Windhawk Service Management Utility (Fork)

📌 Based on wsbu.py by scorpion421 (GPL)
This fork adds architecture awareness, portable‑first design, smarter auto‑detection, richer UI, and several utility improvements.
Please note: There are no compiled releases – run the Python source directly.

• One‑click backup of mod sources, compiled mods, and registry settings into a timestamped ZIP
• One‑click restore from any existing archive
• Clean Existing State – dedicated maintenance tool to wipe stale mod state (sources, compiled DLLs, UI caches, registry) while preserving Windhawk's core runtime files, guaranteeing a deterministic restore baseline
• Smart Stale DLL Exclusion – automatically detects and drops obsolete compiled mod binaries during backup, preventing historical artifact buildup
• Service management – automatically stops Windhawk before file operations and restarts it afterwards, even on errors
• Archive integrity check – every new backup is validated with zipfile.testzip()
• Backup rotation – keeps only the last N archives (configurable, 0 = unlimited)

• Backup filename now includes hostname and CPU architecture:
  windhawk-backup_DESKTOP-ABC_AMD64_20260115_143022.zip
• Manifest enrichment – each archive’s manifest.json records arch, hostname, mod list, and creation time
• Cross‑architecture warning – on restore, if the backup was created on a different CPU (e.g. AMD64 → ARM64), a clear warning is logged so you don’t blindly import incompatible binary mods
• (see Architecture note below for more details)

• Config lives next to the script (not hidden in %AppData%) – fully portable
  – Auto‑migration from the old AppData location on first run
• Default backup folder is the script’s directory (with an optional Windhawk_Backup subfolder, toggleable in the UI) – keep backups next to the tool
• Windhawk root auto‑detection – probes several known install locations on startup if the configured path is invalid

• Help & README button – opens a tabbed dialog with detailed documentation
• Live auto-refresh – backup list automatically updates in the background without UI flickering
• Sortable & auto-sizing backup list – columns automatically fit content; double-click separators to auto-fit
• Backup preview – double‑click any archive to see its mod list, metadata, and full manifest
• Debounced auto‑save – settings are saved silently 1 second after any change
• Advanced Logging – features a toggleable Verbose mode (file-level tracking), a Large View window, end-of-operation summaries, and line-by-line color coding
• Status bar and threaded operations – UI stays responsive during backup/restore

• Elevation fix for .pyw files – the ShellExecuteW call now correctly separates the interpreter and script paths, so elevation works when launched without a console
• Transparent documentation – Help tab explicitly lists Windhawk’s registry usage and the exact directories backed up

• Windows 10 / 11
• Python 3.10+ (standard library only – no extra packages)
• Administrator privileges (for registry and service control)

• The tool tries to auto‑detect your Windhawk root (checks %ProgramData%\Windhawk, %LocalAppData%\Windhawk, C:\Windhawk, etc.).
• Backup folder defaults to the script’s directory with a Windhawk_Backup subfolder. You can change the base folder and toggle the subfolder on/off.
• Settings are saved in a config file next to the script (e.g. wsbu.config.json).

1. Verify the Windhawk Root and Backup Base Folder fields.
2. Optionally adjust the number of backups to keep, or toggle Exclude stale DLLs.
3. Click Create Backup – the service is stopped, files staged, obsolete DLLs dropped, registry exported, ZIP created, and the service restarted.

1. Highly Recommended: Click Clean Existing State first. This safely wipes old compiled DLLs and out-of-sync UI caches, ensuring the destination is perfectly clean.
2. Select a backup from the list (double‑click to preview its contents first).
3. Click Restore Selected and confirm the overwrite prompt.
4. If the backup’s CPU architecture differs from your machine, a warning will appear in the log – pay attention to it (see Architecture note below).

• Tick Portable installation to skip all registry steps, or click Auto‑Detect to let the tool decide (it checks for the registry key).

• Click the Help & README button to open a tabbed reference explaining what is backed up, the registry source, restore caveats, and the auto‑detect candidate list.

Windhawk compiles mods into native DLLs located in Engine\Mods. These are CPU‑specific – an AMD64 DLL will not run on ARM64, and vice versa.

• Backups now record the machine’s architecture (AMD64 or ARM64) in both the file name and the manifest.
• During restore, the tool compares the backup’s architecture with your current PC. If they differ, it logs a prominent warning:

  “Architecture mismatch — backup was created on AMD64, this machine is ARM64. Compiled mods may not work.”

The mod source (ModsSource) and registry settings are architecture‑agnostic and can be transferred freely – only the compiled DLLs are affected. When moving between architectures, you should re‑download the mods after restoring the source and registry.

• Original idea and UI‑first PowerShell script by @lokize (comment)
• Solid foundational Python tool by @scorpion421 – this fork is built on that excellent work.

GPL License – see LICENSE for details.