EssentialPIM

What is suggested, to migrate to a new version (like 9.9.7), is it to go to the installed program files and do uninstall.exe then do the new install?

Also, those of you who switch between program versions (or are trying a beta), do you run the uninstall then do an install? Thanks in advance for advice...

I just use the portable versions. An extra copy of my database (in addition to my normal backups) to another folder. Then, unpack new version, copy just over the old version, thats all. It uses the old IPIM.ini file, nothing of my settings is lost. Then first start... in most cases it works. If not- just unpack the old version, copy back to the folder, thats it. I do manually download and save all versions, so no problem. For beta-Versions, I make a new folder (EPIM.xx_beta, .ini-files and database in the folder too)- thats it. This way you can work with many versions paralell, if you want. You get a warning message because of the used shortcuts, thats all.
If installed, there should also no trouble at all. Just install over it, make a copy of your database to another folder and you should also have a downloaded version of the old one, in case, it doesn´t work.
I use EPIM from V3.23 on this way (I did almost every update), no problem at all.
Only tha admin here gets angry with me because I should synchronize me db to a new one.....
By the way, the new version 9.9.7 works very fine without any bug (in contrast to V 9.9.6)

For testing it's best to use the portable versions and backups of your database since it just makes life faster when swamping between versions to figure out where/when a bug started. [Especially as there is no official archive of all old versions, so not having your own old versions to fall back on can lead you stranded in weird places.]

For updating the installed versions there really isn't much benefit to uninstalling EPIM. It's been very consistent for a great many years, people who have been installing new versions over the top of each other over the past decade have a couple of small sized files taking up some tiny extra amounts of space, and maybe a small number of unused registry keys, but overall nothing to worry about or that should cause any trouble.

Nothing like bigger programs that can leave gigs of unused files cluttering up your hard drive and thousands of junk registry entries if you don't uninstall them between updates.

Great advice MetalDrop and a8907433, Thank You...

Installed 9.9.7, no crashes with the same database that had been crashing on 9.9.6

Odd thing downloading the new version, the epim page said 9.9.7, I'm running plain vanilla Windows 10 and Chrome, I downloaded twice, yesterday then late today, both times "what the download was" was 9.9.6 (and identical file size as last weeks 9.9.6).

I ran CrapCleaner, clearing all cookies etc, rebooted, tried it again, that rendered a download of the new version, 9.9.7. It would seem the download button would be hard wired to a specific file / location...

I ran CrapCleaner, clearing all cookies etc, rebooted, tried it again, that rendered a download of the new version, 9.9.7. It would seem the download button would be hard wired to a specific file / location...

I use Firefox, I know Chromium (a more privacy conscius variant of chrome)- and in both you can define your prefered folder to download, I´m sure, you can do that in Chrome too.

It wasn't a problem of naming / defining the arrival folder location, that's easy. The actual file "provided", was 9.9.6 for some reason, for two days, with 9.9.7 arriving from the same "download 9.9.7" button on the essentialpim website, after running crapcleaner. Same destination folder I'd made for epim program files.