Shutdown Outlook (if active). Make sure the Outlook.exe is also not running in the background (verify it from Task Manager). This should be done in all the systems where SupportCalls add-in is installed. So, please inform all your technicians to shutdown Outlook for a few minutes during the upgrade process.
 

To upgrade to version 4, first you (and all of your technicians) need to uninstall the previous version (3.6 or less) of SupportCalls System from your system.

Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features (in case of Vista and Windows 7) or Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs (in case of Windows XP). Find the entry for 'SupportCalls System', and click the uninstall button to remove it from your system.
Warning: It is very important that you uninstall the previous version of SupportCalls System before upgrading to version 4, else, it will conflict with the new version and your SupportCalls data might get lost.
 

Download the latest SupportCallsSetups.zip from http://www.assistmyteam.net/SupportCalls/download.asp to your system.
 

Extract the contents of the zip file to a file folder in your system. The downloaded zip file (SupportCallsSetups.zip) contains 3 files – SupportCallsManagerSetup.exe, SupportCallsClientSetup.exe and VersionInfo.txt.
 

The SupportCallsManagerSetup.exe (managerial install) is meant for helpdesk administrator who would configure and maintain the SupportCalls folders, drop down lists, templates, FAQs and other helpdesk settings. Whereas, SupportCallsClientSetup.exe (client install) is for the technicians who would work on support cases in Outlook with the configured SupportCalls folders.
(Note: if the administrator needs to work on support cases, then the client tool also needs to be installed, apart from the managerial portion).
 

With version 4, SupportCalls System now saves the settings, templates and other helpdesk data on a dedicated database. So, the first step to upgrade to version 4, is to export your existing settings data (from the SupportCalls settings sub folder in Outlook) to a dedicated database (either MS Access or a SQL Server database). To do this, one of the helpdesk manager/administrator need to first install the SupportCalls Manager tool to upgrade the SupportCalls data and settings. Run SupportCallsManagerSetup.exe and install the SupportCalls Manager. Once done, start Outlook and you will be prompted to create a new database . (Note: this is required to be done only once by the helpdesk manager/administrator)



Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server databases are supported.

If you choose Access, the database will need to be placed on a shared network folder such that all technicians working on the support cases in Outlook have access to the network folder. When you specify the location where the MDB file is to be created, make sure you choose a UNC path (eg. \\AMTServer\Helpdesk) instead of a mapped one because, a mapped drive might only be accessible to you. One important consideration with having a network Access database is the write permission on the folder and the MDB file itself. Make sure, the shared folder or the MDB file is not configured ‘read-only’ for all technicians on the network, otherwise, technicians won’t be able to create and save cases in the SupportCalls Cases folders in Outlook.

Another database option is the SQL server. This is a recommended option, if you have a large number of users/technicians working on support cases, as it gives a better performance.



For SQL server, the server name is mandatory. The Database name is optional. If it is left empty, a new database with the name ‘SupportCallsSettingsDB’ would be created. If your SQL server is configured to use windows authentication (NTLM), then you can check the ‘Use Integrity Security’ option to let Windows manager the credentials to access the resources on the SQL server. One important aspect to consider when using a SQL server database is the accessibility by other technicians. That is, when other technicians install the SupportCalls Client, they will automatically pick up these SQL server settings to connect to the database, and hence, it is important that the specified SQL server account here (if you are not using Integrated Security, that is) is usable by all the technicians as well.

So, when once you have chosen a database, your existing SupportCalls data and settings would be available in the new database. After this, you would be prompted to re-register the new version. Enter your existing license key and activate it. (This is required one time only and once registered, it is done for all users of the helpdesk)

Now, all your technicians can start upgrading to the new SupportCalls Client (version 4) by running 'SupportCallsClientSetup.exe'. To ease things, you can place the setup.exe files on a network folder accessible to all technicians, so that they can run it from there to install, without needing to download the entire setups from the website by each technician.
 

If the helpdesk manager/administrator needs to work on support cases, then the SupportCalls Client also needs to be installed, apart from SupportCalls Manager. Both are designed to co-exists.

You need to install the SupportCalls Manager tool to perform this upgrade. You will find the CustomerWebService.zip file under the 'program files\AssistMyTeam\SupportCalls System' folder. Extract the contents to a temporary folder and delete the empty 'Temp' folder as your existing 'Temp' folder under the Customer Web Service network folder on your server would have been already configured for ASP.NET account access. Copy and overwrite all the contents from the temporary folder to your Customer Web Service shared folder (on the server).

You need to install the SupportCalls Manager tool to perform this upgrade. You will find the TechnicianWebAccess.zip file under the 'program files\AssistMyTeam\SupportCalls System' folder. Extract the contents to a temporary folder and delete the empty 'Temp' folder as your existing 'Temp' folder under the Technician Web Access network folder on your server would have been already configured for ASP.NET account access. Copy and overwrite all the contents from the temporary folder to your Technician Web Access shared folder (on the server).