Well.. I normally use Classic Start Menu, because I can't stand the Win10-11 menu. I just discovered that Windows is doing it's level best to try to hide the 2.10.36 install, and the 2.10.38 install. If I type "GIMP", it autofills 3.0.0 and tries to not let me see the 2.10.38 version. If I "FIX" the auto-search, it still won't show me the 2.10.36 version. Since it doesn't consider the 2.10.36 version an "App", and won't even show it to me, I'm relatively certain that the Microsoft Store installer is the one that hosed everything.
There's the question whether you installed GIMP for all users or just for your user. This is one case where you can end up with multiple 2.10 versions on one system, for example.
I'm not at all sure how to figure out how I handled it back when I made it dual install 2.8 and 2.10, since the 2.8 install is utterly gone, now. I suppose I could sniff around the registry for leftovers. If the Microsoft Store did bork the auto-update, there ought to be a pile of junk left scattered around the registry.
Currently, the version I installed as a program is 2.10.36. it does not show up in the Win11 Start Menu at all. The 2.10.38 version was installed as an app. It does show up in the Win11 Start Menu, if I make it show me it.
I'm pretty sure somebody could replicate that, and install one version as a program, and one as an app, without depending on the Microsoft Store to bork it up.
Personally, I avoid installing ANYTHING with the Microsoft Store, if I can avoid it. I've ran in to various issues with it, from practically non-uninstallable items to serious privacy concerns related to apps escaping their little MS app sandbox. I actually keep two different commercial uninstallers on my system, to make sure that I can rip anything Microsoft tries to force on me back off of my system, like a rotten tooth.
Any plug-ins and other add-ons would usually go into your personal GIMP profile directory, so these may still be there, and as I wrote, getting all the 2.8 installers is still possible.
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u/crogonint 12d ago
Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me, either.
Well.. I normally use Classic Start Menu, because I can't stand the Win10-11 menu. I just discovered that Windows is doing it's level best to try to hide the 2.10.36 install, and the 2.10.38 install. If I type "GIMP", it autofills 3.0.0 and tries to not let me see the 2.10.38 version. If I "FIX" the auto-search, it still won't show me the 2.10.36 version. Since it doesn't consider the 2.10.36 version an "App", and won't even show it to me, I'm relatively certain that the Microsoft Store installer is the one that hosed everything.