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Before you begin... an important message about v5.2

Please note: The contents of this article apply only to licensed versions of the ProductCart software. They do not apply to stores running as a hosted application under a ProductCart Live agreement.


Thank you for using ProductCart and taking a minute to read this important message.
We're sorry for the extra step. It's just that we have some very important information, and we wanted to be 100% certain you'd find it before installing this update. That's why we password protected the download and included the password in the "Getting Started" section at the bottom of this page.

So what's the big deal?

One of the most important enhancements in v5.2.00 is the new login system. In order to make this the most secure version of ProductCart ever, we've changed how data is encrypted and saved within the store's database.

Here are the main points:

  • All passwords are saved using the latest encryption methods developed by Microsoft.
     
  • The new encryption requires that the .NET Framework and related Libraries are installed on your Web server. This is compatible with virtually every Windows web host, but the update wizard will alert you if there is a problem.
  • Users with accounts will be prompted to update their password the next time they log in.
  • When you upgraded from v4 to v5, you were able to do so in a "side-by-side" environment with your live store (creating the v5 store in a parallel folder on the server), which allowed you to perform the upgrade over a longer period of time. However the v5.2 upgrade must be completed "in-place" (over the existing version) while the store is temporarily closed. This is because of the new encryption and security methods, which affect all of the saved passwords (Admin and Customer) and require the upgrade to be performed on the live store and database. In case you forget to close the store, the updater will do it for you automatically, since it is essential for the re-encryption of data.
     
  • Since this upgrade will be completed while the store is closed, we've optimized the upgrade process to minimize downtime.
     
    • v5.2 has been tested with several v5.1 themes for backward compatibility. You shouldn't have to change anything in your theme files.
    • The v5.2 update scripts have several pre-update checks to alert you of problems before they happen.
    • Most new features are turned off by default, so you can learn more about them before enabling them.

     
  • We recommend setting aside a couple of hours to complete your upgrade.
     
  • v5.2 is well tested so you shouldn't worry, but if you are not comfortable performing the upgrade yourself, we offer a fee-based "white glove" service. Please contact us for more details:

    http://www.productcart.com/contact.asp

That's the gist of it, but there are a few more points for specific groups:

Developers:

  • Previous versions of ProductCart will not work with the same database after the update is installed.
  • Any store connecting to the same database will also need to be updated, or the login pages will not work.
  • You cannot go back to v5.1 by just restoring the old files; you will also need to restore the database (which is why a DB backup is critical before proceeding with the upgrade to v5.2).

Web Hosts:

  • v5.2 requires the .NET framework to be installed on the server (which it is by default).
  • v5.2 will work with .NET v2 and above.

Merchants w/ Multiple Storefronts:

  • If you have more than one storefront connected to your database (rare), then it will also need updated at the same time.  This is because the new login system is not compatible with the old login system.

 

Okay - let's get started! Your password to unlock the v5.2 Zip file is:

Mellon

Thank you for taking the extra time to read this important message and for being a ProductCart merchant!