Updating Your Installation

Managing Your Installation

Updating your installation is easy. SpectorSoft will notify the contact at your organization of any software updates to Spector 360 via email. If your computer is connected to the Internet, you can check for updates at the Dashboard Help menu or SpectorSoft Download Page.  All you need is your serial number.

Maintenance / Version Updates

When you update your SpectorSoft software, it is important to know whether the new software update will be a maintenance update or version update to your current installation:

• Maintenance update – Maintenance updates provide fixes and enhancements without new features. Maintenance updates come under a new "build" but not a new version number. For example, v6.0.1000 might be updated to v6.0.1001.

• Version update –  Version updates provide upgrades to the software, new features, and may require several setup steps. Version updates come under a new "version" number. For example, v6.0.xxxx will be updated eventually to v6.1.xxxx.

In most cases you can "install over" your previous installation without compromising your data or re-registering the product. Before updating, always perform a Full Backup of the database from the Dashboard (Jobs Management). If something goes wrong, you will be able revert to your working Spector 360 version and restore the database from the backup.

Check Your Version Number

Get your current product version number and your serial number on the Help > About window.  The Dashboard About box provides the Spector 360 version, plus versions for the databases.

Update Server Components

A Serial Number is required to access and install any updates. Your Administrator has access to the Serial Number under Help > About in the Control Center, in the original email purchase receipt, or on the back of the CD holder (if a CD was purchased).

The following options may be available for updating your installation:

• Online Installation
  Run the Setup program directly from the Internet link. The setup automatically detects the server components installed on your computer and updates them. Click Run at the prompt to download files, and then Run the Setup program immediately, if you wish. This option should be used when you have plenty of network/Internet bandwidth.

• Download Compressed Install File
  Download a compressed, self-extracting .exe install file. Once the file is downloaded, execute it to update your installation. This option is useful for updating components where Internet access is available.

• Download CD Image
  Download a CD image file (.iso format) of the installation CD. You can burn the CD image to media and use the executable Setup file on the CD to update components on any computer.  

Update / Add Clients

Always update Clients after updating your Server Components. If you wish, you can use the Deployment Utility with previous Client configuration .ini settings to build the Client Install file.

If you need to record more computers, you can always purchase additional Client licenses. You will need to re-register your serial number to unlock the Client licenses. See Adding Client Licenses.

Note SpectorSoft will periodically release a Client Signature File which includes updated support for recording web-based email and updates to ensure Client stealth. See Signature Files Update.