diff --git a/htroot/ConfigUpdate_p.java b/htroot/ConfigUpdate_p.java
index 8ec5894cb..e5a31f363 100644
--- a/htroot/ConfigUpdate_p.java
+++ b/htroot/ConfigUpdate_p.java
@@ -89,18 +89,17 @@ public class ConfigUpdate_p {
                 } else {
                     // there is a version that is more recent. Load it and re-start with it
                     sb.getLog().logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: downloading more recent release " + updateVersion.url);
-                    boolean downloaded = yacyVersion.downloadRelease(updateVersion);
+                    File downloaded = yacyVersion.downloadRelease(updateVersion);
                     prop.put("candeploy_autoUpdate_downloadedRelease", updateVersion.name);
-                    File releaseFile = new File(sb.getRootPath(), "DATA/RELEASE/" + updateVersion.name);
                     boolean devenvironment = yacyVersion.combined2prettyVersion(sb.getConfig("version","0.1")).startsWith("dev");
                     if (devenvironment) {
                         sb.getLog().logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: omiting update because this is a development environment");
                         prop.put("candeploy_autoUpdate", "3");
-                    } else if ((!downloaded) || (!releaseFile.exists()) || (releaseFile.length() == 0)) {
+                    } else if ((downloaded == null) || (!downloaded.exists()) || (downloaded.length() == 0)) {
                         sb.getLog().logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: omiting update because download failed (file cannot be found or is too small)");
                         prop.put("candeploy_autoUpdate", "4");
                     } else {
-                        yacyVersion.deployRelease(updateVersion.name);
+                        yacyVersion.deployRelease(downloaded);
                         sb.terminate(5000);
                         sb.getLog().logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: deploy and restart initiated");
                         prop.put("candeploy_autoUpdate", "1");
diff --git a/htroot/Steering.java b/htroot/Steering.java
index c67cc08d5..b9f8f0a49 100644
--- a/htroot/Steering.java
+++ b/htroot/Steering.java
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ public class Steering {
             String releaseFileName = post.get("releaseinstall", "");
             File releaseFile = new File(sb.getRootPath(), "DATA/RELEASE/" + releaseFileName);
             if ((!devenvironment) && (releaseFile.length() > 0) && (releaseFile.exists())) {
-                yacyVersion.deployRelease(releaseFileName);
+                yacyVersion.deployRelease(releaseFile);
             }
             prop.put("info", "5");
             prop.put("info_release", releaseFileName);
diff --git a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSwitchboard.java b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSwitchboard.java
index bab13f471..0a0b4e321 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSwitchboard.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/plasma/plasmaSwitchboard.java
@@ -2012,15 +2012,14 @@ public final class plasmaSwitchboard extends serverAbstractSwitch<plasmaSwitchbo
             if (updateVersion != null) {
                 // there is a version that is more recent. Load it and re-start with it
                 log.logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: downloading more recent release " + updateVersion.url);
-                boolean downloaded = yacyVersion.downloadRelease(updateVersion);
-                File releaseFile = new File(sb.getRootPath(), "DATA/RELEASE/" + updateVersion.name);
+                File downloaded = yacyVersion.downloadRelease(updateVersion);
                 boolean devenvironment = yacyVersion.combined2prettyVersion(sb.getConfig("version","0.1")).startsWith("dev");
                 if (devenvironment) {
                     log.logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: omiting update because this is a development environment");
-                } else if ((!downloaded) || (!releaseFile.exists()) || (releaseFile.length() == 0)) {
+                } else if ((downloaded == null) || (!downloaded.exists()) || (downloaded.length() == 0)) {
                     log.logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: omiting update because download failed (file cannot be found or is too small)");
                 } else {
-                    yacyVersion.deployRelease(updateVersion.name);
+                    yacyVersion.deployRelease(downloaded);
                     terminate(5000);
                     log.logInfo("AUTO-UPDATE: deploy and restart initiated");
                 }
diff --git a/source/de/anomic/yacy/yacyVersion.java b/source/de/anomic/yacy/yacyVersion.java
index f712872ee..eb3ca76ed 100644
--- a/source/de/anomic/yacy/yacyVersion.java
+++ b/source/de/anomic/yacy/yacyVersion.java
@@ -326,14 +326,21 @@ public final class yacyVersion implements Comparator<yacyVersion>, Comparable<ya
         return new DevMain(devreleases, mainreleases);
     }
     
