Short Bytes: In Windows operating system, it is only possible to install one program at a time. This is only in the case of Windows Installer and it is to prevent anything going wrong with the system files during the installation process.
If you want to remove any program from the Windows operating system, you can head over to the Programs and Featured utility present in the Control Panel. While uninstalling programs, you might have noticed that you’re able to uninstall only one program at a time. If you try to remove another program, the system will notify you that an uninstall process is already running.The only option you’re left with is to wait until the first application gets removed from your system. If you look more closely at the situation, you will notice it’s the installer which restricts the count of simultaneous uninstalls on your system.
Most programs use the Windows Installer to get installed, update, and removed from your system. An uninstall process involves modification of various system files (like, DLL files) and Windows registry entries. Chances are, some other programs might be sharing these things.
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Also, Windows installer keeps noting what changes it has made during the removal process in rollback script. It helps it to reverse the settings and files to their initial state if anything goes wrong. For instance, if the user cancels the uninstall process.
Windows Installer doesn’t like messy operation.
Developers usually use the Windows Installer to load programs on a machine. If they use one of their own, then the installation barrier could be lifted. But in that case, it would be difficult for an installer to keep track of changes made by other installers. It may lead to conflicts, and possibly break the operating system.
In a nutshell, it is to ensure the safety of the system, and the data present on it that Windows Installer restricts the uninstallation of more than one program. Since the launch of Windows Store, Microsoft has motivated developers to stick to Windows Installer, so that a consistent internal database of the installed programs can be maintained. Moreover, to ensure reliability, the installer’s rollback feature works more efficiently with a consistent internal database.
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