Palm O/S - When you delete an app..... - Treo Forums

Shady · 02-08-2006, 07:21 PM

When you install something an app and the trial runs out, does it leave a file somewhere on the Treo? My concern is that I try every app I can find and delete most of them. It must leave a file or setting somewhere because if I reinstall the app again, it voids the trial period.

alex_mathews · 02-08-2006, 07:59 PM

It's definitely possible. I have no idea if there is a standard place for storing that information. There is the Saved Preferences file that can hold preferences information for any application. I would assume it's also possible for an application to leave a file around. One of the uninstall applications can probably help to make sure most stray settings or files left by an application are removed.

Shady · 02-08-2006, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alex_mathews

It's definitely possible. I have no idea if there is a standard place for storing that information. There is the Saved Preferences file that can hold preferences information for any application. I would assume it's also possible for an application to leave a file around. One of the uninstall applications can probably help to make sure most stray settings or files left by an application are removed.

I confirmed that there must be some kind of file left over after deletion. I tried reinstalling some apps I deleted previously. Since I wasn't able to go through the trial period again, there must be something left on the Treo to know that.

georgepink · 02-08-2006, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shady

I confirmed that there must be some kind of file left over after deletion. I tried reinstalling some apps I deleted previously. Since I wasn't able to go through the trial period again, there must be something left on the Treo to know that.

..not necessarily, the registry of your computer could possibly hold it too, since it's synched to the palm from there.

Shady · 02-08-2006, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgepink

..not necessarily, the registry of your computer could possibly hold it too, since it's synched to the palm from there.

I download most my apps directly from my Treo via internet. So it doesn't get installed on Laptop or get hotsync'd.

plunker · 02-08-2006, 09:17 PM

A hard reset might clear the treo, and everything else though.

rouxster · 02-08-2006, 10:44 PM

My recommendation is to get something like Resco Explorer. That way, you can look for the fragments of the program yourself. I suspect the Plam has something like a registry, but from wht it looks like it is more of a database where it keeps registry type information. It's a littel tougher looking for these fragments on the palm device, becasue its not like WM where you have a "Windows" directory, etc.

The reminants of program might be stored on on your PC, but that is only from your backup. Even if you delete your entire Palm directory (unistall first, of course)from your PC, reinstall, then try to reload an app, you will still see that your trial period has expired. Thatis becasue that info is stored on your Treo.

Antoine of MMM · 02-09-2006, 07:10 AM

WHat you are looking for gets saved into the Saved Preferences.prc and the Unsaved Preferences.prc files. Those two files act like a system registery. If you want to make sure that programs do not leave anything in those files that would idenitfy those programs, programs like the Resco one mentioned above and Cleanup via the NeatFreak Pack would clean those.

Slightly more invasive question, why not just buy the software when the trial is done rather than try to extend the trial longer?

lulugirl896 · 02-09-2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shady

When you install something an app and the trial runs out, does it leave a file somewhere on the Treo? My concern is that I try every app I can find and delete most of them. It must leave a file or setting somewhere because if I reinstall the app again, it voids the trial period.

It makes an entry in your saved preferences. Otherwise, people could simply re-install apps and never need to pay for them!

Shady · 02-09-2006, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antoine of MMM

Slightly more invasive question, why not just buy the software when the trial is done rather than try to extend the trial longer?

I knew this might come up. I have paid for every app I use at least once. When I switched from 7135 to Treo, I paid for many of them again. It was easier to pay $10-20 per app then look for old reg numbers. I even paid for apps like Kinoma for $40 that I never used. But I am total supporter of developers. I am a software engineer myself.

The reason I asked this question originally is that I do like to try all different apps available and have noticed that after unistalling them, I have been resetting more.

So I did a hard reset and put back on only the apps I use, no more resets yet for a month.

So my conclusion is that apps do leave something behind after deleting them and in some cases are harmful to the Treo.

So I'm looking for a way to monitor what and where those changes occur. It looks like there are saved and unsaved preference files I need to look at closer. is there a resedit for PalmO/S?? Or even needed?