Question about a Stardock download for original game

I just purchased the original game retail.  I am very old school and like physical CDs/DVDs.  I thought the patch process would be simple, but I started encountering problems.  I am downloading a file from the Stardock site named Sins_1.195.exe of size 755 MB.  Is this a patch file or a complete digital version?  My original game DVD is 1.59 GB.  If I am downloading a complete digital version, then what is the difference between that version and the DVD, other than the upgrade?  For right now, I am just looking to patch the original game until I can both upgrade it to Trinity and get the Rebellion version from Steam.  I have to learn this game.  I look forward to playing online.

The update button on the original game does not automatically update.  Also, does Stardock support read these posts or should I post to Stardock forums for that?

I am a very old school gamer (UNIX, DOS, original Flight Simulator, etc.), and I have migrated here from Homeworld 2 (thus my username) and Homeworld 2 Complex (just recently).  In recent years I have been getting games far after their release date.  I mostly play against the AI, and I hope to find a challenging AI (or AI mods) for this Sins of a Solar Empire series.  However, as I stated before, I hope this series has plentiful and fair online playing opportunities.

This is my first post.