Version 2026.2 hard crashes Windows 10 on install.

[arcadepro]

At the end of the installation process, usually when Halloy .exe is launched, my desktop PC hard crashes (locks the entire machine). This didn't happen with any previous installations.

After a reboot, the 'halloy.exe' is present in it's install directory. Launching said executable results in an error. The crash occurs on an upgrade install or from a clean slate (no user data present).

The log file from the crashed installation doesn't get to the point of enumerating the GPU info.

The GPU info from the working 2026.1 installation is as follows.

    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        driver: "NVIDIA",
        driver_info: "582.28",
        backend: Vulkan,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        driver: "32.0.15.8228",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "Microsoft Basic Render Driver",
        vendor: 5140,
        device: 140,
        device_type: Cpu,
        driver: "6.2.19041.5794",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970/PCIe/SSE2",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 0,
        device_type: Other,
        driver: "",
        driver_info: "4.6.0 NVIDIA 582.28",
        backend: Gl,
    },
]
21:29:12.821:INFO -- Selected: AdapterInfo {
    name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
    vendor: 4318,
    device: 5058,
    device_type: DiscreteGpu,
    driver: "NVIDIA",
    driver_info: "582.28",
    backend: Vulkan,
}

Currently reverted to running 2026.1 which installed with no problems.

[casperstorm]

@KaiKorla, do you have any idea?

[casperstorm]

Strange, I booted into Window 11 (10.0.26100 Build 26100) and upgraded without a issue.
So it's perhaps a Windows 10 issue... not entirely sure how to test that.

[arcadepro]

Since the log file from the crashed installation doesn't get to the point of enumerating the GPU info, I updated the first post with some GPU information.

[casperstorm]

One of the last commits i did was a cargo update: 2ba4f2f.

During this i see that we got a bump to the windows crate. I wonder if that broke something.

[arcadepro]

2026.1.1 also works fine if that helps narrow anything down.

[casperstorm]

I just installed 2026.2 on a Windows 10 machine. Hmm, let me do some more digging, @arcadepro.

[KaiKorla]

Well, could be a driver problem, but for sure not a problem with the installer. :)

[KaiKorla]

@arcadepro: Im unsure it this is supported, but could you try to start Halloy via CLI from the installation folder. Try these

WGPU_BACKEND=dx11 halloy.exe
WGPU_BACKEND=dx12 halloy.exe
WGPU_BACKEND=gl halloy.exe

Background: AFAIK WGPU is using VULKAN as default in Windows. But there might be an issue with Windows 10 and those type of GPU.

Let us know your testing results.

tyvm & regards
Kai

[casperstorm]

What does the error say when you open the Halloy.exe?

[arcadepro]

Halloy works fine on all builds prior to 2026.2 on the very same driver and hardware.

I'll need you to tell me exactly how to force the non Vulkan renderer.

I'll check for the error message from the bricked install, sure. I'll be back after I've crashed my PC.

[arcadepro]

Unable to get an error box after a few tries. I think that error popup was a result of an incomplete installation. I did install over the top a few times during the first appearance of this bug.

The system just hangs about 5 seconds after the end of the 2026.2 installer (when it should launch the .exe.) or if I reboot then launch halloy.exe manually. It's completely locking the video driver and then the OS. The PC cannot be recovered with keyboard input of any kind. (Screen frozen, no input but no blue screen crash)

log from 2026.1 (works fine)

