Installing & Updating

Installing Software

From the GUI

1. Navigate to Catalog and find the package
2. Click the package to open its detail page
3. Click Install -- Astro-Up downloads, verifies, and runs the installer
4. For packages with multiple assets (e.g., 32-bit vs 64-bit), an asset selection dialog appears

From the CLI

# Install a package
astro-up install nina-app

# Force reinstall an already-installed package
astro-up install nina-app --force

Install Pipeline

Each install goes through these steps:

1. Download -- fetch the installer with progress tracking and SHA-256 verification
2. Elevate -- request administrator privileges via UAC if needed
3. Execute -- run the installer silently by default
4. Verify -- run detection to confirm the package is installed
5. Record -- store install path in the ledger for future updates

Updating

# Update a specific package
astro-up update nina-app

# Update all outdated packages (queued sequentially)
astro-up update --all

In the GUI, the Installed view shows an update badge next to outdated packages. Click Update on the detail page, or update multiple packages -- they queue and run sequentially.

Supported Install Methods

Method	Description
exe	Generic EXE with custom silent args
msi	Windows Installer (/qn /norestart)
inno_setup	InnoSetup installers (/VERYSILENT /NORESTART)
nsis	NSIS installers (/S)
wix	WiX-based installers
burn	WiX Burn bootstrappers (with Job Object process tree tracking)
zip	Extract to target directory (supports zip_wrapped inner installers)
portable	Extract and create a Windows shortcut in the portable apps folder
download_only	Download to the portable apps directory without running an installer

Elevation (UAC)

Astro-Up handles Windows administrator privileges automatically:

• Proactive -- if the manifest declares elevation is required, UAC is requested upfront
• Reactive -- if an installer returns exit code 740 or E_ACCESSDENIED, Astro-Up retries with elevation

Elevation uses ShellExecuteExW runas for standard UAC prompts.

Download Management

• Downloads are saved to a configurable directory
• Partial downloads resume automatically via HTTP Range requests
• SHA-256 checksums are verified after download
• Speed throttling is configurable in Settings > Network