Automatic Updates & Snooze Options

What is this?

Margin Master automatically checks for new versions in the background so you always know when an update is available. When a new version is found, you are shown a notification with the option to install immediately or snooze the reminder for a period of time. You can also check for updates manually at any time through the Help menu.

Walk through it in the app: guide 1010 — Updating Margin Master, lesson 1014 — When an update fails, and lesson 2015 — Strategies after an update if a strategy misbehaves once the update lands. Margin Master can walk you through these steps live: turn on Training / Guide Mode from the Help menu, then type the number into the Lessons & Guides box — or ask Margin Master support to run it with you.

How Auto-Update Checks Work

After startup completes, Margin Master begins a background timer that periodically checks the Margin Master update server for new versions. The checks follow an escalating schedule:

These checks happen silently in the background. You will only see a notification if a new version is actually available.

Update Available Notification

When a new version is detected, Margin Master shows a dialog with the following options:

• What's New in This Version -- Opens the Margin Master release notes page in your browser, filtered to show what changed since your current version. Use this to review the changes before deciding to update.
• Update Now -- Downloads and installs the update immediately. Margin Master will restart automatically after the update is applied.
• Snooze (1 Hour, 1 Day, 1 Week) -- Postpones further update checks for the selected duration. No more notifications will appear until the snooze period expires.
• Dismiss -- Closes the dialog without taking action. The background timer will continue checking on its normal schedule.

An update can be ignored for at most 7 days. To keep every installation current, Margin Master enforces a maximum ignore window of one week. If an available update is still not installed 7 days after it first appears, Margin Master downloads and applies it automatically on the next background check — regardless of any active snooze or the Require approval setting. Snooze options longer than a week are therefore no longer offered.

Idle Progress Bar

A thin blue progress bar appears near the bottom of the update notification. This bar fills gradually over the configured idle delay period while the dialog sits idle. When it reaches the end, the auto-trigger countdown begins. This gives you passive awareness that the dialog will self-resolve — no action is required unless you want to snooze or dismiss it.

The progress bar is hidden when the idle delay is set to Never or Update on Shutdown.

Auto-Trigger After Idle

If the update notification sits open for the configured idle delay without any action, Margin Master begins a 10-second countdown to automatically install the update. The default idle delay is 30 minutes but can be changed in Auto Update Options. During the countdown:

• An amber banner appears: "Updating automatically in N seconds…"
• A Cancel button is shown next to the countdown message

Clicking Cancel stops the countdown and automatically snoozes the reminder for 1 hour — it does not dismiss the update entirely. The countdown fires Update Now when it reaches zero.

Snooze Options

If you are not ready to update, you can snooze the reminder. Choosing a snooze duration tells Margin Master how long to wait before checking for updates again:

The snooze timer is measured from the time of the last update check. For example, if you choose "1 Week" and then manually check for updates 3 days later (via the Help menu), the next automatic check will occur 1 week after that manual check.

Tip: The snooze setting persists across application restarts. If you snooze for 1 week, close Margin Master, and reopen it the next day, the snooze is still active for the remaining time.

7-day maximum: No matter which snooze options you choose, an available update cannot be ignored for more than 7 days total (measured from when the update first appeared). Once that window elapses, the update installs automatically. This guarantees every installation updates at least once per week.

Manual Check for Updates

You can always check for updates manually, regardless of any active snooze:

1. Go to Help > Check for Updates in the menu bar.
2. Margin Master will immediately check the update server.
3. If an update is available, you will be asked whether to install it now.
4. If no update is available, a message confirms you are on the latest version.

Important: A manual check does not cancel your snooze setting. It simply performs an immediate check and resets the "last checked" timestamp. If you had snoozed for 1 week, the automatic checks will remain snoozed for 1 week from the time of your manual check.

Auto Update Options

All automatic update settings are located in one place:

1. Go to Tools > Options in the menu bar.
2. Navigate to the General Settings > Auto Update tab.

The following settings are available:

Auto-Update Idle Delay Options

Disabling Automatic Update Checks

If you prefer to check for updates only when you choose to, disable the automatic check entirely:

1. Go to Tools > Options in the menu bar.
2. Navigate to the General Settings > Auto Update tab.
3. Uncheck "Automatically check for updates".

When disabled, Margin Master will not check for updates in the background at all. You can still use Help > Check for Updates at any time to manually check.

When an Update Will Not Install

Occasionally an update downloads correctly but cannot be applied — most often because something is holding the Margin Master program folder open (antivirus, or a second copy of Margin Master running on the same machine). Because the swap is performed by a separate installer process, Margin Master used to have no way to tell you this had happened; the app simply restarted on the old version.

The background service is no longer in the way

The Margin Master Background Service used to run from inside the Margin Master program folder — the exact folder an update has to replace — so every update had to stop it first, and an update could not be installed at all if Windows refused to stop it. The service now runs from its own folder outside the program folder, so updates no longer depend on stopping it.

