The Hot Potatoes software suite includes five applications that can create exercises for the World Wide Web. The applications are JCloze, JCross, JMatch, JMix and JQuiz. There is also a sixth application called The Masher, that will compile all the Hot Potatoes exercises into one unit. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Hot Potatoes from the command line using the EXE installer.
How to Install Hot Potatoes Silently
Hot Potatoes Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.php#downloads
- Download the setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART
- Press Enter
After a few moments you should see the Hot Potatoes Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | HotPotatoes |
| Vendor: | HalfBaked |
| Architecture: | x86 |
| Installer Type: | EXE |
| Silent Install Switch: | setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (32-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles%\HotPotatoes7\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Silent Uninstall Switch (64-bit System) | "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\HotPotatoes7\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
| Download Link: | https://hotpot.uvic.ca/index.php#downloads |
| PowerShell Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/hot-potatoes-install-and-uninstall-powershell/ |
| Detection Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/create-a-custom-detection-script-for-hot-potatoes-powershell/ |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create a Hot Potatoes Installation Log File
The Hot Potatoes installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following command to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.
Hot Potatoes Silent Install (EXE) with Logging
setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /LOG="%WINDIR%\Temp\HotPotatoes-Install.log" |
Change the Hot Potatoes Default Installation Directory
You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing Hot Potatoes to “C:\HotPotatoes”
setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe /DIR="C:\HotPotatoes" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
Exclude the Hot Potatoes Desktop Shortcut During Install
The Hot Potatoes installer creates a desktop shortcut by default. If you do not want the desktop shortcut, then you can run the following command line switches to exclude it.
Hot Potatoes Silent Install (EXE) with No Desktop Shortcut
setup_hotpot_xxxx.exe /VERYSILENT /NORESTART /MERGETASKS=!desktopicon |
How to Uninstall Hot Potatoes Silently
Check out the following posts for a scripted solution:
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter one of the following commands:
Hot Potatoes 7 Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 32-bit System
"%ProgramFiles%\HotPotatoes7\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
Hot Potatoes 7 Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 64-bit System
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\HotPotatoes7\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
Hot Potatoes 6 Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 32-bit System
"%ProgramFiles%\HotPotatoes6\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
Hot Potatoes 6 Silent Uninstall (EXE) on 64-bit System
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\HotPotatoes6\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT /NORESTART |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.