Preview of new Stardock download store / updater

By on November 12, 2011 3:04:25 PM from JoeUser Forums JoeUser Forums

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So with Impulse over to Gamestop and the digital distribution competition no longer something we’re participating in we’ve developed a new digital updating client – Stardock Central (what’s old is new again).

But unlike the old “big” client, the new one is very…very simple.

image

(sorry for the lame screenshot, I’m caught up on my games on this new machine and haven’t installed any apps yet).

Your Stardock purchases will show up here once you login. Just pick what you want to install (or update) and press a button and it’ll use our massively fast CDN to install it (we have a long-term agreement with our CDN except now the only thing using its bandwidth is our stuff so the download speeds are kind of ridiculous – it’s like being the only guy on a 1 gigabyte line).

image

The new settings includes an option to have it simply update your software automatically.  So you can either choose to stick with older versions or always have it up to date.

..

OK, let’s say you don’t like to have to install a client at all.  That’s fine too.  You can update your software and games via the web as well:

image

Pick whether it’s software or games and it’ll look at your account, when you last updated, and off you go.  The installer will figure out what you need to install (i.e. if you have multiple machines with different versions) and off you go.

It’s designed to be as streamlined as possible.

 

UPDATE: TRY THE LATEST VERSION HERE:

http://www.stardock.com/products/stardockcentral/

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March 18, 2012 12:41:00 AM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums

Zubaz,

Is it just me or the GC2(DL+DA+TA) files & our proper data-registrations aren't implemented yet in SDC?

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March 18, 2012 3:17:03 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

GC2 Ultimate converted over to SDC. The others are Impulse/Gamestop still.

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March 18, 2012 5:34:37 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Zubaz,
GC2 Ultimate converted over to SDC. The others are Impulse/Gamestop still.

I can't see my Elemental: War of Magic serial and game on my Stardock Account (I can see all my other games BTW) and can't download it from Stardock Central but I can see it from Impulse (GamestopDL)? Should I contact to Stardock Support about it?

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March 18, 2012 8:09:19 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting Zubaz,
GC2 Ultimate converted over to SDC. The others are Impulse/Gamestop still.

That will change in the future though yes?

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March 19, 2012 9:16:13 AM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Quoting Neilo,
That will change in the future though yes?

I can give you a definite maybe.

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March 19, 2012 9:17:38 AM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Quoting acare84,
I can't see my Elemental: War of Magic serial and game on my Stardock Account (I can see all my other games BTW) and can't download it from Stardock Central but I can see it from Impulse (GamestopDL)? Should I contact to Stardock Support about it?

Yes.  I'm not seeing Elemental on your Stardock account, so send any email addresses it may be registered to, as well as the serial number if you have it, to support@stardock.com, and we'll straighten it out for you.

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March 19, 2012 9:17:58 AM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting acare84,
I can't see my Elemental: War of Magic serial and game on my Stardock Account (I can see all my other games BTW) and can't download it from Stardock Central but I can see it from Impulse (GamestopDL)? Should I contact to Stardock Support about it?
Yes please.  And tell us if you might have used a different email to order WoM.

 

Quoting Neilo,
That will change in the future though yes?
I'm not sure.  I'll ask around.

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March 19, 2012 9:48:22 AM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Thanks guys.

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March 19, 2012 10:51:43 AM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

There's now a Stardock Central 2.66 update available. Starting Stardock Central should auto-update itself to the latest version. You can check what version you have by going to the Settings and looking in the top right corner. If it doesn't auto-update, try again in an hour (a restriction set in place to prevent too many update checks). Please let me know if you run into any problems auto-updating!

2.66 Changelog:

  • Added "View Additional Software" option in Settings dropdown (which links to the My Downloads page on the store)
  • ListView green/yellow buttons now have a mouseover effect
  • ListViews that update themselves no longer have flickering issues
  • Added "View Registration" right click option in Installed Applications
  • Pressing Escape now closes the registration dialog
  • Cleaned up UI slightly

Quoting Disturbedcomputer,
it should not restart PC without telling you it's going to do it good thing I did not have any thing opened that needed saving or I would have lost it..

give the option to NOT restart now .. so I can do it when I want to restart.

and if your going to make it restart at lest install ALL before it restarts  aka so lets say all 4 that i did wanted to restart then it would restart 4 times.

Which application was it installing when it restarted? The suggestions you made are already implemented (it shouldn't auto-restart and should ask you after installing everything), so there may be a problem with one of the installers.

Quoting Neilo,
That will change in the future though yes?

Any games and software that are still supported and make sense to be in Stardock Central will eventually be added, but I can't really give you an ETA on any specific software/game.

