Installer annoyances

So, being the experimental sort, I often install (and uninstall) new software. Using the myriad different install tools I find some tendencies that are - after about the 1000th time - quite annoying.

To give a short list:
- Company name. Almost _every_ installer out there assumes that I am part of some company, even if I am trying to install "Generic Solitaire Games Vol 2". And most of the time it is an obligatory information, so I am forced to enter something along the lines of "Myself" or "//", or even "--".
Developers, not _everyone_ is part of the business world. At least make the information optional, if you _must_ have it.

- Too many subdirectories.
When I install software, I like to be able to find it on my hard drive. For example, if I use the "Ultimate Back Scratcher 3", I expect to look under "C:\Program Files\Ultimate Back Scrathcher" somewhere.
I do not wish to search for 5 minutes and then go look at the shortcut icon, only to discover the program in
"C:\Program Files\YourLameSoftwareInc\OurDesktopProducts\ScratcherSeries\BackScracther"
And it is also tedious to keep changing the directories for every small tool that I wish to install.

- Too many shortcut icons.
Usually, at the end of install, I am presented with a screen that asks me where I would like the shortcut. The options are: Desktop, Start Menu, Quick Launch, Internet Explorer toolbar button, My Documents, Your other PC, Send it to mail to all your friends, Your car dashboard and a tattoo in your dog's ear.
I like my software to assume that _one_ shortcut in start menu is enough and I can then (supposedly) copy it wherever I want it myself, no?

- After-Install features.
So, I have finally succeeded in installing all parts of the software, and my computer is recovering from the shock. (If you ever had two firefoxes, visual studio 2005, dreamweaver and photoshop running at the same time, you can imagine how it hurts to install a small program.) And I usually do not read the last page, just click "Finish".
Unfortunately, there were the checkboxes to Run the program, Open the Readme file, Start the registration process, See the changes list and Visit the author's website.
All that at once - _hurts_. Please make the options _disabled_ by default.
I like to think I am competent enough to actually start the program after I install it.
Too much convenience is inconvenient.

- Rebooting.
This is a standard Microsoft practice. "Whoops, your system has detected that you have farted in the last five minutes. Please restart your operating system in order for it to continue functioning for peek performance."
Why do the installers _demand_ that I restart my computer after the installation, when it is clearly not necessary. (I never restart and my computer works perfectly.)
This also applies to USB devices. I plug in my new mouse, after which the drivers are installed and the mouse starts working. After a minute or so of using it, a friendly little box pops up and tells me that "The new hardware was installed, but it won't work until I reboot."
Who is the 'smartass' here?

- Progress bars
A progress bar has behind it the basic idea of visually informing the user about the progress of something. Hence it's name. When I see a progress bar, I know that as soon as it reaches 100%, the thing will be done and I will be able to continue. Right?
Not so. The fancy Windows installer (and some others) will fill up a progress bar, then start right over, anywhere from 3 to 7 times.
Why, then, is the progress bar useful?
"Well, you can see how far the installation had progressed, allthough it may or may not start over when it reaches the end."
Either use a "global" progress bar, or add another progress bar to track the entire progress.
It feels to me almost as if the installer can't tell exactly how much work it has left - which is odd, since computers are pretty deterministic machines.


And concluding:
Why do we even need all the fancy installers?
The example RPM or DEB package managers give us prove that it can be done in an alternate manner. (More on that some other time)