Run two HMI software versions side by side on one laptop

Can I run two versions of the same HMI software on one laptop?

Yes: take the separate-installation option the installer offers, and the new revision installs as its own application beside the old one instead of replacing it, so old projects keep the editor that wrote them.

The installer for this software class asks, during setup, whether to replace the earlier revision or create a separate installation. The separate option is the one you want. Both revisions then sit on the disk as distinct programs with their own entries, and each opens the projects written for it.

Coexistence is normal practice, not a workaround. Four revisions on one laptop is a documented working arrangement, with projects moved forward only as the need arose. Two revisions is the everyday case: an old one for the screens you are leaving alone, a new one for the screen that needs new functions.

The reason to keep both is rollback. If the new revision mishandles one project, or a firmware update on an old screen goes badly, the old revision plus each untouched original is your way back for every other project on that laptop.

What do I need before installing the second revision?

You need the old revision still working, administrator rights on the laptop, a backup copy of every production project, and the new revision's installer downloaded from the vendor's own page, plus the model and firmware revision of each screen.

• A dated backup folder holding a copy of every production project, stored where the installer cannot touch it.
• Administrator rights on the laptop, because installers of this class write program folders and drivers.
• The new revision's installer, taken from the vendor's own download page, never from a shared drive or a mirror.
• The model and current firmware revision of every screen, recorded now while the screens run. Checking the HMI firmware revision before a project transfer covers where that information lives.
• Disk space for a second full installation.

How do I install the new revision without overwriting the old one?

Run the installer for the new revision and, when it offers the choice, create a separate installation instead of replacing the earlier one: the old revision stays on the disk as its own program, and both show up as separate applications.

1. Copy every production project into the dated backup folder and check each copy opens.
2. Sign in to the laptop with an administrator account.
3. Run the installer for the new revision that you downloaded from the vendor's page.
4. At the installation-type prompt, choose the separate-installation option. This is the step that keeps the old revision.
5. Finish the install and look for two distinct application entries.
6. Launch the old revision and open one legacy project; it should open with no prompt of any kind.
7. Launch the new revision from its own entry before you point it at any real project.

What happens when the new software opens an old project?

The new revision asks, project by project, whether you want to upgrade that project to the new version; the conversion is your choice at that prompt, and declining leaves the file in the old format.

The prompt is per project, so nothing converts behind your back. Answer it deliberately:

• Convert only the project whose screen needs new functions.
• Decline for everything else and keep editing those projects in the old revision.
• Never answer that prompt against the only copy of a project.

Before converting anything, make a named pair of files: Palletizer1_original for the untouched master and Palletizer1_converted for the copy the new revision will upgrade. Keeping an untouched master is the same discipline keeping a master copy of an HMI project applies to uploads.

The conversion step itself has a safe procedure, and opening an old HMI project in new software walks through it. If the new revision refuses the old file outright, that is a separate failure, and a converter that rejects the project format covers what to do about it.

Why does the converted project need a firmware update before it will download?

Because the screen refuses the newer project file until its own firmware matches: after you convert a project, plan on updating the receiving HMI's firmware before the download, and across a 3.5-year release gap treat that update as the risky step, not the conversion.

The conversion changes a file on your laptop. The firmware update rewrites code on the screen. Two separate operations, and the second one is what makes the download succeed: a converted project file will not load into a screen still running the old firmware. That is documented behavior for this software class, so put the firmware update in the plan for the one screen being converted.

Treat the gap seriously. A screen programmed 3.5 years ago is several firmware steps behind what the new project expects, and older screens are the ones where an update can misbehave. Before updating a screen of that age, read the vendor's documentation for that exact model.

One safety rule covers the update itself: never interrupt power to the screen and never close the programming software while a firmware update runs. A first attempt that fails and then succeeds on a retry is within normal behavior for these updates. Repeated failures on one old screen mean stop: record the message on the display, the screen model and its firmware number, and take all three to the vendor's support channel.

What does a worked example with three screens look like?

Three screens programmed 3.5 years ago, one laptop, one screen needing new functions: you end up with 2 revisions installed, 4 project files in the working set, 1 firmware update and 1 download, while the other 2 screens are never touched.

The plant has a filler, a case erector and a palletizer, all programmed 3.5 years ago, all served by the old revision. Only the palletizer needs the new functions.

• Back up all three projects: 3 files into the dated folder. The working set stays at 3 originals.
• Install the new revision separately: 2 revisions now on the laptop.
• Copy the palletizer project: Palletizer1_original stays untouched and Palletizer1_converted is created. Working set: 3 originals + 1 converted copy = 4 files.
• Convert the copy in the new revision: 1 of 3 projects converted, so 3 - 1 = 2 projects remain in the old revision.
• Update firmware on the palletizer screen only: 1 update. The filler and the case erector get 0 updates, 0 downloads and 0 changes.
• Download the converted project to the palletizer and test the new functions at the screen, with the machine running its normal checks.

The rollback position holds at every step: the filler and the case erector still download from the old revision, and Palletizer1_original still opens there. Whether a screen that has taken the new firmware still accepts a download from the old revision is not documented, so the palletizer's firmware update is the commitment point. Decide before you run it, and after it, finish that screen on the new path.

How do I check both revisions work after the install?

Open the old revision and load one legacy project end to end, then open the new revision and load a sample project: both must launch from their own entries, and each must save without touching the other's files.

• Two distinct application entries exist, and each launches on its own.
• The old revision opens a legacy project with no prompt and saves it unchanged.
• Each application reports its own version number; read both the way verifying the installed HMI software version after an upgrade shows, and write them beside the project backups.
• After the first download to a converted screen, the pages render, the controls respond and the machine reacts.
• Logged data survived the download; keeping HMI trend history through a project download tells you what to look for. Operator text entries deserve the same look, as keeping editable HMI text entries after a download explains.

When is it safe to remove the old revision?

Remove it only when every screen it served has been converted, downloaded, and accepted by the operators, because the old revision is the only editor for projects still in the old format, and a legacy project you have not converted needs it.

In practice, laptops carry the old revision for years, because unconverted projects keep arriving for small edits. The four-revision laptop stayed in use the same way. When the last old-format project is finally converted, archive the old revision's installer with the project backups before uninstalling anything, so the editor can be restored if an old project surfaces later.

Recommendation: Keep two revisions installed and convert one screen at a time, only when that screen needs new functions; retire the old revision after every screen it served has been converted, downloaded and signed off by the operator who runs the machine.

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