iw4L/docs/WINDOWS.md

Portable Windows folder

Players download iw4l-windows.zip from the GitHub release; it holds the executable. A server operator hands out the .iw4l-server descriptor separately. make release prod|dev also writes iw4l-windows-{dev,prod}.zip with the descriptor included, and make launcher windows writes the same pair under dist/windows/. The archive password is t.me/contextrot. Extract into a dedicated writable folder:

IW4L/
├── iw4l.exe
├── Modern Warfare 2.lnk
├── Black Ops.lnk            optional
├── Modern Warfare 3.lnk     optional
├── community.iw4l-server    optional
└── iw4l-artifacts/          created on first launch: saves, caches, demos, logs

iw4l.exe licenses prints the licence and notice texts compiled into the executable.

The runtime reads the installations those shortcuts point to. MW2 multiplayer data is required for the menu; BO1 and MW3 are optional. For each missing title, iw4l.exe checks the Steam libraries and creates its shortcut when exactly one install has supported multiplayer data. Existing shortcuts and titles already found in the configured folders are preserved. If several installs qualify, create a shortcut to the one you want. If MW2 is still missing, the launcher shows the folders it tried and how to add the shortcut: right-click inside the launcher folder, New > Shortcut, paste the game folder path.

Launch iw4l.exe. Before starting the game or contacting QUIC, it checks its community's HTTPS manifest. An unchanged executable starts normally. An update is downloaded, decompressed with a size limit and verified against SHA-256. A temporary copy of the same executable waits for the original process, replaces it and restarts with the original arguments. Failed installation or spawning restores the previous executable. There is no permanent second executable.

The temporary files are iw4l.update.exe, iw4l.previous.exe and a helper in %TEMP%; the next verified startup removes the backup and helper. The lock file iw4l.update.lock serializes update checks; iw4l.update-helper records cleanup. An update error stops startup and reports the failure; a configured community requires a reachable update origin. Without a community descriptor, local development can launch without checking.

A descriptor pins a public CA and the master's TLS name for both HTTPS and QUIC. Use a descriptor from a trusted source: its operator can distribute executable updates. Its settings take precedence over the legacy master environment keys. One adjacent .iw4l-server is selected automatically; with several, set IW4L_COMMUNITY to the chosen file path before launching. See MASTER.md.

On Windows the executable directory is the working directory. Game discovery uses IW4L_GAMES or shortcuts beside iw4l.exe, then Steam for MW2, BO1 and MW3; local .env settings remain available for game configuration. Publishing: DEPLOY.md.