en:documentation:installation_on_windows

# Installation on Windows

## Instructions to install the binaries on a Windows system

### New installation

For a new installation, download the installer corresponding to your system:

- skychart-xxx-windows.exe for a 32 bit system.
- skychart-xxx-windows-x64.exe for a 64 bit system.

Then run the installer file `skychart.xxx.exe`, to install Cartes du Ciel-SkyChart in your preferred directory (i.e. C:\Program Files\Ciel)

After that you can start the program from the Start menu or the desktop icon. Please never run Skychart as administrator.

### Upgrade

To upgrade to a new version, download and run the new installer. Be sure to install at the same location, over the previous version.

If you first uninstall the previous version, this will also remove all the additional catalog you may have installed and reset your configuration.

If you upgrade from a 32bit version to 64bit you must also keep the old install location. The resulting 64bit program will be in “Program files (x86)” but this is without any consequence.
If you are annoyed by that, uninstall the 32bit version first. But with the effect described above.

## Options

### Telescope drivers

Only a limited number of telescopes are natively supported.
To work with the full range of telescope models you need to install the ASCOM platform and the required telescope drivers.

### Video recording

Video recording require the ffmpeg software.

You can get a ready to install version for Windows from a number of places:
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/ffmpeg
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mplayer-win32/files/FFmpeg/

You can install the files anywhere you want, but be sure to set the location of ffmpeg.exe in the menu Setup / Date-Time / Animation.