APEX TWEAKS  -  how to run it
=============================

If you used APEX-TWEAKS-Setup.exe, it is already installed: open
APEX TWEAKS from the desktop shortcut or the Start menu. To remove it,
use Settings > Apps.

If you have the portable folder instead:

1. Put this whole folder somewhere on your PC. The Desktop is fine.
   Keep all the files together in one folder.

2. Double-click:   ApexTweaks.exe
   (or "Launch APEX TWEAKS.bat", which does the same thing)

Nothing else to install: the app runs on Windows PowerShell, which is
part of Windows 10 and Windows 11.


Activating (once)
-----------------
The app opens on the Licence page. Copy the activation key we sent
you (it looks like APEX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) and press
"Paste and activate". Each key works once, on one PC.

If we sent you a 30-SECOND code instead, open the app on the Licence
page first and paste the code the moment it arrives: it stops
working 30 seconds after it is made. If it says "expired", nothing
is lost: ask for another one.

After this, the app remembers this PC and never asks again unless
the licence ends.

The Restore Centre (undo everything) always works, with or without a
licence, and even with no internet connection.


If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box
-------------------------------------------------------
Click "More info", then "Run anyway". This appears because the file
is not signed with a paid code-signing certificate yet. It is not a
virus warning.


If a window flashes and closes
------------------------------
Open the folder, hold Shift, right-click an empty space, choose
"Open PowerShell window here", and paste this:

    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -STA -File .\ApexTweaks.ps1

The error message will stay on screen. Send me that message and I can
tell you exactly what went wrong.


What is in it
-------------
  Dashboard           your hardware, storage health, live CPU/RAM/disk/GPU
  All Tweaks          110 reversible Windows tweaks: click a switch
                      to turn one on, click again to undo it
  Startup Apps        turn off programs that start with Windows
  Clean Up            delete old temp files and crash dumps
  Health Scan         what is holding your PC back, and the fix
  Pre-Game Boost      free memory by closing programs you pick
  Game Presets        Fortnite, Valorant, CS2, Apex, Warzone,
                      Rocket League, Roblox, Minecraft
  FPS Optimizer       Fortnite and Project Retrac settings for your
                      exact hardware, graphics card and CPU boost,
                      and zero-delay keys
  NVIDIA/AMD/Intel    control panel settings for your card
  Network Optimizer   real ping, jitter and packet loss test
  Streaming Optimizer OBS and TikTok LIVE Studio encoder settings
  Benchmarks          real FPS and 1% lows (needs PresentMon, see below)
  Aim Trainer         9 modes, 3 difficulties, real hit detection, progress
                      chart, daily warm-up, sensitivity converter
  Restore Centre      undo everything, one button
  Settings / About    privacy, and what this app refuses to do


What it does on first run
-------------------------
Nothing, until you press a button. It reads your hardware and shows it
to you. No setting is changed until you press OPTIMIZE MY PC or APPLY
SELECTED, and both of those show you the full list first and wait for
you to say yes.

Everything it changes is backed up to:
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\ApexTweaks\backups.json

and can be undone from the Restore Centre page, in one click.


Optional: real frame-rate measurement
-------------------------------------
The Benchmarks page can measure real FPS and 1% lows, but it needs a
free tool from Intel called PresentMon:

    https://github.com/GameTechDev/PresentMon/releases

Download it, rename the program to PresentMon.exe, and drop it in this
folder. Until you do, the app will tell you the measurement is
unavailable. It will never show you an FPS number it did not measure.
