SickGear is a blend of SickRage and SickBeard. The developers previously worked on SickRage but split to work on their own fork. SickGear works just like SickRage and SickBeard – create a watchlist of TV shows and SickGear will help download them from torrents or usenet automatically on your home media server. For usenet it will work with Sabnzbd or NZBGet. If you prefer torrents, SickGear will work with uTorrent, Deluge, rtorrent, Transmission and Synology Download station. It can use both, you do not have to choose torrents or usenet though I prefer usenet for getting new content from UsenetServer and supplement backlog content with torrents.
Install SickGear Windows
If you are using SickGear with torrents, please do so safely with a VPN, both Private Internet Access and Pure VPN are excellent, affordable solutions which offer great speeds and prevent the legal notices you could get from your ISP if you do not encrypt and protect your IP. This is especially a concern if you are using public trackers like Pirate Bay or KickAssTorrents.
Install Git Windows
Download gitshell and run it. You will see this wizard.
Accept the license
Choose the install location
Uncheck these options Additional icons and Windows Explorer integration. You won't need them. You can uncheck the bottom ones as well.
Leave the start menu folder as is or change it to your liking
This is important, for Adjusting your PATH environment, choose Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt
This is less important but I chose the top option Checkout Windows-style. It only matters if you are using git to create programs.
Unless you want to see the Release Notes uncheck it and click Finish
Install Python 2.7.x
Download Python 2.7 which will work on 64 or 32 bit systems
Run the installer, for the most part you just click Next through the Wizard
The guide will assume you are installing to C:\Python27
In the Customize Python 2.7.x enable Add python.exe to Path.
This allows you to run python from the command prompt in Windows.
Click Next
Click Finish to exit
Install Cheetah
Download Cheetah 2.4.4
Use Winrar or another archive program to unpack it to c:\Python27\Cheetah-2.4.4
Make sure it is not c:\Cheetah-2.4.4\Cheetah-2.4.4
Run a command prompt (Win+R, cmd, Enter) and input these commands. You can copy and paste them.
Enter the Cheetah directory
cd c:\Python27\Cheetah-2.4.4
Then install cheetah
python setup.py install
It should complete without errors, if you have the wrong Python version installed you will get problems.
Install SickGear
Open up a command prompt as an Administrator.
git clone https://github.com/SickGear/SickGear c:\SickGear
Make sure SickGear runs
python c:\SickGear\SickBeard.py
Now we will make SickGear run on startup so it runs in the background on boot.
this method also means you won't have a command prompt open all the time, it will be hidden.
Create the file SickGear.vbs in Notepad
Paste this code, if it doesn't work for you there is another vbs in the comments thanks to Gabriel.
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.Run chr(34) & "python C:\SickGear\SickBeard.py" & Chr(34), 0
Set WshShell = Nothing
File -> Save as and save it as “SickGear.vbs” in C:\SickGear
so the file ends up as C:\SickGear\SickGear.vbs
Now copy a shortcut of SickGear.vbs to your Startup folder
Open up you Startup Menu. Right click and choose Open.
In Windows explorer, go into C:\SickGear and copy SickGear.vbs
Now paste it as a shortcut in the Startup menu folder by right-clicking and choosing Create Shortcuts here.
Now you can access SickGear at http://ip.address:8081.
If it doesn't work you may need to use this alternative SickGear startup script for Windows
Set WshShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
WshShell.Run “python.exe C:\SickGear\SickBeard.py”, 0, false
Set WshShell = Nothing
To update SickGear, open a command prompt and enter the SickGear folder
cd c:\SickGear
Use git to pull the latest update
git pull
Enjoy SickGear.