Syncthing Windows Setup v1.20.1

Syncthing Windows Setup is a lightweight yet full-featured Windows installer.

Documentation and download: GitHub - Bill-Stewart/SyncthingWindowsSetup: Syncthing Windows Setup

Summary of installer features:

  • Installs the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit version of Syncthing using a single installer

  • Supports administrative (all users) and non administrative (current user) installation

  • When installing for all users, installs Syncthing as a Windows service using NSSM

  • When installing for the current user, supports creating a scheduled task that starts Syncthing at logon

  • Supports adding a Windows Firewall rule

  • Supports silent (hands-free) installation

Please note the following from the documentation if upgrading from v1.19.1 or older:

Administrative installations in versions 1.19.1 and older configured the Windows service to run using the Windows built-in LocalService account. To improve security, Setup versions newer than 1.19.1 configure the Windows service to run using a local service user account instead (SyncthingServiceAcct by default). As a part of this change, the Syncthing configuration data is now located in the CommonAppData\Syncthing folder (e.g., C:\ProgramData\Syncthing).

When upgrading from version 1.19.1 or older, Setup automatically migrates the Syncthing configuration folder from the legacy LocalService account user profile (e.g., C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\ApplicationData\Local\Syncthing) to the new location. If the migration succeeds, Setup displays a dialog asking whether you want to remove the legacy configuration folder. (In silent installation mode, Setup automatically removes the legacy configuration folder if the migration succeeded.)

After upgrading from version 1.19.1 or older, you must follow the steps in Granting Folder Permissions for the Service Account to grant the local service user account permission to each synchronized folder in your Syncthing configuration. Until you do so, the Syncthing GUI configuration page will report “access denied” errors because the local service user account does not have “Modify” permissions to the folder(s).

1 Like

After green installation of the Setup on a Windows 11 computer I want to update and got the message

So no updating is possible because of permission problems. After adding the SyncthingServiceAcct user in the installation folder C:\Program Files\Syncthing the updating runs and I have no further problems.

Permissions for the install directory must have changed between installs, because the installer (re)instates the correct permissions on (re)install. Doesn’t seem that’s your issue anyway, per the error message (“Automatic upgrade already in progress”).

On that computer it was the first installation, no upgrade from a older EXE. The update starts but cant store new syncthing.exe and copy the other to .old

I did a fresh install on a different machine and still can’t reproduce.

With Windows 11?

Yes, I did a fresh install on a Windows 11 machine and it works fine.

I’m confused by your error, though, because as I write this 1.20.1 is the latest Syncthing release, so there’s nothing to upgrade to (yet). If you are seeing an upgrade error, it seems to me that it must not have been a fresh install in your case.

Let’s put it that way. Your EXE has been installed on the computer for the first time. Before that, however, another package was installed, which also runs with a service, but with a different user name. I can’t judge if that had an impact, but the installation directory for the EXE didn’t exist before.

All bets are off if you are mixing packages that have the same service name. There’s no way for the installer to detect that condition. For that case you would need to uninstall the other package and install using Syncthing Windows Setup again.

I already knew that from another installation on another computer. So it was already uninstalled.

It’s actually only about the user in the Syncthing installation folder. If the installation routine normally stores the user, it is unclear why the manual installation was necessary, especially since the program folder was not changed. Except for this user, everything was on Default.

Maybe it was a time out issue or something like that?

Sorry, I don’t know what your issue was. As already noted, I can’t reproduce it. It seems to be something specific on your machine.

I am unable to download it, failed 4 times. I thought it might be VPN, but disconnecting made no difference. Anyone else have problems? Seems like a sync jinx is hanging over my windows PC. It’s currently running on my machine, but that shouldn’t cause a download to fail?

Bitdefender tagged it a virus, with a trojan.GenericKD.49037210 and quarantined it.
That’s why I can’t download it. I will set pat for the time being.

Maybe the content should be “verified” in some way. Every time I download the EXE I get the message

For this, disabling of the virus scanner is needed.

By the way, this is also the case during the installation, otherwise you will get various error messages at the beginning. You can quit them, then it still works, but if you trust, then turn off your scanner during download and installation. Later this is no longer an issue, you may have to include the syncthing.exe in the exceptions.

Only for information.

I try it now on a ASUS Notebook on a very new Windows 11 installation. Never before was any Syncthing installed. With the same effect. After adding the user to the installation folder all is running smoothly.

Sorry, can’t reproduce it.

It is also not tragic or a hindrance.

I work with German Windows versions and if you have a different language version, this could also be a reason, since there are obviously various differences. Besides, it runs fine otherwise and it is really no big deal to store the user. Maybe you can put a note in the documentation or something, that would be one way to deal with it.

On a vanilla Windows 11 install, run the installer and specify /LOG="logfilename" on the installer’s command line (where logfilename is a path and filename to the log file you want to create). Post the content of the log file. We might be able to work out what’s happening from that.

For that before a deinstallation is needed? Maybe is issued by my Avast virus software?

Sorry, I don’t understand your question.

For that before a deinstallation of the current version is needed if any installed?