BDE install cannot continue because Rad Studio 10.3 could not be found on the system

[dummzeuch 1505]

I just downloaded the 30868_bde_installer_for_rad_studio_delphi_c_builder_10.3_rio.ZIP from Embarcadero and tried to install the BDE on a computer that I want to run some programs that still depend on the BDE. And I got the following error:

 

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No Rad Studio 10.3 found
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BDE install can not continue because Rad Studio 10.3 could not be found on the system. Please install Rad Studio 10.3 and try this install again.
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OK   
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WTF?

 

Does anybody know how I can install the BDE on a computer that does not have (and will never have) Rad Studio installed? Is there a separate installer for that?

 

(And please refrain from telling me that we should get rid of the BDE already. We're getting there but we're not there yet.)

 

twm

[ByteJuggler 45]

Welcome to the [BDE] club.  

 

That BDE installer isn't just the BDE but also installs the BDE components into the IDE, which is why it looks for RAD studio.   After installation on the developer PC there's a file BDE_ENT.msi buried under ProgramData somewhere which is how you're meant to deploy it, not very obvious I know.  (Easy to find with "Everything".)   

 

Alternatively you might consider a third party source.  (For what it's worth we've extensively inspected and used this package, but treat it with the usual caution.  It has some benefits in that it steps around/fixes the restrictions/problems that the BDE normally has on Vista and above due to the restrictions placed on Program Files, root folder and other system locations, that you might have to fix if you use the default Windows installer package.)

Edited March 6, 2019 by ByteJuggler

[Antony Danby 1]

I am sorry, but I installed BDE v5.01 onto my machine using the installer ( 30868_bde_installer_for_rad_studio_delphi_c_builder_10.3_rio ) and I cannot find BDE_ENT.msi anywhere and I have Everything and still cannot find it. I have even gone into %programdata% and manually searched for it and it is nowhere to be found. Also the download link you provided, when the files are unzipped they are just folders to be copied somewhere ( I think ), but the instructions are not instructions I would want to give to an average user as they are far too complex.

 

So, I guess my questions are:

• Do Embarcadero still sell or make available for download or to purchase the Enterprise version for clients ( not developers ) with a proper installer
• Can a proper installer be obtained from anywhere ?
• If the customer already has a licensed version of the BDE Enterprise (v4) are they allowed to get an updated installer
• Will this work on Window 10 (v4 or the latest version)
• What is the latest version of the client side of the BDE ?

Sorry for all of these questions, but we are trying to move a client from Windows7 to Windows10 and then eventually from the BDE to FireDAC