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Joined: 2010 Dec 4
Retrospect 4.3 updater

Hello,
Does anyone have the Retrospect 4.3 updater? This was apparently a free download at one point; see e.g.
http://www.softlow.com/mac-os/utilities/backup/free/retrospect-updater.html
http://www.free-downloads-center.com/download/retrospect-updater-4-3-398...

The problem is that all of the sites which list it link to the old ftp.dantz.com server which is long gone. Retrospect's web site currently has some 4.3 updaters (at hxxp://www.roxio.com/enu/support/retrospect/archived.html), but they are only for things like the client and drivers, not the main application.

Norton SystemWorks 1.0.1 includes Retrospect Express 4.3, but it would be nice to have the updater for the full version.

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bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

Could have sworn that Retrospect Desktop, Retrospect Server and Retrospect Express are all the same program, it's all down to the serial you enter.

Also could have sworn that I had all the updates, back to this version (which I bought, Desktop version), but all I have now is the updates for v5 and later (bought also, worth every penny).

bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

How hard did you look ???????

http://www.roxio.com/enu/support/retrospect/archived.html

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Joined: 2010 Dec 4

I included that link in my original post. I also downloaded the 4.3 updaters from there and tried them out. There is a driver update, an extension updater (for "adding and improving firewire, ATAPI and USB support"), and an installer for the 4.3 client, but I didn't find anything that would update the main 4.2 program to 4.3. The Mac client is just a little control panel. Most of the filesize of clients_43.hqx is the installer and updater for the Windows client. All of the 4.3 updater files currently on Roxio's site add up to 6.8MB, while the other updater is listed as having been 13.7MB.

bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

OK, are we sure that the v4.3 was a free update ? It was for Retrospect Express - for a limited time only - but I can find nothing or archive.org that would suggest it ever was for Mac.

bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

Yeah, checked the old retrospect site,

v4.3 was a "major release", a £40 upgrade from v4.2 and v4.1, a £60 upgrade from v4.0, v3.x, v2.x and about £160 from new.

so does anyone actually have a v4.3 retail version ? And is it abandonware ?

Ironically, I can see the "upgrade" file you refer to, about 16MB, but it would require a new serial.

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Joined: 2010 Dec 4

Somebody needs to take the worthless spam filter out and shoot it.
I need to give a list of archive.org URLs here so that I can substantiate what I am saying, and so that people don't have to find them manually...
but I cannot.
I tried obfuscating them several different ways.

anyway

What I saw when doing a Google search was that Retrospect 4.3 was first positioned as a major update, then later in 2000 it became a free update.

On Dantz's top page from August 14 2000,
(link 1 removed)
I see "Mac Retrospect Users: Get your free upgrade! Upgrade to version 4.3 for FREE if you already use Desktop or Workgroup edition version 4.1 or later, and just $9.95 if you use Retrospect Express."

see also the archived upgrade matrix at
(link 2 removed)

and I can find a listing of the file on their public ftp server at
(link 3 removed)
(retro43_mac_upgrades.hqx - 14MB)

but the actual file wasn't archived, which isn't surprising considering archive.org's limited resources.

As late as 2002, they were still saying that...
(link 4 removed)

Then, later on I see this page:
(link 5 removed)

which implies that they tried to de-free the update and start selling it again. It still didn't need a different serial number from 4.1.

I wonder if they can prevent people from distributing the update file if they released it as a freely distributable file and didn't put in any language about the right to distribute it being revocable.

At any rate, they don't seem to be selling it now.

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Joined: 2010 Dec 4

hZZp: //web.archive. org/web/20000815055951/www .dantz. com/

hZZp: //web.archive. org/web/20000831111050/www .dantz. com/index.php3?SCREEN=upgrades_updates#MP&sid=hLGxk1A6BzHdxY6h

hZZp: //web.archive. org/web/20041021100304/ftp .dantz. com/pub/updates/

hZZp: //web.archive. org/web/20020124145115/www .dantz. com/index.php3?SCREEN=welcome_mac_2&sid=ft0pRUjZKyiWIeik

hZZp: //web.archive. org/web/20021021234253/www .dantz. com/upgrades/mac_43.html

there are the 5 links.

bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

When I searched archive.org for www.dantz.com/* and www.retrospect.com/* I found 4.3 always described as an "upgrade".

Also, conversely, in the retrospect news on the two sites, I found the 4.3 upgrade was free for Express users on 4.1 or 4.2 (which I had), and a priced upgrade (details given earlier) for the other versions.

This looks like the effects of the "de-free" that you found also.

I don't think archive.org keep files over 3MB, and only those available through the http protocol - ie. a direct web link to a file on ftp.dantz.com would be fine, but not if it went through some ASP, PHP, etc.

Nonetheless, I've had a search for ftp mirrors of ftp.dantz.com, nothing. All the mirrors sites for mac ftp updates seem to stop about 1998. And been through all my magazine cover CDs up to 2003, nothing either, just a few earlier Retrospect updates.

Archive.org also has an archive of files / updates, but it's pants just now.

Even resorted to a Bing search, more news but no downloads. The news did clarify the "free" upgrade then de-free, only for users who purchased the 4.1 or 4.2 box in the previous six weeks and the offer was only open for six months.

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Joined: 2010 Dec 4

Well, thanks for looking. The version of Retrospect Express 4.3 that I linked in my first post does seem to work, anyway.

bertyboy's picture
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Joined: 2009 Jun 14

Apologies, I had Retrospect Desktop v4.2, but I think v5 was out (which I also purchased) by the time I realised there was a v4.3 update, which I don't have (unusual as I normally keep everything).
v5 was inifintely better, but then so is v6 over v5.

MikeTomTom's picture
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Joined: 2009 Dec 7

@Magic Napalm did ask:

Does anyone have the Retrospect 4.3 updater?

Sorry for chiming in late but are you still looking for this? Just going through my archives and noticed I have a copy of this version of the updater.