Bara

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March 19, 2012 1:05:29 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting GunslingerBara,
Which application was it installing when it restarted? The suggestions you made are already implemented (it shouldn't auto-restart and should ask you after installing everything), so there may be a problem with one of the installers.

updating to (the last beta) WindowBlinds 7.30a.001 beta

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 7.3 (build 310 - Windows 7 Edition) - 64 bit OS < is installed

 then I had to reopen SDC after the restart to get WinFX Beta2

Well I thought i WB's was a Beta but SDC don't show it as a Beta 7.30

 

 ---------

also I have Automatically check for Updates UN-checked but it Auto updated to 2.66

all looks good with 2.66

 

thanks

 

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March 19, 2012 2:55:31 PM from JoeUser Forums JoeUser Forums

WindowFX has gone missing again with 2.66.

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March 19, 2012 3:06:27 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting Daiwa,
WindowFX has gone missing again with 2.66.

On that note, no betas are showing installed or in the available list. I have betas of WB, DX and WFX installed, yet they all show the release version number as being installed. Show betas is checked.

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March 19, 2012 3:15:04 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting Wizard1956,
On that note, no betas are showing installed or in the available list. I have betas of WB, DX and WFX installed, yet they all show the release version number as being installed. Show betas is checked.

 

hhmmm  My last post Reply #435

when I did it  SDC showed  WinFX as Beta and that was even with 2.66 now it's not listed at all...

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March 19, 2012 5:02:52 PM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Nice, SDC is now showing FE beta as installed. Was thinking I was gonna have to download the whole thing again to get it up and running in SDC. Well done SDC peeps!

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March 19, 2012 5:11:49 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

just a heads up, every time I open the SDC in my flamer comp, it offers E:fe to download in the new software window, BUT it is fully downloaded, installed and at the latest version.

harpo

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March 19, 2012 5:23:26 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

We will take a look at why the beta's and other products are missing. Sorry for the problems.

Quoting Disturbedcomputer,
also I have Automatically check for Updates UN-checked but it Auto updated to 2.66

That option only applies to checking for updates for our software, not Stardock Central itself. Stardock Central will always automatically update itself to the latest version when you start it up. Sorry for the confusion.

Quoting harpo99999,
just a heads up, every time I open the SDC in my flamer comp, it offers E:fe to download in the new software window, BUT it is fully downloaded, installed and at the latest version.

harpo

Not sure what the issue could be. I'll see if I can re-create the issue.

Bara

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March 19, 2012 5:32:42 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting GunslingerBara,
We will take a look at why the beta's and other products are missing. Sorry for the problems.

No need to apologize. after all, it is a beta.

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March 19, 2012 7:12:14 PM from JoeUser Forums JoeUser Forums

Ditto.

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March 19, 2012 11:47:45 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting GunslingerBara,
That option only applies to checking for updates for our software, not Stardock Central itself. Stardock Central will always automatically update itself to the latest version when you start it up. Sorry for the confusion.

ho no bad thing is I knew that  

 

Quoting Wizard1956,
No need to apologize. after all, it is a beta.

Quoting Daiwa,
Ditto.

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March 21, 2012 1:58:03 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Now it shows WinFX 5 beta, but I have installed it twice and it still shows as available.

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March 21, 2012 5:31:59 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

red, it sounds like you are getting a similar bug to myself (continually showing FE beta even after installing several times through sdc2)

harpo

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March 22, 2012 9:39:35 AM from Elemental Forums Elemental Forums

Quoting RedneckDude,
Now it shows WinFX 5 beta, but I have installed it twice and it still shows as available.

Getting the same issue with Multiplicity 1.26 update. Have installed, restarted computer and update still shows. Repeated twice with same results. Win7x64 SP1, fyi.

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March 25, 2012 3:29:31 PM from GalCiv II Forums GalCiv II Forums

Freezes on a DesktopX update while activation doesn't trigger the install process... i'm guessing that's what happens when Gamestop/Impulse is conflicting with SDC since i had no choice but to use it also to re-install GC2 (not Ultimate version) & X-Com:Complete which i both bought from Stardock.

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March 26, 2012 3:59:32 PM from WinCustomize Forums WinCustomize Forums

Quoting Leo in WI,
Getting the same issue with Multiplicity 1.26 update. Have installed, restarted computer and update still shows. Repeated twice with same results. Win7x64 SP1, fyi.

It seems the issue is related to prior installations of Multiplicity using Impulse. Can you please uninstall Multiplicity using Impulse, then re-install using Stardock Central? If that does not work, I have another solution that requires editing the registry to fix this problem (but I'd rather not try this without doing the Impulse uninstall first).

Bara

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March 26, 2012 4:41:44 PM from Stardock Forums Stardock Forums

Quoting harpo99999,
red, it sounds like you are getting a similar bug to myself (continually showing FE beta even after installing several times through sdc2)

harpo

I am unable to reproduce this problem. Can you verify something for me in your registry?

Open regedit (search for it in your start menu) and go down this registry path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Stardock\Drengin.net\ElementalFE

First see if the ElementalFE node exists (let me know if it doesn't). If it does, look for the EXE, Path, and Version keys on the right and tell me what they are. This will help me to debug what may be happening.

Bara

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