# Reliable way to detect if Mp3tag is installed and where »export« folder is?
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 22, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504 "2008-11-22T00:12:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Moonbase](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Moonbase)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504/1 "2008-11-22T00:12:07Z")
I need to distribute some exports and actions I made for Mp3tag to several people that aren’t too computer-literate. Meaning, they’re usually _not_ even able to find their _»C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mp3tag\export«_ folder. Also, letting them change file paths in export files would lead to certain doom and lots of unnecessary support calls.
These people are using a variety of systems, i.e. Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, and Vista in both German and English versions, making it impossible to somehow »hard-code« any paths. I also know some of them have moved their »Program Files« folder elsewhere.
Since Mp3tag unfortunately also doesn’t allow using system environment variables as part of export filenames (i.e., _»%APPDATA%\Mp3tag\export\output.txt«_), I thought it would be an appropriate idea to use an _Installer Program_ to have these installed in the correct places and also have the installer modify the export files to point to a »sensible« output file name.
Now my question is: Is there a _reliable_ (or better: _fully supported/encouraged_) way to find out the following under—at least—Windows 2000, XP and Vista:
- Is Mp3tag installed? (preferably by checking a registry key)
- Which is their Mp3tag version?
- Mp3tag’s location (Program Files path)
- Location of _this user’s_ »export« and »actions« folder
Two more questions:
- What is the latest Mp3tag version that is supported (or at least works) under Windows 2000?
- On _uninstalling_, will Mp3tag remove it’s registry entries? (In order to safely find out if it’s installed and it’s settings.)
- On _uninstalling_, does Mp3tag remove files/folders in _%APPDATA%\Mp3tag\? (So that I know if my added exports/actions would »survive« a deinstall/install—no one in their right mind would probably deinstall Mp3tag forever, hee hee 🙂)_
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504/2 "2008-11-27T09:12:56Z")
There is not reliable way of detecting this, except for Mp3tag's installer which keeps track of the whole history of registry entries used.
Furthermore, I don't want to document this here in public. As soon as it's documented, people begin to build on this information and it'll break things when I decide to change something internally.
Do you really need to build an installer for this? You can easily create a batch file that opens the correct export folder and creates an output, e.g, C:\Mp3tag-Output, for use in your export configurations.
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### Author:  [@Moonbase](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Moonbase)
#### Post date: [December 6, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504/3 "2008-12-06T00:22:21Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> […] Do you really need to build an installer for this? […]
Unfortunately, I guess so. There’s also some other tools to install, and they’ll _never_ manage to do all that (and adapt a zillion paths in x Exports that generate batch files, i.e. to ReplayGain whole collections, auto-process covers to a fixed size and the like). Plus, they use anything from W2k up to Vista 64-bit, and some have their program folders and user settings on other discs than C: …
I fear I wouldn’t be able to cope with the support calls … 😉
Still I’d like them to use Mp3tag, since we don’t want to re-invent the wheel when there’s a Mercedes in front of the house. 🙂
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/reliable-way-to-detect-if-mp3tag-is-installed-and-where-export-folder-is/7504/4 "2026-02-09T12:21:13Z")