d7x Initial Setup
[Revision In Process] The information below was originally written for d7II, but also applies to d7x. Some interface screen shots and other information may not apply to d7x (for example, “Check for Updates” is not applicable as d7x currently manages updates automatically and without user interface.)
Please see d7x Server Connectivity if you are experiencing connectivity issues when attempting to activate your d7x license.
1. Disable Anti-Virus/Security Software
This may be necessary to prevent false positives in legitimate/clean copies of d7x and related binaries, and many other optional 3rd party applications that a PC technician may choose to use in a malware removal or Windows repair scenario. Typically all protection settings must be disabled entirely (no matter how irrelevant they seem, like web protection features) in order to run this and other legitimate software used in PC repair, even from within Windows safe mode!
From time to time, we may document some of the harder to disable anti-virus software here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRH8ZC4G_wWH2zwDL1Fo-fpFhnOyu9Dh2
2. Extract the download to a new folder
Extract to a new folder, anywhere on the hard drive. d7x is a portable application not requiring installation, and may run anywhere on the local system.
Typically we extract to a folder on the user’s Desktop. When run from outside the local file system, d7x will copy the needed components locally as necessary, by default to the %systemdrive%\Support\d7x folder.
3. Launch the d7x executable
3a. (Recommended for new users!) Skip the last configuration step by choosing the “Starter Config” download above.
This download is complete with many settings configured for ease of use, as well as custom apps and internal functionality already populated and arranged with best practices in mind. This provides a great basis for getting started, and you can make changes at any time.
An optional download contains our large collection of file system/registry whitelists, used with Malware Search Tool, dUninstaller, KillEmAll, and other areas of d7x. These whitelists were created from clean installations of Windows XP – Windows 10; please be aware that we never distribute blacklists. They can also be removed at any time simply by deleting the files (currently all definition files [*.*] are located in the .\d7x Resources\Defs directory and subdirectories.)
3b. (The “Clean Install” method) Launch the numbered d7x vx.x.x.x.exe and allow it to self-update as necessary, and download/extract any other necessary components.
The software should soon prompt you to enter your license information. Please be patient, the first run can take a minute, especially with d7x (which may not appear visible on screen at first.) If the software is running in Task Manager and using resources, allow it to finish. If absent, or the software does restart after a self-update, just double-click the exe to start it up again, at which point you should see the prompt you to enter your license information.
3c. Existing users (who wish to save existing configurations) should instead read “Updating d7II to d7x” in on the main page of the d7x Manual.
4. Product Registration/Activation
PLEASE NOTE: You only need to register/activate d7x one time, after which you will copy the entire d7x folder (where you extracted it) for your technicians to use through network paths, on flash drives, etc. The manual also contains a section for the d7x Remote Deployment Tool, which you can create once d7x is initially activated.
To successfully activate and use the software:
a. You will need the provided d7x Account (formerly d7II or dCloud) login credentials. These were automatically sent to the email address you used to purchase, immediately after making payment. If you did not receive that email, we can resend as necessary, but please check your SPAM first (if it was blocked once…)
b. This step applies ONLY if you purchased your subscription prior to August 2018: You will need your registered company name and the product/license key for activation, which we send to you after we setup your account on our servers. PLEASE NOTE: The software is required to reflect your company name in the title bar of the application, which you provided during checkout/payment. Your company name is tied to your product/activation key, so that it cannot be changed without invalidating the product license. The company name cannot be modified after account creation without additional charges; contact us for more information.
c. You are asked to create your own “Technician Password“, which is NOT related to the d7x Account credentials. You will create this password to use for encrypting any data you store on our servers (we do not need this from you.) This password is also for your technicians to use with various d7x functionality, so don’t make it too difficult! Please see The “Technician Password” for important details.
5. Check for Updates
Once started, click the Main drop-down menu of the d7x interface, then click Check for Updates.
You may receive a message that no application updates were found if you are running the latest version. This does not mean that updates were not processed for additional executables (modules) used by d7x, as well as updates for default custom app configurations, which are all updated automatically by the Check for Updates function.
6: (Final) Configure and Populate Custom Actions
(If you chose step 3a , you can skip this step.)
Populate the custom action lists in the main interface as desired, to include the d7x internal functionality and custom apps you wish to use. For the “Auto Mode” on each tab, these functions and apps will run in order, from top to bottom, left to right.
To add custom apps to each section of d7x, go to the Main menu > Config > Custom Apps > Assign App / Function To Section. Here you can simply drag and drop apps (use the right-click to drag and drop) from the list on the left to the selected section (list on the right) to populate them by section. (You can also add functionality and apps to the sections in the interface via right-click menu option, but for initial setup please go to the Config area to use the RESET option.)
For initial setup, you should use the RESET button on the bottom right to auto-populate some default apps/functions into the fields. From there you can continue to arrange as necessary, and don’t forget to browse through the config, particularly the first tab on Behavior and the second tab for Sessions.
Best Practices
Register d7x one time only, and make copies of the d7x folder for any other technicians using the product after registration and initial configuration.
Always keep fully configured copies of d7x on tech bench computers, network shares, and flash drives; avoid using the remote deployment tools unless actually working remotely.
When you need to register a new copy of d7x then please use the Browse button at the registration prompt to find/import your existing d7II compatible license file (.\Config\Reg.Settings.dat from d7II, or .\d7x Resources\Config\d7II.License.dat from d7x), which ensures the exact same “Technician Password” is used. This does NOT import your entire configuration, but instead only imports account credentials, registration data, and the “Technician Password” itself.
d7x Quick Start (Videos)
We highly recommend viewing the 7 videos on our d7x Intro playlist for setup and initial configuration.