Q.    How do I download and Install the updated Program and COS?

This is a generic answer designed to give you the instructions necessary to download and install an Update for the Director & Consultant Management System for Windows. 

In advance, I want to apologize if I seem to be describing way too much. I am assuming that the reader knows very little about computers (which is often the case when I get a message asking for help) Please note also that there are several terms for mouse clicks and they are different. When I just say "click", it's meant to mean click once with the left mouse button (your common mouse action). When I say "right-click", I mean to use the right button. This usually brings up a menu. Finally, when I say "Double-click" I mean click twice in rapid succession (and note that some Windows setups do not require a double click - but that just makes things interesting doesn't it?)

This message assumes that you have the DCMS installed and running on your computer and that you are only looking to update the current installation on your computer. In this case, you should not need step 1 below, since you should already have the DCMSINST folder. It is included below only in the possibility that it doesn't exist. It also assumes that you have a version of the program that is less than 12 months old. If you have not updated the DCMS in the past twelve months, then substitute the words "Re-Installation" for "Single-File" everywhere message. The Single-File update referred to in this message has all of the changes to the DCMS made in the past year. The Re-Installation update contains all the changes since the program was first created. Other than that, the steps below are identical between the two. If you are unsure whether or not it has been more than 12 months, assume it has been more than twelve months.

Step 1  Create a DCMSINST Folder to Hold the Downloaded Update (if it doesn't already exist) 

The Installation Instructions below make certain assumptions and one is that you are going to have a folder in which to download the Re-Installation update, from which you will install the latest version of the program - and that folder will be called  DCMSINST. We should create it if it doesn't exist now. 

First, double click on "My Computer"  and then double click on your   Drive C:  (local disk C:)  That should open a window that shows the files and folders on drive C:. Examine the folders and see if you see one there called DCMSINST. You do not have to look any further than the main window of Drive C:, if the DCMSINST folder isn't there, you don't have to go looking for it.

If the DCMSINST folder is not visible, right-click  (note: use the right-most mouse button) on an empty space in the C: drive window. You should see a pop-up menu appear and one of the options will be "New..."  Choose the "New.." option and a sub-menu will appear. On that menu will be the option "Folder". Choose folder from the sub-menu and a new folder will appear with the name "New Folder"

Right-click (again, use the right-most mouse button) on the new folder and choose the "Rename" option from the pop-up menu. Rename the new folder to  DCMSINST and then press the <Enter> key to continue.

Step 2  Download the Single File Update 

We now have to obtain the latest copy of the update from my web site. To start, visit this web site and choose the "Support" link from the home page. Then select the "Program Updates" link. On the Program Updates page, you will a list of available updates for the program. The top one is the "Single File Update". Click on the "Single File Update" link. You will be asked for your name and email address. Provide them and click "Let Me In" 

You will then get a page of instructions. Print that page for use later. This will help you during and after the download. On the page is also a link to start the download. The file you are downloading is called DCMSUPDT.EXE. (If you are downloading the Re-Installation Update, the file is called DCMSDEMO.EXE) You will be asked if you want to Save or Run (or Execute) the download. You will always want to "Save" the update - and you will want to save the program to the DCMSINST folder.

When you choose to save the download, you will be given a screen that allows you to choose the location on your disk to save it to (such as the one pictured below). Near the top of the screen, you will see a "Save In" label, and to the right of it, you will see a field with a location (underlined). To the right of that Location Field, you will see a group of icons. One of these icons (circled below) is called an "UpFolder" button, and looks like a folder with an arrow pointed "Up". Click that folder until the Location Field says "Desktop".  Then, look below the Location Field and you will see icons representing files, folders and drives. In this case, find the one that says "My Computer" and double-click on it.  "My Computer" should then appear in the Location Field and the icons below it should change. Among those icons, you should find something like "Local Drive C:" Double-click on that icon and the screen will change again. Finally, find the folder icon that is called  "DCMSINST" and double-click on that.  The Location Field should then state "DCMSINST".

If that is the case, click the "Save" button in the lower right corner. The Update will be downloaded and saved in the DCMSINST folder of your C: drive. The length of time it takes to download will vary on your internet connection, from 30 seconds for a high speed connection to 4 minutes for a dial-up connection, or longer if you are downloading the Re-Installation update. When the download is complete, close your Browser, and return to a blank Windows Desktop (the Windows screen with your icons on it)

Step 3  Install the Downloaded Update 

Now that the update has been downloaded, we have to Install it to your computer. This will give you the very latest version of the DCMS.

To install the program, double-click on "My Computer". If My Computer doesn't exist as an icon on your desktop, click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of your Windows Desktop. A menu will appear and "My Computer" should appear as an option on that menu. Choose it.

Either way, you should see a window appear, which has, among other things, an icon for (something like) "Local Drive C:". Double-click on that icon to "log on" to drive C:. In the drive C: Window which will then appear, you should see a number of folder icons (Like the one beside "Roxio" in the illustration above. One of those folder icons should be labelled "DCMSINST". Double-click on that icon to open a window showing the files in that folder. 

If we did everything right, there should be a file called "DCMSUPDT.EXE" (although you might not see the ".EXE", depending on how your computer is set up). That is the Single File update we downloaded in step 3.

Double-click on the DCMSUPDT icon to start the installation process, and follow the prompts. Do not change the location of the installed program, unless you really know what you are doing.

The rest is automatic and when completed, you will be able to start the program and you will see the latest version of the DCMS.

Hope that helps and I also hope that you enjoy the program.
 

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