Windows EXE & MSI installers don't work on Windows

[markosnarinian]

Acknowledgements

• I have checked that there is no other issue describing the same or
  similar problem that I currently have, regardless if it has been
  closed or open.

• This bug affects Discord website.

• This issue is confirmed to be reproducible when WebCord is packaged
  on at least all three latest supported Electron major releases.

• This issue is reproducible in Chrome, Chromium or any
  Chromium-based browser, e.g Brave or Edge (please write in
  Additional Context which browser you have used if it is neither
  Chrome nor unmodified Chromium).

• There are no fixes done to master which resolves this issue.

• My issue describes one of the unstable and/or not fully implemented
  features.

• I have found a workaround to mitigate or temporarily fix this issue
  in affected releases (please write it in Additional context section
  below).

Operating System / Platform

🪟️ Windows

Operating system architecture

x64 (64-bit Intel/AMD)

Electron version

Application version

Bug description

The installation seems to be working at first, Webcord is visible in the Control Panel, but there is no entry in the startup menu nor any Program Files under C:\ProgramFiles or C:\ProgramFiles (x86).

Additional context

No response

[Jer-C]

These installers used to work for me, but started failing with the v4.11.0 installer. (Windows 11.)

Running the MSI installer from my downloads directory with the command msiexec /i webcord-squirrel-x64.msi /l*v InstallLog.log produced the attached log file, in case that helps at all:
InstallLog.log

Things of note:

I do have a drive where I install video games mounted as drive E, but that isn't where webcord is installed, and shouldn't be used by the installer at all. Despite that, there are lines like:

MSI (c) (1C:80) [17:41:41:402]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Adding ROOTDRIVE property. Its value is 'E:'.
[...]
MSI (c) (1C:80) [17:41:41:405]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Adding TARGETDIR property. Its value is 'E:'.

I also have my user folders moved to a drive mounted at D, but the installer should still be using the AppData, ProgramData, and Program Files folders, which are all still on the default C drive.

I think everything else about my Windows 11 installation is pretty normal, other than that I dual boot so it launches the Windows bootloader from Grub.

[versedguardian]

I am also experiencing this issue after trying to install the latest update to fix the bricked mic issue...

[Jer-C]

Using the EXE installer:

• Flashes a green square onscreen,
• Puts a "WebCord" entry in Windows Settings -> Apps -> Installed apps
• Adds a folder at %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord with two executables
• Does some other stuff
• Running %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord\Update.exe appears to put an almost-empty log file in that same folder: Squirrel-Unset.log
• Running the %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord\webcord.exe in that folder seems to run webcord.

---

Using the MSI installer does put a "WebCord Deployment Tool" entry in that same list of installed apps. It appears to add a single executable at %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%\WebCord Deployment\webcordDeploymentTool.exe.

Navigating to and running that executable flashes a green square onscreen, and then adds a "WebCord" entry in that list of installed Windows apps, and then adds a folder at %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord with two executables. Sound familiar? Webcord should now be installed at %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord\webcord.exe.

[Jer-C]

So in other words, for me:

• The EXE installer is mostly working:
  • It doesn't show the user any feedback at all.
  • It doesn't add a start menu shortcut, which is considered normal on Windows if the user is not prompted.
• The MSI installer downloads the EXE installer, but then fails to run it. It also doesn't show the user any feedback at all.

TL;DR: here's some instructions that worked for version 4.11.0 for me. I've written them for someone relatively new to computers, in case anyone stumbles on this post.

1. Download webcord-squirrel-x64.exe from Webcord Releases. These instructions are written for version 4.11.0, but in general you should always download the latest version.
2. Run it as usual; continue through the Windows warning message if prompted.
3. Open a Windows Explorer window (Win+E), select the address bar (Ctrl+L), paste in %LOCALAPPDATA%\webcord\ (Ctrl+V), and press Enter.
4. Run the webcord executable in that folder, and make sure it starts correctly.

As it was not added by the installer, I recommend adding a start menu shortcut:

1. With the previous Windows Explorer window still open, and is still at the location webcord was installed to.
2. Right-click drag (drag using the right mouse button) the webcord executable into its same folder, and select Create shortcuts [sic] here.
3. Open a second Windows Explorer window (Win+E).
4. Navigate to %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
5. Move the shortcut you just created to that folder.

@versedguardian @markosnarinian Can you test these instructions and see if they work for you?

[Jer-C]

More info: If you already have Webcord installed, and you use the EXE installer of a more recent version, it does correctly update. (Tested from 4.11.0 to 4.11.1 on Windows 11 64-bit.)

Still doesn't show any feedback, though, and the MSI installer still doesn't follow through correctly.