Installing on Windows
Run the Windows installer, get past SmartScreen, and know where the app, its data and the command-line tool live.
#Before you start
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. x64 PCs are the main target. Windows on ARM (including Windows running in Parallels on a Mac) runs the app under emulation: slower, but it works.
- About 3 GB of free disk space for the app and the reading models, plus room for your cases.
- An internet connection for the first start. Windows 10 may need Microsoft Edge WebView2, which the installer fetches, and the app downloads its reading models once.
- No administrator rights. The app installs for your Windows user only.
The installer is named like Discovery Engine_0.1.0_x64-setup.exe (the version number may differ).
#Install
- Double-click the installer.
- If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. (See below for why.)
- Follow the installer: Next, Install, Finish. On Windows 10 it may download WebView2 along the way.
- Start Discovery Engine from the Start menu.
#About the SmartScreen warning
This version of the app is not yet signed with a Windows code-signing certificate, so SmartScreen warns about it. More info → Run anyway is the expected way past it.
If there is no Run anyway button, your PC's policy blocks unsigned apps. Try this:
- Right-click the installer and choose Properties.
- On the General tab, tick Unblock, then click OK.
- Run the installer again.
If your PC is managed by an employer or a firm's IT department, they may need to allow the app.
#The first start
The app opens on a short setup: it checks disk encryption (BitLocker or Device encryption), downloads the reading models (about 1 GB, once) and helps you create your first case. See First launch and setup.
#Updating to a newer version
Run the new installer over the current version. You don't need to uninstall first: your cases, models and settings stay.
After updating, open the Start Up screen. If it says the command-line tool needs updating, click Update command-line tool.
#Where things are on Windows
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| The app's data: cases, models, logs | C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\appstart\Discovery Engine |
| The command-line tool (once installed from Start Up) | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Discovery Engine\bin\discovery.cmd |
| The app's own engine | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Discovery Engine\engine\ |
| The agent's work folder (default) | Documents\Discovery Engine\Agent work in your user folder |
| The export folder (default) | Documents\Discovery Engine\Exports in your user folder |
AppData is a hidden folder. In File Explorer you can paste %LOCALAPPDATA% into the address bar to jump to it.
When you click Install command-line tool on the Start Up screen, Windows also gets the tool's folder added to your user PATH, so new terminal windows (and agent apps opened afterwards) find it simply as discovery. No administrator rights are needed for that either.
#Uninstalling
- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Find Discovery Engine, open its menu and choose Uninstall.
- The data folder,
C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\appstart\Discovery Engine, is kept on purpose so that reinstalling doesn't lose your cases. Delete it yourself if you want everything gone.
Your original case files are never inside the app or its data folder, so uninstalling never removes them.