Upgrading and Updating

What is the difference between an 'Update' and an 'Upgrade'?

Updates:

An update is a patch for a certain version of our software.  It includes bug fixes and minor improvements.  Updates are free.

Upgrades:

An upgrade is jumping from an older version of the software to the latest version.  An upgrade would include new and improved features.  There is a cost to upgrade, which will vary depending on which software package you wish to upgrade.  Only the license holder can upgrade off of a software license and there is an eligibility window (5 years).

Why should I upgrade?

Upgrading is completely optional, so it is up to you to decide if it is worth it to you to purchase an upgrade or not.  With each new version of our software we do try to make it more flexible, easier to use and more robust (eliminate known bugs and otherwise improve performance).  You can review the What's New information for the applicable software by going to the Information page, then click on the software product and go to the What's New tab).  That will show you the changes in the newest version of the software.  You can click on the link near the bottom of that page to drill back to the previous version's changes.  You can drill back as far as applicable.

Note: Upgrade pricing is only available to those upgrading from a supported version of the software.  We only support the last 5 years of versions for each software product that we offer.  If your version is no longer available on our Downloads page, then it is no longer supported.  If your version is no longer supported, you would need to purchase a new license to move to the latest version of the software.

How does the upgrade process work?

If you have purchased one of our software products and a newer version is released, you can choose to upgrade to that version for a nominal cost**. If you would like to do that, the process works like this:

1. Purchase the upgrade from our Online Store.  Please have your old serial number handy for this step.  You can opt to download the software, or get it on media, or both.

   Note: If you, personally, do not have an account on our website or have access to an account made by someone else in your organization, then just set yourself/organization up as a new customer during the checkout process.

2. Once we have the order in our system, we will verify your eligibility to upgrade using the old serial# that you supplied.  This will happen during our normal business hours.  Hopefully, you did not wait until the last minute.
3. While you are waiting for us to process your order and if you chose a download option, you can download the software from our Downloads page.  Make sure to download the Full Release file, as you are moving to an entirely new version.  The software will act as a demo until you enter your new software serial number.

   Note: You do NOT need to have your old version installed in order to install the latest version.

4. Once your upgrade eligibility is confirmed, we will process the order.
5. You will receive an order update email with your new software serial number.  Some email providers may dump our emails into your Spam or Junk Mail folder, so make sure to look there.  If you can flag our messages as not spam, we would appreciate it.
6. Run the software and enter your new software serial number to activate all of the features.

** Conditions Do Apply:

1. The old software version MUST still be supported.  If it is not available on our Downloads page, it is no longer supported.
   
2. You or your organization are the registered software license holder.

To upgrade, do I need to have the old version already installed?

No. When you install the new version it will install all the files that it will need.

Note: You will need to do the full installation of the new version.  There is no installer to go from version x to version y.  Things are easier with a fresh new install.

If I install the latest version of your software, will it kill my old version or data files?

Windows:

No. The new version will want to install itself to a new location, so it will not overwrite the old version or any of your data files.

This does allow you to test drive the new version without causing a problem with your old version.

macOS:

You can overwrite an old version of the software when you install a new version, but you can also choose to keep the old version.

Note: Data files are not overwritten, even if you overwrite the old version of the software.

What are the differences between Version X and Version Y?

Every time we put out a new version for one of our software packages, we list the changes from the previous version.  You can see that list by going to the Information page for a particular software product and then selecting the What's New tab.  At the bottom of that page, there will be a link to the what's new list for the previous version.  You can drill back through versions as far as applicable.