If your background service was installed before this change, Margin Master moves it for you the first time it starts afterwards. Windows asks for permission once; after that the service updates itself quietly alongside the app.

If the service still blocks an update

On a machine that has not been moved yet, an update can still be held up by the service. When that happens Margin Master shows the Update Waiting on the Background Service dialog straight away rather than silently giving up:

Choosing Not Now is not counted as a failed update — nothing is broken, the update is simply waiting.

When an update keeps failing for other reasons

Margin Master keeps track of genuinely failed update attempts. If an update fails twice in a row, or a newer version has been available for 3 days or more without installing, you will see the Margin Master Could Not Update dialog shortly after startup. It shows:

• The version you are running
• The version Margin Master was trying to install
• Why the last attempt failed
• A link to open your Margin Master log folder

You have three choices:

Margin Master must be closed for the installer to work. The installer replaces the Margin Master program folder, which cannot happen while the program is running. That is why the Download and Install Now option closes the app for you — let it close, then follow the installer prompts. Margin Master will start again on the new version when the installer finishes.

If an update you started yourself fails (via Help > Check for Updates or the Update Ready button), this same dialog appears immediately rather than waiting for a second failure.

Downgrading to a Previous Version

Margin Master does not offer a downgrade button. If a version must be rolled back, contact Margin Master support - support can install a specific version and pause updates on that computer while the cause is fixed. Installing an old version over a new one by hand corrupts settings; do not.

Common Questions

Q: I keep getting update notifications. How do I make them less frequent? A: When the update notification appears, click one of the snooze buttons (1 Hour, 1 Day, or 1 Week). This will suppress automatic checks for that duration. Note that an update can only be postponed for a maximum of 7 days — after that it installs automatically. If you want to stop all automatic checks, disable "Automatically check for updates" in Tools > Options > Auto Update.

Q: I snoozed updates for a week, but I want to check now. Can I? A: Yes. Go to Help > Check for Updates at any time. This always works regardless of any active snooze. Your snooze setting will remain in effect for automatic checks.

Q: The dialog started counting down. What do I do? A: The countdown begins after the dialog has been open for the configured idle delay (default: 30 minutes) without any action. If you are not ready to update, click Cancel — this will snooze the reminder for 1 hour and close the dialog. If you are fine with updating now, simply let the countdown complete. To change the idle delay, go to Tools > Options > Auto Update.

Q: Does clicking Cancel on the countdown dismiss the update entirely? A: No. Cancel snoozes the reminder for 1 hour, the same as clicking the "1 Hour" snooze button. The update will be offered again after the snooze expires.

Q: Does snoozing affect other users on my network? A: No. The snooze setting is stored in your local Margin Master database and only affects your installation.

Q: What happens if I snooze and a critical security update is released? A: When you next open Margin Master after the snooze expires, the background check will find the update and notify you. For urgent updates, you can always check manually via Help > Check for Updates.

Q: I clicked "Dismiss" on the update dialog. Will I be notified again? A: Yes. Dismissing the dialog does not snooze future checks. The background timer will continue on its normal schedule and will notify you again on the next check. If you want to delay future notifications, use one of the snooze buttons instead.

Q: Does Margin Master update itself without asking? A: In normal use, Margin Master will not install an update without giving you a chance to respond — the update dialog shows first, and only installs automatically after it has been sitting open untouched for the configured idle delay (default: 30 minutes, followed by a 10-second countdown). The one exception is the 7-day maximum: if an available update has gone uninstalled for a full week, it installs automatically on the next background check so your installation never falls more than a week behind. Aside from that weekly guarantee, setting the idle delay to Never or enabling Require approval keeps updates waiting for your explicit click.

Q: Margin Master says it updated, but the version number never changes. What is wrong? A: Something on the machine is holding the Margin Master program folder open, so the installer cannot replace it. The usual culprits are antivirus software or a second copy of Margin Master running (for example, under a different Windows user on a terminal server). If the Margin Master background service is the cause, you get the Update Waiting on the Background Service dialog instead, which fixes it in one click. Otherwise, after two failed attempts Margin Master shows the Margin Master Could Not Update dialog — choose Download and Install Now and let it close the app and run the installer. If it still fails, choose Contact Support; the details we need are filled in for you.

Q: I got the "Could Not Update" dialog and clicked Remind Me Later. When does it come back? A: After 24 hours, provided the problem still exists. It stops appearing as soon as an update installs successfully.

Q: Where does "Download and Install Now" put the installer? A: In your Windows Downloads folder, as MarginMaster-win-Setup.exe. If your Downloads folder cannot be found, Margin Master uses your temp folder instead. The dialog shows the full path before you confirm, and the file always contains the newest published version.

Q: I want updates to install silently when I close the app. How do I do that? A: Set the Auto-update idle delay to Update on Shutdown in Tools > Options > Auto Update. The update notification dialog will not appear — instead, a brief toast notification confirms that the update will be applied the next time you close Margin Master.