Install the Windows preview

Before you install

Use a Windows x64 engineering build provided by the project owner. There is currently no public general-availability download linked from these docs. Check the build’s filename, version, exact byte count and SHA-256 against its accompanying manifest. Do not infer trust from the filename or icon alone.

For a locally supplied setup file, PowerShell can calculate its hash:

Get-FileHash -LiteralPath 'C:\Downloads\RegesARC-Setup-0.0.1.exe' -Algorithm SHA256

Replace the example path with your actual file. This command verifies bytes; compare the resulting digest with the release manifest from the same delivery. The example is not a public download URL.

Per-user installation

1. Close an existing RegesARC session after stopping generation and unloading its model.
2. Run the verified installer and review its destination and shortcuts.
3. Start RegesARC. It initializes its own private Lemonade instance and scans configured model folders.
4. Open System and confirm the runtime state and captured hardware.

The qualified per-user installation uses %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\RegesARC. Normal settings and conversations live separately under %APPDATA%\RegesARC. The application reads selected model files in place; installation does not bundle or rewrite them.

Windows may show an unsigned-publisher warning for this engineering build. No signing identity has been established in the release evidence. Review the artifact’s origin and manifest rather than treating the warning as proof of a signed release.

Portable use and profiles

A portable ZIP is a separate packaging artifact. Its executable does not automatically make every data path portable. The host supports an explicit absolute REGESARC_USER_DATA directory for controlled profiles. Leave that variable unset for normal use. Do not point a test profile at your everyday conversations.

Uninstalling program files and deleting personal app data are different operations. Back up your own conversations before any deliberate data cleanup. These docs do not instruct you to remove model folders or another application’s cache.

First launch

The full-window nebula is a startup presentation; it is disposed when the workstation opens. Chat waits for a model to be loaded. If the library is empty, add a folder or import a GGUF through the native file picker, then continue to quickstart. An unavailable backend requires an explicit installation action; a ready runtime does not mean a model is already in memory.