-    public static boolean downloadRelease(yacyVersion release) {
+    public static File downloadRelease(yacyVersion release) {
         File storagePath = plasmaSwitchboard.getSwitchboard().releasePath;
         // load file
-        File download = new File(storagePath, release.url.getFileName());
+        File download = null;
         JakartaCommonsHttpClient client = new JakartaCommonsHttpClient(120000, null, null);
         JakartaCommonsHttpResponse res = null;
+        String name = release.url.getFileName();
         try {
             res = client.GET(release.url.toString());
+            boolean unzipped = res.getResponseHeader().gzip() && (res.getResponseHeader().mime().toLowerCase().equals("application/x-tar")); // if true, then the httpc has unzipped the file
+            if ((unzipped) && (name.endsWith(".tar.gz"))) {
+                download = new File(storagePath, name.substring(0, name.length() - 3));
+            } else {
+                download = new File(storagePath, name);
+            }
             try {
                 serverFileUtils.copyToStream(new BufferedInputStream(res.getDataAsStream()), new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(download)));
             } finally {
@@ -343,6 +350,7 @@ public final class yacyVersion implements Comparator<yacyVersion>, Comparable<ya
         } catch (IOException e) {
             serverLog.logSevere("yacyVersion", "download of " + release.name + " failed: " + e.getMessage());
             if (download.exists()) download.delete();
+            download = null;
         } finally {
             if (res != null) {
                 // release connection
@@ -350,7 +358,7 @@ public final class yacyVersion implements Comparator<yacyVersion>, Comparable<ya
             }
         }
         plasmaSwitchboard.getSwitchboard().setConfig("update.time.download", System.currentTimeMillis());
-        return download.exists();
+        return download;
     }
     
     
@@ -395,7 +403,7 @@ public final class yacyVersion implements Comparator<yacyVersion>, Comparable<ya
         }
     }
     
-    public static void deployRelease(String release) {
+    public static void deployRelease(File releaseFile) {
         //byte[] script = ("cd " + plasmaSwitchboard.getSwitchboard().getRootPath() + ";while [ -e ../yacy.running ]; do sleep 1;done;tar xfz " + release + ";cp -Rf yacy/* ../../;rm -Rf yacy;cd ../../;startYACY.sh").getBytes();
         try {
             plasmaSwitchboard sb = plasmaSwitchboard.getSwitchboard();
@@ -404,9 +412,12 @@ public final class yacyVersion implements Comparator<yacyVersion>, Comparable<ya
             String script =
                 "#!/bin/sh" + serverCore.LF_STRING +
                 "cd " + sb.getRootPath() + "/DATA/RELEASE/" + serverCore.LF_STRING +
-                "if gunzip -t " + release + serverCore.LF_STRING +
-                "then" + serverCore.LF_STRING + 
-                "gunzip -c " + release + " | tar xf -" + serverCore.LF_STRING +
+                ((releaseFile.getName().endsWith(".gz")) ?
+                       ("if gunzip -t " + releaseFile.getAbsolutePath() + serverCore.LF_STRING +
+                        "then" + serverCore.LF_STRING + 
+                        "gunzip -c " + releaseFile.getAbsolutePath() + " | tar xf -" + serverCore.LF_STRING) :
+                       ("tar xf " + releaseFile.getAbsolutePath() + serverCore.LF_STRING)
+                ) +
                 "while [ -f ../yacy.running ]; do" + serverCore.LF_STRING +
                 "sleep 1" + serverCore.LF_STRING +
                 "done" + serverCore.LF_STRING +