IF THE MINER WILL NOT START - READ THIS FIRST
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1. PRESS START MINING

BMM automatically checks the selected mining engine's official release every
time you press Start mining. If the engine is missing or an update is available,
BMM downloads it, verifies the official integrity information and installs it.
You do not need to press the engine update button first.

Mining-engine updates: automatic when Start mining is pressed.
BMM launcher updates: manual during the unsigned Early Access release.

2. IF WINDOWS SECURITY BLOCKS THE ENGINE

Open:

Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history

Read the exact detection name and affected file. The included
MINER-WONT-START-EXAMPLE.svg shows where this information appears without
including anyone's personal Windows username or path.

3. IF THE DETECTION SAYS WINRING0

If the detection is VulnerableDriver:WinNT/Winring0 and the affected file is
WinRing0x64.sys or WinRing0.sys inside BMM's SRBMiner folder, first confirm that
BMM reported the official SRBMiner archive passed integrity verification.

If every detail matches and you accept the driver risk:

1. Expand the quarantined entry.
2. Select Actions > Restore.
3. Defender may detect it again as "Threat found - action needed".
4. Open that new entry and select Actions > Allow on device.
5. Return to BMM and press Start mining again.

This SRBMiner build does not start reliably while the driver remains
quarantined. Microsoft says the WinRing0 detection is valid and associates it
with CVE-2020-14979, so allowing it is an informed compatibility choice rather
than treating it as a harmless false positive.

Microsoft Protection History instructions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/windows-security/protection-history-in-the-windows-security-app

Microsoft explanation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-threat-malware-protection-microsoft-defender-antivirus-alert-vulnerabledriver-winnt-winring0

4. IF ALLOW ON DEVICE DOES NOT PERSIST

Restore the exact file first. Then, only if the filename, location and verified
official archive all match, you can add an exclusion for that one file:

1. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings.
3. Under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions.
4. Select Add an exclusion > File. Do not choose Folder, File type or Process.
5. Select the exact affected file named in Protection history inside the
   verified engine version folder. For the known WinRing0 detection, select
   only WinRing0x64.sys or WinRing0.sys, such as:

   C:\Users\YOU\AppData\Local\BearMarketMiner\CPU Launcher\miners\srbminer\VERSION\WinRing0x64.sys

   If Protection history instead names an official miner .exe, select only
   that exact engine .exe. Do not exclude the BMM launcher EXE unless it is the
   exact file named by Protection history and its SHA-256 matches
   SHA256SUMS.txt.

6. Return to BMM and press Start mining again. Remove the exclusion when you
   stop using that engine.

An exclusion prevents Defender from checking that file. Never exclude the
whole BMM, Downloads, AppData or mining-engine folder, never exclude a file
type, and never add a process exclusion. BMM will not create the exclusion.

Microsoft's file-exclusion instructions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-malware-protection/virus-and-threat-protection-in-the-windows-security-app

5. IF IT IS A DIFFERENT DETECTION

Only consider allowing or restoring an individual engine file when all of the
following are true:

- You deliberately selected that mining engine in BMM.
- BMM says the official archive passed its integrity check.
- The affected path is inside BMM's mining-engine folder.
- The detection and filename match what you expected.

If any detail is unexpected, leave the file blocked and report the exact
detection, engine, coin and redacted Diagnostics lines.

NEVER disable antivirus protection. NEVER create a broad folder, file-type or
process exclusion. BMM will not change Defender or create an exclusion
automatically.

6. TRY AGAIN

Return to BMM and press Start mining again. If it still fails, use the blue
Miner logs panel below the setup form. It starts open so you can immediately
read the engine output. If the app itself will not open, run
RUN-WITH-DIAGNOSTICS.cmd and send the displayed
startup-log error without including wallet secrets.

7. IF THE PAGE SAYS THE LAUNCHER CONNECTION WAS LOST

Close that browser or app window, make sure no older BMM window is still open,
then reopen the latest BMM EXE. BMM retries one transient local request before
showing this message. If it returns, send this file with your report:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\BearMarketMiner\CPU Launcher\logs\launcher-startup.log

This message means the local dashboard could not reach the BMM background
process. It is separate from a pool connection or rejected-share error.

Never send a seed phrase, recovery phrase, private key, wallet password,
exchange password or Qubic seed.
