Server data folder (or NAS device) that won’t update

Here are the steps involved in getting an Essential Forms update installed to a server (or a NAS drive) that won’t update:

1. Have all users exit the program.

2. Copy and paste the Essential Forms data directory from the server (or a NAS drive) to the local workstation where you're running the install. The best location is C:/Users/Public/Public Documents/CEB/Essential Forms Data. You may need to rename the data folder that is already there. It should match our default data folder name "Essential Forms Data". Make sure you paste it into a folder the user account you're installing has permission to read/write/change.

3. Temporarily Configure Essential Forms to use the local data directory: launch Essential Forms, click "Configure>Data directory", click "Use Default Windows Directory". Or, "Browse" button, and browse to the data directory on the local workstation. Select it, click "OK", then "Use this directory", then "OK" to close the program.

4. Run the efinstaller.exe file which is the latest JC Update. Proceed through the install wizard as prompted.

5. When the installation is finished, launch the program to verify successful installation (splash screen should give an expiration date in the future, all clients should be listed in the Client Information tab.) Assuming a successful installation, close the program.

6. Copy and paste the data folder from the local workstation back to its original location on the server (or a NAS drive) , overwriting the prior files and folders.

7. Configure Essential Forms to use the data directory on the original server (or a NAS drive) again: launch Essential Forms, click "Configure>Data directory", click the "Browse" button, and browse back to the data directory on the server (or a NAS drive). Select it, click "OK", then "Use this directory", then "OK" to close the program. When you reopen Essential Forms, it should open the data directory on the server (or a NAS drive) and be updated.

8. For any other workstations that share this data directory but have a separate local program folder, you should be able to update the local program folders by simply launching the program after having applied the update to the data directory as in steps 1-7. On launch, a message "Essential Forms software update files are ready to install. Press OK to continue." If for some reason the program is unable to install these files, you might need to run the Essential Forms once as an administrator.