John,
The log file named ¡°C:\Users\<your user name>\JMRI\log\session.log¡± should provide us with useful information if the InstallTest fails. Copy that file and paste it into an email to this group.
Rearranging the order of your questions, starting with the easy stuff first, please see notes below:
>Is using Google Chrome okay for a browser?
Chrome, Firefox, Edge (AKA Internet Explorer), and perhaps other well-known browsers all work reasonably well with some differences, but other than downloading Java and JMRI and using the JMRI help pages the browser SHOULD NOT be a part of the installation questions.
>I tried uninstalling (using Windows process) a few times before installing again.
Why do you say ¡°a few times?¡± Does the Uninstall process provide any error messages or just quit? How do you go about attempting a second Uninstall?
Do you have more than one copy of JMRI on your computer? If so, the Uninstall feature will only work on the most recently installed version. My computer has both 4.8 and a 4.9.3ish-Jenkins versions on it so uninstalling the older one takes a little extra care.
>Upon uninstallation process "LaunchJMRI.exe and UnInstall.exe" files can't be deleted with message indicating needing appropriate permission (getting Admin rights may be another issue).
Often Windows will provide a pop-up dialog box with a meaningless text concerning Admin Privileges, but clicking on the "OK" button is all that is needed to proceed.
Admin rights are a local issue and there is nothing that can be done long-distance in that regard. Get some local help if you cannot get around that problem.
>How can I completely eliminate all JMRI files so I can start with a clean slate again?
If the Admin issues can be solved, the all-purpose sledge-hammer way to clean up the installation is to find the folder that contains all the distribution files for the Production version and named ¡°C:\Program Files (x86)\JMRI¡± and delete that folder and all subfolders. In my case there is a second folder named ¡°C:\Program Files (x86)\JMRI TestVersion\JMRI¡± for the Development version, but there is little reason other than caution for mentioning that here.
For safety, it makes sense to find your data files in the folder ¡°C:\Users\<your user name>\JMRI¡± and change the name of that folder until you have a clean installation.
>Turns out installing another time even with a different release can't access that LaunchJMRI.exe file but not sure if that would make the difference if they are the same files across all releases.
That is not surprising, since the installation process works with the assumption that either no previous version was installed or else that a previous version was correctly installed and works correctly.
>Running "InstallTest.bat" seems to provide positive results but I don't see anything on my browser with shortcut and tying to execute from directory results in message indicating I need rights.
There is no reason for any interaction between the InstallTest and any browser.
Cliff Anderson in Baja SoCal
