Computer Services
Stanton/Wilmington Campus
Netscape Communicator 4.0x Install Notes

Reference web sites

• Beginnings of User Documentation for Netscape Mail
• Netscape Unofficial FAQ Page

Goals

Initial Install Observations

• Most config data specified in prefs.js
• Some registry settings
• Park user profile in F:\netscape.
  • Netscape only creates this during a profile creation process...
  • Need to create directory structure manually...
  • Make a template directory in main netscape directory
  • Most preferences stored in prefs.js file in profile directory
    • Install perl, use perl to edit specific user configuration stuff.
• Set cache dir to a temporary directory
  • Have to map a letter to a unique temporary directory...
    • Setup samba share "usertemp" dir as /temp/dos/%u
    • In logon.bat execute below commands:
      • mkdir \\zuni\temp\dos\%username%
      • net use t: \\zuni\usertemp
    • Cache dir can then be set to T:\CACHE

Installation Steps

• Make snapshot using sysdiff on clean install
• Install Communicator, reboot, login as user
  • Run Communicator
  • Setup initial profile
  • Define config values
  • Name profile "user"
  • Profile dir is f:\netscape
  • Cache dir is T:\cache (see below for more info on T:)
  • Subscribe to internal news groups all users should see by default
  • Make copy of f:\netscape, reproduce in local netscape\template dir
  • Make Icon in All Users group. It should run a bat file, not exe (see below)
• Run sysdiff /diff and make a diff file
• Dump it, confirm everything looks OK
• Install in system distribution point
• Create batch files (see below) and install in appropriate places (recommended on server to make changes easier)

Additional Notes

Should deny access to the key where user profiles are created. Do this with secadd, in resource kit.

  secadd -l "software\netscape\netscape navigator"
  secadd -l -a "software\netscape\netscape navigator" everyone

Launch Scripts

• netscape.bat
• nssetup -- Perl Script

Additional Observations With Respect To 4.51

• Still uses prefs.js file. Will users be able to jump between versions?
  • It appears so...
• Hmm, also creates an liprefs.js. Difference?
  • This file gets passed to roaming profile location
  • Gets created when netscape quits
  • If roaming profiles not used, no need to worry about it.
• Namespaces might be a hassle... especially #ftp and #news
• Subscribe to all or what?
• Run Real Player and configure before sysdiff?
• Adding "user_pref("mailnews.start_page.enabled", false);" will stop the netcenter page from loading when e-mail starts.
• Since it uses installshield, we can run an initial install with -r option to record a setup.iss file, then install with -s option for silent install. Yeah!
• Hmm, having some troubles with above when testing it. First, setup.log indicated a -5 error (file not found). Using the -f1 switch didn't seem to help. After I copied setup.iss into the %TEMP% dir, the error changed to a -12 (dialog boxes out of order). Maybe I hit the BACK button when recording with -r. Going to try again and document dialog order
  1. Welcome screen, hit NEXT
  2. License agreement, hit YES
  3. Setup Type, hit custom, leave install directory as suggested
  4. Directory doesn't exist, so hit YES to "Question" prompt
  5. Options dialog, check/uncheck stuff, hit YES
  6. Setup associations. Hit Next
  7. Preferences, select stuff and hit Next
  8. Program Folder, hit Next
  9. Copying Files warning, hit Install
  10. Read Readme file? Hit No
  11. Information: Complete message, hit OK
  12. Restarting Windows? Hit No, then OK
• Oh well. That didn't work either. And the dialog boxes DO look in order

4.6 Notes

1. Dialog: "Netscape Communicator" Press Enter
2. Dialog: "Software License" Press Enter
3. Dialog: "Setup Type" Press Enter
4. Dialog: "Netscape Desktop" Press Enter
5. Dialog: "Select Program" Press Enter
6. Dialog: "Start Copying" Press Enter
7. Dialog: "Question" !N
8. Dialog: "Information" Press Enter
9. Dialog: "Restarting" ##{DOWN}##~

Well, yippe dippy, it works like a champ!

Some more issues to worry with:

• Installs Real Player G2 which blows some of its own dialogs to the screen. Fortunately, it looks like letting them sit there until shutdown is OK
• Haven't been able to find out where profile directory is stored now. Doesn't look like it's in HKLM\Software\Netscape anymore. Need to sysdiff to find it I guess (or use regmon)
• Turns out profile location now stored in %systemroot%\nsreg.dat
  Of course, it HAS to be change perms... :(