2. Requirements and installation

Nothing the program modifies lives next to TCEPro.exe. The installation folder (C:\Program Files\TCEPro) is read-only — on purpose: everything that belongs to you lives in your Windows profile and survives a reinstallation of the program.

Settings live in %APPDATA% (the roaming part of the profile), so in a domain they follow you from computer to computer. Catalogs and logs are in %LOCALAPPDATA% and stay on this computer.

On Linux the settings (settings.ini) live in ~/.config/TCEPro/, and the catalogs, logs and recovery data — in ~/.local/share/TCEPro/. The program never changes the AppImage file itself.

There is no need to copy catalog files by hand, and you should not: a catalog downloaded on another computer will not open here. When upgrading from a version that kept settings.ini next to TCEPro.exe, the old file is copied to %APPDATA%\TCEPro\ on the first start; the original is not deleted.

1. Windows: run the installer and follow its steps; before installing, it shows the licence agreement. Linux: make the AppImage file executable (chmod +x TCEPro-<version>-x86_64.AppImage, or Properties → Allow executing file as program) and start it; on the first start the program shows the licence agreement — I accept or Exit. The text of the agreement is available at any time: Help → Licence agreement.
2. Start TCEPro. A splash screen appears with the version number and "Loading…" — it closes by itself when the window is ready.
3. Windows: on the first start the program asks: "TCEPro is not set as the default application for project files (*.tceproj). Set it now?" — Yes, No or Remind Me Later. After "Yes", projects open by double-clicking in Explorer.
4. Sign in: Account → Sign in to your account (§3.1).
5. Open File → Map catalogues… (Ctrl+Shift+K) and download the catalogs you have access to (§4.3). Before this step the map tree is empty — that is normal, not an installation error.
6. Open a firmware file: File → Import Firmware… (Ctrl+Shift+O) or drag the file into the workspace.

The catalog list is fetched in the background after the window has opened: the network never delays the start. If catalogs are already downloaded, they are attached from the local files without waiting for the server. On start the program also checks whether a new version is available (§15).

TCEPro runs as a single instance. If you open a second project file while the program is running, the file opens in the window that is already running. The message "TCEPro is already running … is not responding" appears only if the first window has frozen: switch to it and open the file there.

How the Linux version differs:

• the program does not offer to become the application for project files — open projects with File → Open Project…;
• a running desktop keyring is required (§2.1);
• an AI agent connects to the AppImage file itself (§14.6).

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