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Try the VIPP Windows installer

Use this checklist when someone asks you to test the tagged VIPP 0.13.0a6 installer on Windows. You do not need Python knowledge. Check only what you actually tried; leave everything else as not run.

Start with the normal Windows installation instructions. If you have a suitable NVIDIA GPU and were asked to test acceleration, also use the Windows CUDA and cuCIM instructions.

Keep private information private

Do not post your Windows username, computer name, local paths, unpublished images, support reports, or screenshots publicly. Send the completed notes only to the person who invited you to test. Review the privacy-redacted Compute Doctor support report before sharing it.

Before installing

Record these facts without including your account or computer name:

  • Windows version:
  • Standard or administrator account:
  • Does the account path contain a space? yes / no / unsure
  • Does it contain a non-English character? yes / no / unsure
  • GPU model, if testing CUDA:
  • Start time:

Download the installer and checksum file only from the official v0.13.0a6 release. The filename should be VIPP-Setup-0.13.0a6-Windows-x86_64-UNSIGNED.exe. In PowerShell, run:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 `
  .\VIPP-Setup-0.13.0a6-Windows-x86_64-UNSIGNED.exe

Compare all 64 characters with the installer line in SHA256SUMS-Windows-0.13.0a6.txt. Stop and delete the file if they differ. This alpha is intentionally unsigned, so Unknown publisher is expected; an antivirus threat warning is not expected and must not be bypassed.

The short test

  • The installer opened and its recommended choice made sense without needing to understand Python or CUDA packages.
  • Installation finished and created the expected VIPP shortcut or shortcuts.
  • VIPP or VIPP Automatic opened successfully.
  • I opened a bundled example, calculated it, and saw a sensible result.
  • I saved the workflow, closed it, reopened it, and calculated it again.
  • I ran a small batch and could find its outputs.
  • Compute Doctor showed short, understandable results and one next action.
  • I could tell whether the calculation actually used CPU or GPU.

What was confusing or did not work:

Extra CUDA check

Complete this only if the installer offered the NVIDIA CUDA route.

  • VIPP Automatic, VIPP CPU, and VIPP Prefer GPU all opened.
  • Compute Doctor separately showed CUDA and GPU, Optional cuCIM, and VIPP GPU coverage.
  • At least one reviewed operation showed that it actually ran on GPU.
  • A CPU-selected or unsupported step explained its CPU fallback and still produced the expected result.
  • The same small workflow completed with Automatic and CPU-only shortcuts.

If you were specifically asked to test optional cuCIM:

  • I verified the official cuCIM ZIP against the a6 checksum file.
  • I used Extract All before running Install VIPP cuCIM.cmd.
  • The helper built cuCIM locally for this VIPP CUDA environment.
  • Compute Doctor changed only the optional cuCIM and genuinely enabled coverage results.

What was confusing or did not work:

Repair, rollback, and removal

Only perform interruption or network-failure tests on a computer where the previous working installation and research data are safely preserved.

  • Rerunning the same installer offered a clear repair choice and the repaired installation still worked.
  • If updating, the previous working version remained usable until the new version passed its checks.
  • If setup was cancelled, it reached a clear end state and did not present a half-created installation as ready.
  • If the network failed, setup explained what to do and preserved the previous working installation.
  • Retrying after restoring the network completed successfully.
  • Uninstall removed VIPP-owned shortcuts and files without removing unrelated data or another separate CPU/CUDA VIPP installation.

What was confusing or did not work:

Final result

  • CPU fresh installation: pass / fail / not run
  • CUDA fresh installation: pass / fail / not run
  • Spaces or non-English account path: pass / fail / not run
  • Cancellation rollback: pass / fail / not run
  • Network-failure rollback: pass / fail / not run
  • Repair/update/uninstall: pass / fail / not run
  • Novice first workflow: pass / fail / not run
  • Finish time:
  • Overall: ready for my use / still has a problem
  • Most important remaining problem:

Automated tests, an older development installer, WSL, or a different VIPP version do not count as a pass for this downloaded 0.13.0a6 installer.