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Trouble with MT4 Build 600 and AlwaysUp?

Version 4 of the popular MetaTrader trading platform (affectionately called MT4) received a major overhaul in February. This forum post describes the many improvements in that “Build 600”, but perhaps the most dramatic changes were to the data storage layer:


The new version of the MetaTrader 4 terminal features the updated structure of user data storage. In earlier versions all programs, templates, profiles etc. were stored directly in terminal installation folder. Now all necessary data required for a particular user are stored in a separate directory called data folder.

Unfortunately this can cause MetaTrader terminals installed under AlwaysUp to stop working!

If you are having problems running MT4 as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp, please:

  1. Make sure you have your Windows account specified on the Logon tab, as described in step 6 of our MT4 tutorial. Using the default LocalSystem account is no longer an option now that the terminal’s data is kept in a user-specific folder.

    AlwaysUp Logon Tab

  2. When upgrading to build 600, MT4 moves many files automatically but some files will need to be moved manually. Please review “Automatic Copying of MQL4 Programs When Updating from Older Builds” and ensure that all your terminal’s files are migrated to the new locations.

Following this advice has worked for all MT4 customers experiencing problems with build 600 to date. Of course, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or remain stuck after implementing the above!

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