How To Install & Upgrade LiteStep: Index

All of the sites call LiteStep 0.24.5 the "Latest Stable" release. It seems that we're ignoring the fact that this distribution was released in August 1999 and really isn't all that stable compared to the more current development builds that are linked to from various LS sites. The problem with these individual builds however, is that it's never been easy, especially for the uninitiated, to upgrade to a build from the last "official" distribution. Therefore, I wrote these tutorials in order to help walk you through the installation and the upgrade process.

The upgrade tutorials outline changes between the .24.5 base distribution and more recent Litestep builds.

These tutorials assume that you aren't already using a theme/step.rc with the updated Litestep commands and core modules.

If you would like to skip past this whole Install and Upgrade process, then I wholeheartedly suggest that you download and install the LSD4P LiteStep distribution. This is a much more user friendly Installation of LiteStep that includes several ready-made themes and the latest builds. Please visit the LSD4P web site for more information and download information.

If you haven't already installed Litestep, then you'll need to read through the "HOW-TO Install LiteStep .24.5" tutorial first.

• HOW-TO Install LiteStep .24.5
• HOW-TO Upgrade from .24.5 to a recent build

After you install Litestep, you may want to install a few third party modules. Check out the following page for more info on these:

• Must Have 3rd Party Modules

Note: Another somewhat easy way to upgrade your build is to download a ready-made LiteStep theme. Try and pick out a recently updated theme that contains a complete build of LiteStep which will allow you to simply unzip the whole theme into C:\litestep. Don't forget to backup your previous LiteStep directory (rename it to C:\litestep2 or the like).

Good places to start looking for themes are:

1. Litestep.net: the official Litestep site. It is updated daily with new themes, modules, screenshots, and community news.
2. Litestep.com: Litestep.com is starting to rebuild it's image and look with a new navigation system and color scheme. It's got a pretty complete list of modules and themes. It's worth your while to check it out.
3. DeskMod: DeskMod has a nice selection of LS themes as well.
4. Skinz.org: Although Skinz.org houses skins and themes for practically every skinnable/themable program out there, it does have a healthy collection of LS themes.

Ideally, the creator of your theme has created a well-built step.rc that you can use to compare the old with the new.