast Forums

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=248308&highlight=system+dll

Are you a developer who uses NSIS to distribute your application? Are you a Winamp plug-in developer who wants to use NSIS to distribute your plug-in? Have suggestions for other people like you? This is the place.

But what I'd like to know is if it's considered a good approach to put those dlls in the INSTDIR rather than system32, in order to avoid conflicts with existing versions or problems when uninstalling.

thanks
bye

onadJuly 9, 2006 at 7:42 AM#

Never put your own created DLL's in the Windows or System32 directory they just do not belong there as the dir names already indicate OS and SYSTEM OS related.

Better in your application directory.

If you must just use a directory structure something like {programfiles}{youorginization}{yourshardeddlls}
and place your app in {programfiles}{youorginization}{yourapp}
and reference the DLL by ..\{yourshardeddlls}\myown.dll

galilJuly 9, 2006 at 8:46 AM#

There's only one thing I hate more than a program which installs stuff outside of it's own folder - a program which does not properly remove such stuff on uninstall.

LelJuly 9, 2006 at 11:10 AM#

Thanks,
I was more interested in runtime libraries used by my Visual C++ application, then I found this

http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Docs/AppendixB.html

that cleared my mind.
I'm still thinking that maybe putting those dll in my app directory wouldn't be that bad.