[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.

This may be necessary to prevent false positives in legitimate/clean copies of d7x, d7II, 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

Extract to a new folder, anywhere on the hard drive.  d7x/d7II are both portable applications 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, both d7x and d7II will copy the needed components locally as necessary, by default to the %systemdrive%\Support\d7x (or d7II) folder.

d7x is designed to run from the same folder as the older d7II software, and to use the same resources and session data, however the two .exe files will never run simultaneously on the same system at the same time.

Since d7x is very new, this behavior was designed so that if a problem prevents d7x from completing a repair, d7II may be used to finish that repair, continuing where d7x left off (even restarting in the middle of an auto mode.)  By design, d7x will not run after d7II is launched on a system, until the “End Session” option has been used from d7II (more on that in The ‘Session’ Concept section below.)

 3a.  (Recommended for new users!)  Skip the last configuration step by heading to the dMZ Additional Downloads page for a “fully loaded” download (your dMZ based “uid-” login is required.)  

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.

The download also contains our large collection of file system/registry whitelists, used with dFunk/MalwareScan, dUninstaller, KillEmAll, and other areas of d7x/d7II.  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 \Modules\Defs directory, with the exception of the newer KillEmAll v5 based definitions.)

 3b.  (The “Clean Install” method)  Launch the numbered d7x vx.x.x.x.exe (or d7II.exe if preferred) 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; current FastTrack builds do not display a status window.)  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.

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.

Once started, click the Main drop-down menu of the d7x/d7II interface, then click Check for Updates.

d7II:  Update everything that it automatically checks for you.

d7x:  Only if you are missing the d7II files (for use as a backup should d7x fail) this will prompt to download these for you.  If you already have the d7II files, the message simply states that updates are managed automatically.

(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/d7II 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 d7II, go to the Main menu > Config > Custom Apps > Assign App / Function To Section.  Here you can simply drag and drop apps 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.

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 (or any fresh download of any d7II product) then please use the Browse button at the registration prompt to find/import your existing d7II\Config\Reg.Settings.dat file, 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.

We also highly recommend checking out the dMZ ‘Starter Videos’ here for the same material in depth and tons more content.