Latest update DELETES all files in "Program Files\SecondLife"

Hi, the title says it all...
I had created a directory, "program files\secondlife\files", with a subdirectory, "jack", containing all my .psp and .tga files for my avatar...
I installed the update, and in one fell swoop, it took ALL of my files away.
Now, I know I've lost my source files (paint shop pro format), but is there ANY WAY to download textures from the server, back to local?

Being a software engineer I understand why this happened, obviously the update was a fresh install (rather than a patch) - for simplicity. So it takes the liberty of removing the entire SecondLife directory then recreating it.

HOWEVER, I would ask that this is taken out of future update installers; though I have learnt my lesson (painfully.. I spent ages on my avatar textures), others might share a similar fate.

If anyone could let me know the best way to retreive my textures.. it would be dearly appreciated.

Thanks
Kieren Johnstone (Jack)

That's nothing new. No one likes it, but it's been done that way since the beginning of time, as far as I know.

That may be so, but it's hardly an acceptable situation. Not so much as a warning, prompt, nothing..
So, any ideas for retrieving my textures?

Deleting files which they installed is the correct behaviour, deleting your additional personal files is absolutely not, wherever they are located.

You're the customer, and they deleted files on your machine without authorization nor warning ---- give them hell. I'm not kidding.

A well designed installer records the files which it installs so that it can delete only those on uninstall. Anything else is shoddy workmanship. Tell them so.

NEVER store documents in the Program Files directory. Bad practice or not on the part of installers, 90% of them out there WILL delete whole directories. That's what the My Documents directory is for.

In my experience it's rare for installers to delete a program files folder unless it's specified specifically as an installation step, i.e. delete folder, even if not empty. As I said that's just from my experience, of course I have only used Wise and InstallShield in the past (the old message, 'one or more items could not be removed'.. usually due to files - temporary or otherwise - being left in the application directory). I have no idea why this step would be in place.

And for the record, earlier this year my harddrive crashed, part of the data on it was destroyed. Using a repair program I could salvage some files but all the important stuff - which I had filed in My Documents - was unaccesible. This was due to Windows XP trying to keep my data confidential - not that I asked it to, but it locked me out completely. The only way to access it would be to fix the (irreversibly damaged) Windows installation on that harddrive... etc etc, so I vowed never to use it again for anything important

Actually, no. 90% of them will NOT delete the program folder the program resides in. Hell, SL's the only program I've ever SEEN that does that.

I've seen one other installer that uninstalled user data files, and that was back in 1996.

I would think it's up to me to decide where to store my documents on my personal computer, and up to the software authors not to be lazy asshats. And as pointed out, apart from SL, I can't think of any software, however sloppily done, that does this. There is absolutely no excuse for it.

Personally, I don't use My Documents either. I keep my own C-level directory for that.

And okay, the 90% figure was apocryphal... As I never put anything in the Program File directory except program files, I never really test this. I really meant to say that I hear about people getting burned this way, so why take the risk?

C:\Stuff\Second Life isn't a BAD idea.

The best way to prove that most installers don't delete the folder itself is by finding a game you've uninstalled that had saved game files. I only know of one game (Worms Armageddon) that actually deletes the saved game files at the same time as uninstalling. Everyone else leaves them (and any other files that weren't installed by the installer) intact.