Upgrade to 1.3

[re4med]

I would like to upgrade to 1.3. I have a nice looking desktop already and do not want that disturbed by a new upgrade version. How can I transition to 1.3 w/o issues? I do not want the default themes that are included in 1.3 (prompted for one of these at setup). I do not want to lose my saved themes.

[JamesAC]

If you are upgrading from an older version of rainmeter, then all yoyr themes will be left intact after the install.
The only issue you may have is if you have modified any of the default skins themselves, then the new versions of the skins will overwrite them.
I'm fairly sure the old versions are backed up In this case, but you might want to save a copy of any skins you have modified, just in case.

[Kaelri]

Rainmeter will create a backup of any skins for which it has a new version (Enigma and Gnometer, I believe), along with the corresponding themes. However, if you want to upgrade in the most foolproof way, do this:

1. Make a copy of your Skins and Themes folders.
2. Install Rainmeter 1.3 (or 1.4 Beta) over your existing version.
3. Delete the Skins and Themes folders and replace them with the copies you made before.
4. Start Rainmeter.

Everything should be exactly as you left it. The Rainmeter devs have been very careful about preserving backwards compatibility for all but a tiny handful of old skins.

[jsmorley]

Rainmeter will create a backup of any skins for which it has a new version (Enigma and Gnometer, I believe), along with the corresponding themes. However, if you want to upgrade in the most foolproof way, do this:

1. Make a copy of your Skins and Themes folders.
2. Install Rainmeter 1.3 (or 1.4 Beta) over your existing version.
3. Delete the Skins and Themes folders and replace them with the copies you made before.
4. Start Rainmeter.

Everything should be exactly as you left it. The Rainmeter devs have been very careful about preserving backwards compatibility for all but a tiny handful of old skins.

My only concern with this is that with Rainmeter 1.4, the new illusto suite of skins will be lost. This may not matter, but seems a shame in case user wants to try it.

My advice, and ONLY if you have changed Gnometer or Enigma, is to just install 1.3. Then delete the Gnometer and Enigma folders from My Documents\Rainmeter\Skins and replace them with the backed up folders from My Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\Backup. Themes are a non-issue, as after the upgrade Rainmeter will still use your current Rainmeter.ini, and you can just save that as a theme as you wish if you don't already have one.

If you have not literally changed the code inside Gnometer or Enigma skins, and only have set up your personal variables and such, you need do nothing when you upgrade. All will be well.

If you want to install Rainmeter 1.4, (this is my strong recommendation) then you REALLY don't need to do anything. Gnometer and Enigma are not replaced in any case. Any upgraded versions are a separate download from http://rainmeter.net/cms/Discover and you can install them at your leisure if you want. They will also do a backup when installed.

As far as any skins or themes or anything else you have done that are not Gnometer or Enigma, there is no risk. Upgrading Rainmeter will change nothing in your skins or themes folders and will not change your Rainmeter.ini in any way.