====== Installing and upgrading ======

This section covers getting ProBoard v4 onto a computer, bringing an older system across, and keeping a running system up to date. Choose the page that matches your situation.

^ You are... ^ Read ^
| Setting up a new board | [[v4:install:requirements|Before you install]], then [[v4:install:fresh_install|Installing ProBoard v4]] |
| Running ProBoard 2.x (16-bit) and moving to v4 | [[v4:install:upgrade_16bit|Upgrading from 16-bit ProBoard]] |
| Moving FidoNet mail settings from FastEcho or Internet Rex | [[v4:install:migrate_fidonet|Importing FastEcho and Internet Rex settings]] |
| Already running v4 and want newer programs | [[v4:install:program_updates|Program updates]] |

===== How installation works =====

ProBoard v4 is delivered as a zip file, one for 64-bit Windows and one for 32-bit Windows. Unzip it anywhere and run **PBInstall.exe**. PBInstall asks where ProBoard should live, shows each step in a window as it works, and finishes with a message when it is done.

Three principles apply to every install and update:

  * **Backup first.** When PBInstall finds an existing system, it copies every file it might change into a time-stamped backup folder, with a manifest listing each file's size and checksum. If the backup fails, nothing else happens.
  * **Your data is not overwritten.** Program files (''.exe'' and plug-ins) are replaced. Your menus, text and ANSI screens, configuration files and user data are only added when they are missing, never replaced.
  * **Everything is logged.** The window shows every step, and the same log is saved in the ''LOGS'' folder and next to ''PBInstall.exe''.

PBInstall and PBConfig share the same code for reading and converting data files, so the checks you can run by hand in PBConfig (see [[v4:install:upgrade_16bit|Upgrading from 16-bit ProBoard]]) are the ones PBInstall runs for you.

{{ :v4:images:install-progress.png?900 |PBInstall in progress}}
//Figure 1. PBInstall shows each step as it works. The bar is red until the install reaches 100 percent, then turns green.//