Interview Boost AI
==================

System requirements
-------------------
- Windows 10/11 x64.
- An internet connection.
- .NET and Visual C++ Runtime do not need to be installed separately: the
  required components are included. The application extracts these libraries
  locally; it does not run the system Visual C++ Runtime installer.

Installation
------------
Run InterviewBoostAI-<version>-win-x64-setup-en.exe. The application installs
for the current user and does not require administrator privileges.
To uninstall, use Windows Settings > Apps or Uninstall.exe in the installation
folder. The installer always uses the dedicated folder
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Interview Boost AI. Uninstall removes only files from
the distribution; unrelated files in this folder are left untouched.

Portable version
----------------
Extract the complete ZIP to a dedicated folder and run InterviewBoostAI.exe
from the root of that folder. It is the only file you need to launch.
Do not run the EXE directly from the ZIP, move it separately, or delete the
config and docs folders next to it.

Interface and answer languages
------------------------------
This distribution starts with both the interface and AI answers for new sessions
set to English for a new user profile with no saved application settings.
An existing language choice is preserved. Older settings
without a language preference keep Russian. To change the language,
open Settings > Interface language. Both English and Russian are included.
The answer language can be changed independently in Settings. Changing the
interface language does not change AI answers or the language of existing sessions.
The English download uses the same update channel as the standard version;
updates preserve both saved language preferences.

Local data
----------
Settings are stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%\InterviewBoostAI\ui-settings.json,
and the authentication token is stored in Windows Credential Manager.
Installed and portable copies share the current user's data.

Screenshots and completed voice recordings are saved to a local archive.
Its default folder is %LOCALAPPDATA%\InterviewBoostAI: images are stored in
media\screenshots and audio in media\audio. At the bottom of Settings, you
can select a different folder and clear files created by the application.
The new folder is used after restarting; old files remain in their original
location. Clearing files preserves settings and authentication.
The archive is not encrypted and may contain personal information.

File verification
-----------------
Before running a file, you can compare its SHA-256 hash with SHA256SUMS.txt
supplied with the distribution. Official EXE files are Authenticode-signed
by Individual Entrepreneur Kozyrev Dmitrii Evgenevich. Before launching an
update, the application also verifies its signature, the pinned publisher
key, the product name, and the installer version.
