The installation procedure on Prestashop site is described here:

http://addons.prestashop.com/en/content/21-how-to

This documentation is old but fits perfectly to the current reality, all cases are precisely described and that’s why we decided not to re-write.

If the automatic installation process performed from the back-office is not working, follow also the instructions in this documentation, the manual installation procedure is fully described.

The procedure for updating is identical. The update via the back-office or via FTP does not overwrite your current parameters.