Windows v1.7.9
Download the current Windows file forwarder, version 1.7.9, with its release notes and the hardware, runtime, and operating system it requires.
Version 1.7.9 is the current Windows file forwarder. It ships as three packages that contain the same forwarder, and the choice between them is about .NET and about what your deployment tool accepts, not about features. Take the bundled installer unless you have a specific reason not to.
Release notes: Windows Forwarder 1.7.9.
Which package should I download?
| Package | When to use it | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Bundled installer | The usual choice. Includes the .NET libraries the forwarder needs, so the host does not have to have them | StairwellForwarderBundle-1.7.9.1.exe |
| Standalone installer | The host already has a supported .NET runtime and you manage that runtime separately | StairwellForwarder-1.7.9.1.exe |
| Standalone MSI | Your deployment tool wants an MSI. Same standalone build, packaged differently | StairwellForwarderInternal-1.7.9.1.msi |
The filenames carry a build number, so they change with every release. Link to this page rather than saving a URL.
What does 1.7.9 require?
| Requirement | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Hardware | 64-bit processor. 32-bit is not supported |
| Runtime | .NET 6 or later |
| Windows Server | 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022 |
| Windows desktop | 10, 11 |
Microsoft patches .NET monthly. If you take one of the standalone packages, keeping that runtime current is part of your normal patching rather than something the forwarder does for you. The bundled package removes that dependency from the decision.
What should I do before installing?
Run the two checks on Pre-Deployment Check, on one machine on each network path you are deploying into. They take a few minutes and they catch the failure that otherwise surfaces after the forwarder is on a thousand hosts: a proxy that inspects TLS, or a firewall that allows the Stairwell web app and not the intake hostnames.
You also need the environment ID and the token for the environment the machines should report into, both from your environment's settings in the app.
How do I confirm the install worked?
In this order, because each step tells you something the previous one does not.
- The machine appears under Assets with a recent check-in. See Assets.
- Sightings start arriving for it, which is what proves the intake path is being used rather than merely reachable.
- The asset is in the environment you intended. See Environments.
- Collection is tuned for these machines through their group's policy. See Asset Configuration.
Expect elevated disk activity for a while after the install, while the forwarder works through the files already on the machine, and expect it to subside. If the install reported success and nothing arrives, Windows Forwarder Troubleshooting is the page, starting from What to Check First.
What should I read next?
- Forwarder Downloads, for the current forwarder on the other platforms.
- Windows Forwarder Troubleshooting, for services, registry values, and upgrades.
- Download Center, for everything else Stairwell ships.
Updated 14 days ago