The installer - download, run, restore and re-apply

The Generals Style installer is a small Windows program made for you when you press Make my installer in the Studio. You run it once on the PC where you play. It finds every copy of Zero Hour, backs up the files it will change, applies your design and shows you a clear result for each copy.

How do I download my installer?#

1. In the Studio, press Make my installer, tick the parts you want and confirm.
2. The download starts by itself a moment later. If it does not, use Download it now in the same window.
3. Save the file and run it on the PC where you play Zero Hour.

Each installer downloads once. If you lose the file or need it on another day, open My installers in your account and use Download again. That gives you a new file, and any copy you downloaded before stops working. Each installer also shows a date until which it works, and an installer ID you can quote if you contact us.

What if Windows SmartScreen warns me?#

Windows SmartScreen sometimes shows "Windows protected your PC" for programs it has not seen on many PCs yet. A new personal installer can trigger it even when nothing is wrong.

If you downloaded the file yourself from your own My installers page or the Studio:

1. Click More info in the blue window.
2. Check that the file name starts with GeneralsStyle-Setup.
3. Click Run anyway.

Do not run a Generals Style installer that someone sent you or that you found elsewhere. Each one is personal and works only once.

Windows may also ask for permission (a UAC prompt). The installer runs as a normal user and asks only when one of your game folders is protected, for example a copy under Program Files.

What happens when I run it?#

The installer is available in English and Arabic. It follows your Windows language and has a switch in the corner.

1. Welcome. It checks your installer and shows your design name and the parts it will install. Press Install.
2. Game copies found. It lists every Zero Hour copy it found (Steam, EA app, Origin, CD or The First Decade), all ticked. Use Add another folder if a copy is missing; choose the folder that contains generals.exe. Notes appear under a copy when they matter, for example when Control Bar Pro is not installed there, so the control bar part will be skipped. Press Install to N copies.
3. Installing. A progress bar and one line per step: downloading your design, checking it is genuine, making a backup, applying your style to each copy, and checking everything was written correctly. Close the game first; files are never written while Zero Hour is running.
4. Result. One line per copy: installed, installed with notes, or not installed, plus how to check each part in the game and a short support code.

If something fails while writing to a copy, that copy is put back from its backup and the others continue. A failed run can be retried with the same installer.

If GenPatcher's hotkey profile is installed, the installer asks whether to use your Generals Style hotkeys or keep GenPatcher's. You can switch back later.

What does the installer change?#

It changes only what your design needs, inside your own game files:

• the Control Bar Pro pictures for the bar style (see control bar);
• new loading-screen pictures (see loading screen);
• the hotkey letters you changed, and the letters drawn on buttons (see hotkeys);
• the Tab entries you turned on (see Tab shortcuts);
• the menu colours you picked.

Everything else stays as it is, including game patches, GenPatcher changes and other mods. No game-rule files are touched, so it does not cause a mismatch online.

How are the maps added?#

If your installer includes maps, it downloads them on your PC from the public maps repository on GitHub, checks every file, and skips maps you already have. They go to Documents\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour Data\Maps. In the game, open Skirmish or Network, click Select Map and choose Unofficial Maps. The result screen shows how many were added and how many were already there. More in the maps guide.

How do I restore my original files?#

Before the first change, the installer saves a backup of every file it will touch. To undo everything, open Generals Style from the Start menu and click Restore my original files. Files it created are removed so the game uses its own versions again. Restore does not remove maps.

What if a game update or GenPatcher replaces my files?#

Open Generals Style from the Start menu and click Re-apply my style. It checks each file: unchanged files show "Up to date", and replaced files get your style again on top of the new version. Re-apply and Restore need no new installer and work offline on the PC where you installed.

Why did the installer file disappear?#

After a successful install, the downloaded file deletes itself when you close its window. That is normal. A copy stays on your PC so that Re-apply my style and Restore my original files keep working from the Start menu.

Frequently asked questions#

Can I use the same installer twice?#

No. Each installer works once, on one PC. To install again, make a new installer in the Studio or use Download again in My installers; see plans and billing for how installers count.

Is it safe to click Run anyway?#

Only for a file you downloaded yourself from your own account at generals-style.com. SmartScreen warns about new programs in general; it does not mean the file was checked and found harmful.

The installer did not find my game. What now?#

Click Add another folder and choose the folder that contains generals.exe. More help is in troubleshooting.

Does the installer need the internet?#

Yes, for the first install, to check your installer and download your design and maps. Re-apply and Restore work offline.

Why was the control bar skipped on one copy?#

That copy does not have Control Bar Pro. Install it with GenPatcher, then make a new installer; your other parts were still installed.