Installing previous Steam versions of VoiceAttack

[Gary]

As outlined in a previous thread, there may be a time when a VoiceAttack update could possibly not work with your setup when it has worked fine before (see https://forum.voiceattack.com/smf/index.php?topic=293.0).  Steam will automatically update VoiceAttack to the current version, however, your setup somehow might not agree with the latest version of VoiceAttack (or, maybe you just don't want or like the latest version).  What we'll want to do is roll back to an earlier version of VoiceAttack as well as try to prevent Steam from updating to the current version.  Below are the instructions for doing so.  It's a lot of words, but, it's really quite simple (change a setting, copy some files).

NOTE - In order for any of this to work properly, you would have had to have installed and used any Steam version of VoiceAttack at least once with the Steam client running (this is so that your copy of VA is paired up with Steam and then would no longer require the Steam client to be running to launch VA).


First, you'll want to make sure VoiceAttack is NOT running.

Second, you'll want to make a backup of your VoiceAttack.dat file (this file contains all of your profile data).  Although this is an optional step, it is STRONGLY suggested.  You'll find your VoiceAttack.dat file (usually) in C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\VoiceAttack  (note that if you do not see this folder, you'll need to turn on the ability to see hidden files and folders within Windows - not covered here).

Next you are going to want to stop Steam's automatic updates of VoiceAttack:

- Launch the Steam client and log in
- Go to the LIBRARY tab
- Find VoiceAttack in the list on the left by making sure, 'Software' is displayed (you've probably already got this going on, since you're already using VA).
- Right-click on VoiceAttack and select, 'Properties...'.
- Go to the, 'UPDATES' tab in the popup window
- In the, 'Automatic updates' drop down list, select, 'Only update this application when I launch it' (I don't know why there is not an option to just totally turn off auto-updating o_O).
- Click, 'CLOSE'.

From here out, you will NOT want to launch VA from the Steam client (since Steam will update VA if you launch from there), but rather from its installed location.  Steam will normally install VoiceAttack in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\VoiceAttack    In that folder, you will find VoiceAttack.exe.  This is the executable you will use to launch VoiceAttack (create a shortcut on your desktop or other location for easier access).

Now that we've stopped Steam from automatically updating, we just need to overwrite VoiceAttack's files and we are set.  Just download and unzip a previous Steam version from here:  https://forum.voiceattack.com/smf/index.php?topic=293.0
Inside the zipped file, there will be a folder called, 'VoiceAttackSteam'.  Inside that folder you'll find a bunch of files and a few folders.  You are going to copy ALL of those files and folders over to wherever Steam has installed VoiceAttack and replace everything (although the folders are being overwritten, any of your content within those folders will NOT be overwritten.   Also, your settings and profile data will remain intact (they are stored elsewhere)).  Again, this folder is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\VoiceAttack

You'll now be able to launch your previous version of VA by double clicking on VoiceAttack.exe.


Make sure to ask questions here or jump on over to the Discord server - http://voiceattack.com/discord

Hope that helps!