IMPORTANT UPGRADE NOTICE: Discus 4.0 can accept upgrades from versions 4.00 or 3.10 of Discus. If you are currently running an older version (3.01 or before), you must first upgrade to version 3.10 BEFORE you upgrade to version 4.0.

These upgrade instructions apply to Discus Freeware and Discus Professional 4.0 and higher. You are upgrading your existing Discus or Discus Professional board to the latest available version. Note that the xxx in the file names represents the patch number and international distribution, if any, that you have downloaded.

1. Download the appropriate Discus zip file, discus4_00_xxx.zip, from the DiscusWare web site. Save this into a temporary directory on your computer (e.g., c:\temp). Use Explorer to go to this directory.

2. Unzip and extract the zip archive by double-clicking the discus4_00_xxx.zip file to run it through your zip program. Preserve the subdirectory structure when extracting (in WinZip, be sure that 'Use folder names' is checked). Extract the file to the temporary directory, which will create a subdirectory called discus4_00 with the installation files.

3. Double-click the file entitled "upgrade.pl" to run it with Perl in a command window.

   You will be prompted to supply the discus.conf file from your existing board. The easiest way to do this is to type in the full path to your discus.conf file after selecting option 1. If you select options 2 or 3, follow on-screen instructions to locate and use your discus.conf file.

   If this is the first time you are upgrading to Discus Professional 4.0, you will be prompted to enter your license number. Enter your license number as it appears in the e-mail confirmation message. It is important to enter your license number properly, as the software will remember your license number and use it for you automatically when you perform future upgrades.

   You can choose either a full upgrade (1) or a custom upgrade (2). If you have customized templates, skins, or configuration files, you should use a custom upgrade to preserve your changes. Please note that only a full upgrade is supported by DiscusWare.

   When asked to confirm your upgrade, make sure that the URL to your board is correct (i.e., make sure you are using the right discus.conf file). Then, answer yes to upgrade the program files.

4. Log into the administration program as the board administrator (username "admin" in most cases). If this is the first time you are upgrading to version 4.0, and you were running version 3.10, you will be prompted to click the upgrade link. This will convert your user and message databases into version 4.0 format.