Blue Iris Update Helper (BiUpdateHelper)

BiUpdateHelper.exe won't launch by double-clicking it because it is a service executable. As long as you have the service running, you've got it working correctly.

If this continues to be problematic for people, I will change things so that double-clicking the exe will open a service management GUI, and I'll get rid of the batch files.
 
BiUpdateHelper.exe won't launch by double-clicking it because it is a service executable. As long as you have the service running, you've got it working correctly.

If this continues to be problematic for people, I will change things so that double-clicking the exe will open a service management GUI, and I'll get rid of the batch files.

Woot! Thanks @bp2008! I'm already using your better web viewer and now this! Much appreciated. I'd go ahead and try the upgrade helper and see how it starts the archive but the current release apparently is not good.
 
You can tell it is working by looking in your BI folder and it will have renamed the last update file.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 105437
Already used this great new tool. 4.5.3.4 still has scheduled PTZ issue for me. Thanks to UpdateHelper, it was an easy revert back. Bp2008 is my hero.
 
I've just released version 1.2 which no longer uses the batch files to control the service. Instead you can just run BiUpdateHelper.exe and a graphical interface will appear to deal with Install/Uninstall, Start/Stop.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bob2701
Version 1.2.1 now, just with minor improvements to the GUI ... like it now shows the path to the currently installed service executable.

The core code is unchanged since version 1.1, so there is little reason to update if you already have 1.1 working.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bob2701 and Tinman
This does what I have been doing manually for a while except for one thing. I also make a backup of BI registry settings prior to updating. I've only used it once when a update fouled enough to require a complete fresh install. Could this be added to the "Helper" and saved along with the last update file?

Could you also backup the license key?

Thanks for the great BI add-ons!
 
Or....... Since you added the GUI, add a field where we can enter the license key and it will be saved. It would be nice to keep everything in one place instead of keeping an email.
 
Version 1.3 released, including registry backups and BI registration key viewing functionality!

And a Configuration Backup prior to the update running?

A configuration backup is a registry backup. And I do have it coded to attempt a backup while the update downloads. It can also do daily backups just because, and manual backups too via a button in the GUI.

I noticed BI is saving a ridiculous amount of binary data in the registry now, so when I do a registry export it writes a 200 MB file!! So this program will automatically compress registry backups with 7zip. In 7z format, my 200 MB .reg file is only 106 KB.
 
  • Like
Reactions: motoolfan
Please note I have only tested this program with 64 bit Blue Iris on 64 bit Windows 10. If anyone has any problems, please specify:

1) Which OS you are using (Vista/7/8/10)
2) Whether the OS is 32 or 64 bit
3) Whether Blue Iris is 32 or 64 bit

It is possible that some portions of the program may fail with 32 bit Blue Iris or 32 bit Windows, and I can't fix the bugs if I don't know about them.
 
No need to uninstall first. That is just an extra few clicks anyway. All you need to do is make sure BiUpdateHelper isn't running -- so the exe can be overwritten. So stop the service, extract/overwrite, and start the service again.

After you update, you can delete the .pdb file as I decided not to clutter up new releases with that file (its presence only provides line numbers in some error messages).

You can also delete the batch files (.bat), as their functionality is entirely replaced by the GUI you get if you open the .exe file directly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bob2701
Tried my first update after installing v1.3 of the helper. I ran into errors and had to force quit BI and the update attempt.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 10.25.51 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 10.25.51 PM.png
    119.1 KB · Views: 22
  • Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 10.26.51 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 10.26.51 PM.png
    143.5 KB · Views: 22