= Installation & Updates =
Brainstorm is available in two distinct forms:

 1. a stand-alone executable application (Matlab not required)
 1. an open-source Matlab application (Matlab required).

The stand-alone application is a Java executable that is expected to run on most operating systems. Please let us know through the [[http://neuroimage.usc.edu/forums|forum]] if you are running into compatibility issues.

== For the Matlab version ==
 * Necessary: Matlab version R2006a''' '''(7.2), or later
 * Optional: Matlab's Signal Processing Toolbox recommended (essentially for faster signal filtering).

== Installation ==
 1. Go to the [[http://neuroimage.usc.edu/brainstorm3_register/download.php|Download]] page, complete the quick and free registration process (it helps us keep track of our users' demographics),
 1. Download the latest brainstorm_....zip archive
 1. Unzip it somewhere on your computer, for example:<<BR>>
  * __Windows__: Program Files\brainstorm3
  * __Linux__: /usr/local/brainstorm3 (or ~/brainstorm3 if you are not admin)
  * __MacOS__: Applications/brainstorm3

 1. Create a new folder named e.g., "'''brainstorm_db'''", which will be used by the Brainstorm database. For example:
  * __Windows__: My documents\brainstorm_db
  * __Linux__: /home/username/brainstorm_db
  * __MacOS__: Documents/brainstorm_db

== Start Brainstorm ==
==== With Matlab ====
 1. Start Matlab
 1. Do '''NOT '''add brainstorm3 folder to your path: this will be done by Brainstorm itself
 1. Go to the brainstorm3 folder
 1. Type "brainstorm" in the command window
 1. When asked for the location of the Brainstorm database folder, pick the  folder "brainstorm_db" you have just created
 1. We recommend you visit the [[Tutorials]] pages to learn how to use most features of the software.

==== Without Matlab ====
 1. Go to the [[http://neuroimage.usc.edu/brainstorm3_register/download.php|Download]] page
 1. Download the '''Matlab Compiler Runtime (MCR)''' corresponding to your operating system. The MCR is a set of libraries that will let you run Brainstorm on your computer, without Matlab.
 1. Install the MCR:
  * __Windows & MacOS__: Double-click on the .exe and follow the instructions
  * __Linux__: From a terminal, unzip .zip, then run ./install
 1. Run the program in brainstorm3/bin/R2012a/
  * __Windows__: Double-click on brainstorm3.bat
  * __Linux__: From a terminal, cd brainstorm3/bin/R2012a/
   * Make sure that the file "brainstorm.command" is executable:<<BR>>=> chmod a+x brainstorm.command
   * run ./brainstorm.command
  * __MacOS__: Double-click on brainstorm.command
 1. When you start Brainstorm for the first start on Linux or MacOS, you will be prompted to select the folder where you installed the MCR
 1. When asked for the location of the Brainstorm database folder, pick the  folder "brainstorm_db" you have just created
 1. Visit the [[Tutorials]] section to learn how to use most features of the software.

== Updates ==
Brainstorm is quickly improving and evolving. We have chosen not to go through a stable-release policy but rather, we established a quick and easy way to update the software seamlessly for you. Although this approach has its shares of risks of possibly seeing new bugs emerging from the most recent update, it has the great advantage of being dynamic and of rapidly disseminating new, important features. We encourage our users to report bugs through our [[http://neuroimage.usc.edu/forums|forum]], and our experience shows fixes are completed quickly enough to avoid disruptive downtime to our users.

For these reasons, we recommend that you update Brainstorm regularly using the following options:

 * Automatic updates (Matlab version only):
  * When Brainstorm starts, it automatically checks online if a version newer than a month-old is available.
  * To toggle the automatic updates, edit the software preferences accordingly (File > Set preferences...)
 * Manual updates (Matlab version only):
  * Menu '''Help ''''''> Update Brainstorm''', in the main application window.
  * If it doesn't work: check that you have the rights to write in the brainstorm3 folder.
 * Stand-alone version (or in case the above methods do not work for you)
  * Delete the brainstorm3 folder (it will not delete your database)
  * Dowload the latest release of the Brainstorm executable or its Matlab version
  * Follow the installation instructions (see above)