Submission details
Windows Installer resets the progress bar several times during installation
Native Windows Installer (MSI) progress dialogs displays a progress bar and a Current Action label. In several years of watching these progress bars, the percentage of the progress bar (which resets to zero several times during installation) does not seem to be based on any pattern. Few installation programs go above the provided default to provide an overall installation bar. This violates the Windows UX Guidelines.
The Current Action, which seems to correspond roughly to what's actually in the MSI database, usually flashes by too quickly to be readable, is techno-gibberish anyway ("Validating script..."), and is not useful to the user. Take it out.
Provide better default dialogs, since the defaults are what developers will use most of the time.
Low
Low
Not fixed
Discussion (10 comments)
You're right, those progress bars are entirely useless.
Yeah, Tuanese has a good idea. You could have two progress bars, but the one for current action hidden until you click "More details", like when you copy a file... you can click for more details about the transfer rate and stuff.
sounds overly complex to me.
"1 for current action and 1 for overall "
Yeah, just like they had 20 years ago.
In general, resetting a progress bar is a massive booboo in the UX guidelines.
Demoted-A moving progress bar shows that the operation is working, no matter if it repeats or not. I don't depend on it, I used HDD activity to see if it locks up.
@jimm: Overly complex? Look at these I put together. (Sorry they're not perfect, they were rushed a little.)
Less information:
http://i27.tinypic.com/okdes4.jpg
More information:
http://i28.tinypic.com/2yzab7m.jpg
I don't see how that's complex. :s
@Amtrak7: Progress bars are supposed to show the overall percentage, according to the UX guidelines... having it reset itself confuses users and even leads to mistrust of Windows since it seems to have finished something, only to start again.
Um, not sure why those haven't linked. I'll try again.
EDIT: They have linked now... I think I must be going mad.
Should have two bars. One for the progress in particular and one for the overall progress
Tuanese wrote on June 13, 2008, 8:27am
1. I think It wasn't "Reset", just another installer actions (Example: Remove/Check Previous Installation -> Preparing Computer -> Installing -> Finishing Installation)
2. Better be, I wish that it could have 2 progress bars (one for current installer action and one for overall process; you can see it in every new Adobe's Installer)