#GPPT Installing/Updating GP Power Tools

With the change to the direct distribution model for Winthrop Development Consultants products, it is a requirement for all sites to be updated to build 24 or later of GP Power Tools. Only supported releases (build 28 or later) can be registered, but it is recommended to be on the latest build (build 30).

Updating all workstations to a new build can be a lot of work when there are many separate machines. This article explains the options available to assist you with the process. Download from here.

Important: Updating to Build 29 or later is required as this build fixes the Critical Security Vulnerability in the Installer Software, discovered in August 2022 as well as containing new fixes and enhancements.

The update is required because from 01-Jul-2018 the registration system has changed to a completely new system. The older builds do not know how to communicate with the new registration server and so can not be registered again once they expire. Due to this change, all sites will need to be updated by the time their subscription is due to stay registered.

GP Power Tools MUST be installed on all workstations and servers to be fully functional. Everywhere that the Microsoft Dynamics GP application is installed should have GP Power Tools installed. If this recommended configuration is not followed, do not expect all the features of the product to function correctly.

You will need to install the update to all workstations in your system as you cannot mix builds of GP Power Tools. Once an update is installed on one workstation in the system, the other workstations will display a version warning on login and the product will be disabled until it is updated as well. Installing GP Power Tools on all workstations in a system makes sure all users can benefit from the features it offers.

As there will likely be table changes when installing the update, it is highly recommended to ensure all users are logged out until the update is completed. After updating the code, you will be required to log in once as an administrator user (‘sa’ or equivalent) once to complete the table updates.

When upgrading “in place” for a NEW version of Microsoft Dynamics GP, it is recommended to uninstall the workstation (not server) from inside Microsoft Dynamics GP and then from the control panel. Then reinstall the latest code downloaded for the appropriate version of Microsoft Dynamics GP. This includes installing a service pack, hot fix, or year end update that changes the GP version number. See Uninstall Information article below for more information.

When updating to a new build of GP Power Tools for the SAME version of Microsoft Dynamics GP, there is no requirement to uninstall an existing installation. GP Power Tools can be installed over the top of an existing build. Just select the option on the installer to Update/reinstall an existing instance. Then click Next, Next, I Accept, Next, (Select Instance, Next), Next, Next, and Finish.

If you want to automate the installation process, you can use the command line options to perform a silent install for the default instance:

GPPowerTools_18.05.0030.exe /s INSTALL=TRUE TARGETDIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP\"

Note: You can add an additional logging option if desired, add /l=<Path to Log File> to the end of the command line above.

To specify an instance such as GP 2018 R2, add DYNINSTDESC=”R2″. Check the Control Panel >> Programs and Features for the instance names. For example, using an instance of R2:

GPPowerTools_18.00.0030.exe /s INSTALL=TRUE TARGETDIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP2018\" DYNINSTDESC="R2"

From build 28 onwards, if you want to automate the uninstallation process, you can use the command line options to perform a silent uninstall for the default instance (once the product is removed from the Dynamics.set launch file using the uninstall inside GP or manually):

GPPowerTools_18.05.0030.exe /s UNINSTALL=TRUE TARGETDIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP\"

Note: You can add an additional logging option if desired, add /l=<Path to Log File> to the end of the command line above.

To specify an instance such as GP 2018 R2, add DYNINSTDESC=”R2″. Check the Control Panel >> Programs and Features for the instance names. For example, using an instance of R2:

GPPowerTools_18.00.0030.exe /s UNINSTALL=TRUE TARGETDIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP2018\" DYNINSTDESC="R2"

While a full installation is the preferred approach, it is also possible to copy the updated files from one installation to the other workstations in a system.

Note: Using the method of copying files will not replace the installer files and so will not fix the Security Vulnerability discovered. Only running the latest installer files will replace the installer files.

The files that need to be copied are:

• Application.GpPowerTools.dll
• Application.GpPowerTools.xml
• Application.GpPowerTools.Metadata.dll (GP 2015 or later)
• Application.GpPowerTools.Metadata.xml (GP 2015 or later)
• GPPTools.dic
• GPPTools.pdf
• Documentation\GPPTools.pdf
• GPPTools.txt
• GPPTools_License.doc
• Dex.chm
• Dex_Bak.chm
• QlmLicenseLib.dll
• Addins\WinthropDC.GpPowerToolsVB.dll
• Addins\WinthropDC.GpPowerToolsVC.dll
• MimeKit.dll (Build 29.0 or later)
• MailKit.dll (Build 29.0 or later)
• System.Buffers.dll (Build 29.0 or later)
• System.Memory.dll (Build 29.0 or later)
• System.Runtime.CompilerServices.Unsafe.dll (Build 29.0 or later)

For a method of automating the copying of the above files, see my articles on the Developing for Dynamics GP blog:

• Automating Distribution of Customizations Part 1
• Automating Distribution of Customizations Part 2

Note: You will need to login once as a user with sysadmin SQL privileges (such as ‘sa’) to complete the table updates for the new build.

If you have already updated and still can’t get keys, then check with your partner or directly with Winthrop if your subscription is current.

For more details on the changes to the registration system see: Solution to Registration issues on Winthrop Development Consultants products. To see what the current release details are, check the portal: http://WinthropDC.com/GPPT.

Terminal Server

GP Power Tools updates registry settings during the installation process to fix the bitmap scaling and bitmap font display issues seen on high resolution monitors with a DPI setting greater than 100%. To help ensure those settings get rolled down to all users, it is recommended to use Install Mode on a Terminal Server.

When installing on a Terminal Server, it is recommended that the server is placed into Install Mode (change user /install) before installation and restored to Execute Mode afterwards (change user /execute).

These articles discuss install mode and the change user command and what it actually does:

• Microsoft Learn – Change User command
• How to Correctly Install Applications on a Remote Desktop Server

DPM.exe or DPS.exe is Running Issue

Please note that no processes with the following executable filenames can be running during the install: Dynamics.exe, DPM.exe and DPS.exe. See the article below for more information:

• Installer Error: Microsoft Dynamics GP Process Monitor (DPM.exe)

Uninstalling Information

the following article covers how to uninstall Winthrop Products and also how to remove previous versions showing in Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

• Uninstalling Winthrop Products and Removing previous versions from Programs and Features

Hope you find this information useful.

David

26-Jul-2018: Add direct link to downloads.
27-Aug-2018: Added more detail for install process.
11-Sep-2018: Added more detail about updating all workstations and logging users out.
12-Sep-2018: Added more information including link to Solution to Registration Issues article.
12-Feb-2019: Updated after release of Build 26.
14-Mar-2019: Updated with command line logging option.
24-May-2019: Updated after release of Build 27.
04-Aug-2020: Updated to highlight that GP Power Tools MUST be installed on every workstation and server.
11-Aug-2020: Updated with uninstall feature added for build 28.
01-Oct-2021: Updated to include new DLLs included in build 29.
13-Aug-2022: Updated after the release of Build 29.1.
08-Oct-2022: Updated after the release of Build 29.2.
02-Feb-2022: Added note that copying files will not fix Security Vulnerability discovered.
02-Mar-2023: Added example command lines including the instance description.
31-Jul-2023: Added information about using change user command on Terminal Server.
22-Aug-2023: Updated after the release of Build 30.1.
13-Sep-2023: Added more information as to why Install Mode is recommended on Terminal Server.
14-Sep-2023: Added article with DPM.exe issue.
10-Jan-2024: Added information on installing when upgrading Microsoft Dynamics GP.

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.