Copyright: Copyright © 1997 Helix Software Company


Contents
Instant Update

Instant Update uses a wizard interface that will walk you through the process of checking, downloading, and applying updates.  The initial screen contains the following choices:

Check for Updates

Remove Backup of Last Patch

Undo Last Patch
Settings

Troubleshooting Instant Update Problems

Tip:  If you have not applied a patch previously, Check for Updates will be the only choice.


Troubleshooting Instant Update Problems

We have made every effort to make sure that updating your files by using Instant Update is easy and trouble free.  However, there are some instances where the program may not work as expected.  Please use the following guide to resolve problems that you may encounter with Instant Update:

All the files did not seem to have been updated.  How can I ensure that the program has been updated correctly?

There are configuration files and backup files (i.e. .INI, .BAK) that normally reside in the program directory you are updating.  There may be other files in the directory that are not related to the program.  Instant Update does not delete or change these programs and therefore, may appear as if the update is not complete.

To insure proper update, reinstall the program you are updating from the original disk(s) and then execute Instant Update.

When I restarted Windows soon after applying a new update, I get bad or missing errors when I try to run any program from the updated files.  What went wrong and how do I get around this?

Instant Update depends on a Windows 95 program called WININIT.EXE to perform properly.  This error is an indication that WININIT.EXE did not run properly.  The problem could be caused by a corrupt WININIT.INI file.  Try the following:

•	Open Windows Explorer.  Find the file called WININIT.INI located in the Windows directory and delete it.

•	Rerun Instant Update and select Undo Last Patch.

•	Run Instant Update to try updating again.

When I try to Check for updates, I get the message Unable to download Information FiIe.  What does this mean and how can I fix it?

This error means that there is a problem reaching the FTP server containing the update files.  There are several possibilities why this can occur:

•	You are not connected to the internet.  Check to make sure that you have dialed into your internet provider prior to checking for updates.  You must be connected to the internet for Instant Update to work.

•	If you are connected to the internet its possible that the update FTP server is busy.  Check for updates at a later time.

•	If you are connected to the internet via your office internal network, its possible that there is a firewall between your network and the internet.  Instant Update support connections through a firewall.  Please ask your network system administrator for further assistance.


Check For Updates

To check for new product updates, start Instant Update and  select Check for Updates from the initial screen and click on Next.  Instant Update will display the following screen:

After clicking on Next, Instant Update continues by trying to connect to the internet using your default Dial-Up Networking connection.  Please check your Windows 95 online help for more information on Dial-Up Networking.  Once connected to the internet, Instant Update does the following:

•	Checks your current product version

•	Queries for Updates in Helix Softwares FTP site

•	Download the Update

•	Apply the Update

When Instant Update determines that there is a newer version of the product available, you are prompted with a dialogue box similar to the following:

Choose Yes if you want to update your current version of the product, otherwise, choose No to immediately exit out of the program.

Choosing Yes to continue with the update instructs Instant Update to download the appropriate file(s).  Note:  This may take some time depending on the size of the file(s).  There is a vertical progress bar graph that gives a precise indication of how much of the file has been downloaded.

Once the update file(s) have been fully downloaded, Instant Update automatically performs the update.  This may take some time depending on the size of the update.  Backups of your original files are also created during this time.  These backups are stored in a subdirectory called BACKUP located in under your program directory.

TIP:  At the beginning of the Updating the files, you will hear some disk activity, however, you may not see a change in the progress indicator bar.  This is normal behavior and should not be taken as an error in the program.

Once your files have been updated, a screen similar to the following will come up

Choose Finish to finalize the update.  You will then be prompted to restart Windows to complete the update process.

Related Topics:  Remove Backup of Last Patch, Undo Last Patch


Remove Backup of Last Patch

Everytime you perform an update, backups are made to your original files. These backups are stored in a subdirectory called BACKUP located in under your program directory.  Once you are comfortable with the new update, you may choose to remove these backups to save disk space.

To remove backups, start Instant Update and  select Remove backup of last patch from the initial screen and click on Next.

Instant Update will display a screen prompting you to click on Finish to remove the backups.

TIP:  Removing the backup of the last patch will prevent you from undoing the last patch.

Related Topics:  Undo Last Patch


Undo Last Patch

Use the Undo last patch option from Instant Updates main screen to revert back to the version of the product prior to applying an update.

To undo the last patch, start Instant Update and  select Undo last patch from the initial screen and click on Next.

Instant Update will display a screen prompting you to click on Finish to restore your previous version. You will then be prompted to restart Windows with the previous version of the program.

Related Topics:  Removing Backup of Last Patch


Settings

The Settings window allows you to configure Instant Update to work in an environment where a Firewall is utilized.

There are five configurable settings:

Host - The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the host acting as a firewall (i.e. firewall.mycompany.com) or the IP address of the host acting as a Firewall (i.e. 205.121.121.12).

Port - The TCP port your firewall uses to perform file transfers.  This is normally set to 21.

User ID - The User ID to use in authenticating your PC with the firewall.

Password - The Password for the User ID.

Please consult your network administrator if you are unsure of the values you need for the above settings.


Firewalls

Simply put, a Firewall is a machine on your network that controls data flow between your corporate local area network (LAN) and the internet.  Ask your network adminstrator for assistance in configuring Instant Update to work with your network firewall.