Windows setup#

Windows 10 1809+ x86-64 with ConPTY. BlackICE requires a roughly 2013+ x86-64 CPU, 512 MB RAM minimum for the server alone (2 GB+ recommended), and several GB disk space.

1. Extract the release outside the BlackICE server directory.
2. Open Start.exe. The control terminal stays open.
3. Open http://127.0.0.1:20772. Read the setup key from .local/supervisor.log.
4. Enter dashboard name, username and matching passwords (at least 8 characters).
5. The server folder server inside the panel folder is created automatically; use "Change folder" to pick another one with the system folder dialog. An existing server needs REServer.exe and cfg/server.cfg; format and write access are checked.
6. For installation, select an empty directory. The official ZIP is staged, extracted with path checks and validated. Cancel and retry are available; existing files are preserved.
7. Finish and sign in. The server starts automatically by default; change this under Settings.

Both processes run as the same account. Start protects .local for that user and SYSTEM. Never publish private state. While setup is incomplete, a Supervisor restart generates a new setup key.

scripts/stop-web.ps1 stops only the Webhost. scripts/control.ps1 -Action status|start|stop|restart|shutdown controls the Supervisor. Stop the game before shutting down the Supervisor. For autostart use Task Scheduler under the same account, running Start.exe at sign-in.

Windows native address flags can fail before Winsock initialization. Set sv_bindaddr "127.0.0.1:20770" and sv_voip_addr "127.0.0.1:20771" in cfg/server.cfg instead.

Direct terminal lifecycle#

Start opens the control terminal and, for a managed native game, a separate server terminal. Q or Ctrl+C in Start stops the complete stack. Closing its X delegates graceful shutdown to an independent worker; inspect .local/controller-stop.log if it fails. Closing the server terminal or entering exit stops only the game. Settings → Start server with the panel controls auto-start. K explicitly keeps services running when leaving control; W stops only Webhost according to its configured shutdown mode. For unattended use, use service/background operation rather than an interactive Start window.

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