Keeping BRUTAL Optimizer itself updated

BRUTAL Optimizer keeps itself current through a built-in updater that checks the BRUTAL server for a newer version, downloads the installer, verifies it cryptographically, and runs it in place. It checks silently on launch and you can also check manually any time in Settings.

How update checks happen

On startup the app does a quiet check against the BRUTAL server, sending its current version and a hashed machine ID. The server replies with the latest version, download URL, changelog, and the file's SHA-256 hash, and the app offers it only if it is newer than the version already running — never a downgrade.

If an update is available, the sidebar version text shows an indicator. To check on demand, open Settings and use Check for Updates; the changelog for the new version is shown there, and View Release Notes opens the full web changelog.

If the check can't reach the server, the app reports “couldn't check” — never a false “up to date”. This honesty guard exists because an earlier version of the updater was silently broken for weeks (the app POSTed but the server only answered a different request type, so every check failed quietly). That class of bug is exactly what the explicit “couldn't check” state prevents.

Installing an update

When an update is offered, choose to download it. The installer is fetched only from BRUTAL's trusted domains (the final host is re-checked even after any redirect), with a size cap and a 10-minute limit plus automatic retry on a dropped connection.
The download is verified against the server's SHA-256 and must be signed by Arhas India (OPC) Private Limited. This is mandatory — if the hash doesn't match (or is missing), the file is deleted and the update is refused. The app will not launch an installer it can't verify.
The verified installer runs silently and elevated. It closes the running app, replaces it in Program Files, and exits — an in-place update with no setup wizard.

Because a verified installer is kept on disk, if you decline the Windows elevation (UAC) prompt, the app can offer Install now to re-launch it without downloading the 100+ MB again.

Automatic updates (optional)

There's an opt-in setting to let a silent background check auto-download and install the update (with a heads-up), instead of only notifying you. It's off by default and stored separately so it can't be clobbered by other settings.

Mandatory updates

Occasionally a release is marked mandatory (for example, a critical fix or a minimum supported version). In that case the app nags more insistently to update. The verification rules are identical — a mandatory update is still SHA-256-checked before it's allowed to run.

Who signs the installer

The installer is digitally signed by Arhas India (OPC) Private Limited, and the UAC dialog names it as the verified publisher. If a prompt for a BRUTAL installer says “unknown publisher”, don't run it. If you decline the prompt, the download isn't wasted — use Install now to retry.

Common issues / troubleshooting

“Couldn't check”. A network, DNS, or server hiccup — try again shortly. It is never silently treated as up to date.
Download stalls. The updater bounds each attempt and retries once automatically on a stalled or dropped connection; if it still fails, check your connection and re-run the check.
UAC declined. The verified installer is kept on disk — click Install now to re-launch it without re-downloading.
It says I'm on the latest. Then you are — a successful check that finds nothing newer reports “up to date”. A staged rollout can reach some PCs a little before others.