23:14:41.224:INFO -- halloy 2026.1 (d8975df-dirty) has started

23:14:41.447:INFO -- Settings {
    present_mode: AutoVsync,
    backends: Backends(
        NOOP | VULKAN | GL | METAL | DX12 | BROWSER_WEBGPU,
    ),
    default_font: Font {
        family: Name(
            "Iosevka Term",
        ),
        weight: Normal,
        stretch: Normal,
        style: Normal,
    },
    default_text_size: Pixels(
        13.0,
    ),
    antialiasing: None,
}
23:14:41.664:INFO -- Available adapters: [
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        driver: "NVIDIA",
        driver_info: "582.28",
        backend: Vulkan,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        driver: "32.0.15.8228",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "Microsoft Basic Render Driver",
        vendor: 5140,
        device: 140,
        device_type: Cpu,
        driver: "10.0.19041.5794",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970/PCIe/SSE2",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 0,
        device_type: Other,
        driver: "",
        driver_info: "4.6.0 NVIDIA 582.28",
        backend: Gl,
    },
]
23:14:41.877:INFO -- Selected: AdapterInfo {
    name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
    vendor: 4318,
    device: 5058,
    device_type: DiscreteGpu,
    driver: "NVIDIA",
    driver_info: "582.28",
    backend: Vulkan,
}
23:14:41.879:INFO -- Available formats: Copied {
    it: Iter(
        [
            Bgra8UnormSrgb,
            Rgba8UnormSrgb,
            Bgra8Unorm,
            Rgba8Unorm,
            Rgba16Float,
            Rgb10a2Unorm,
        ],
    ),
}
23:14:41.879:INFO -- Available alpha modes: [
    Opaque,
]
23:14:41.879:INFO -- Selected format: Bgra8Unorm with alpha mode: Auto
23:14:44.595:INFO -- failed to load dashboard: The system cannot find the file specified. (os error 2)
23:14:44.596:DEBUG -- set new filters to history manager, reset all cached channel flags.
23:14:44.615:DEBUG -- loaded metadata for logs
23:14:44.615:DEBUG -- loaded metadata for server on liberachat
23:14:44.743:INFO -- [liberachat] connected
23:14:48.475:DEBUG -- closed history for logs
23:14:48.475:DEBUG -- closed history for server on liberachat
23:14:48.475:INFO -- [liberachat] quit

log from 2026.2 (locks PC)

23:17:55.918:INFO -- halloy 2026.2 (2ba4f2f-dirty) has started

23:17:56.142:INFO -- Settings {
    present_mode: AutoVsync,
    backends: Backends(
        NOOP | VULKAN | GL | METAL | DX12 | BROWSER_WEBGPU,
    ),
    default_font: Font {
        family: Name(
            "Iosevka Term",
        ),
        weight: Normal,
        stretch: Normal,
        style: Normal,
    },
    default_text_size: Pixels(
        13.0,
    ),
    antialiasing: None,
}
23:17:56.381:INFO -- Available adapters: [
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        device_pci_bus_id: "0000:01:00.0",
        driver: "NVIDIA",
        driver_info: "582.28",
        backend: Vulkan,
        subgroup_min_size: 32,
        subgroup_max_size: 32,
        transient_saves_memory: false,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 5058,
        device_type: DiscreteGpu,
        device_pci_bus_id: "0000:01:00.0",
        driver: "32.0.15.8228",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
        subgroup_min_size: 32,
        subgroup_max_size: 32,
        transient_saves_memory: false,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "Microsoft Basic Render Driver",
        vendor: 5140,
        device: 140,
        device_type: Cpu,
        device_pci_bus_id: "",
        driver: "6.2.19041.5794",
        driver_info: "",
        backend: Dx12,
        subgroup_min_size: 4,
        subgroup_max_size: 4,
        transient_saves_memory: false,
    },
    AdapterInfo {
        name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970/PCIe/SSE2",
        vendor: 4318,
        device: 0,
        device_type: Other,
        device_pci_bus_id: "",
        driver: "",
        driver_info: "4.6.0 NVIDIA 582.28",
        backend: Gl,
        subgroup_min_size: 4,
        subgroup_max_size: 128,
        transient_saves_memory: false,
    },
]
23:17:56.597:INFO -- Selected: AdapterInfo {
    name: "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970",
    vendor: 4318,
    device: 5058,
    device_type: DiscreteGpu,
    device_pci_bus_id: "0000:01:00.0",
    driver: "NVIDIA",
    driver_info: "582.28",
    backend: Vulkan,
    subgroup_min_size: 32,
    subgroup_max_size: 32,
    transient_saves_memory: false,
}
23:17:56.600:INFO -- Available formats: Copied {
    it: Iter(
        [
            Bgra8UnormSrgb,
            Rgba8UnormSrgb,
            Bgra8Unorm,
            Rgba8Unorm,
            Rgba16Float,
            Rgb10a2Unorm,
        ],
    ),
}
23:17:56.600:INFO -- Available alpha modes: [
    Opaque,
]
23:17:56.600:INFO -- Selected format: Bgra8Unorm with alpha mode: Auto

The

subgroup_min_size: 32,
subgroup_max_size: 32,
transient_saves_memory: false,

log output is new to 2026.2 and suggests that GPU changes of some form have been made?

[arcadepro]

vulkaninfo from said system.
https://gist.github.com/arcadepro/56a1be6bb49b3e4afb3b7c9c638efa25#file-vulkaninfo-txt

I also noticed that 2026.2 added "Support for transparent background".
Perhaps this has been coded for Windows 11? The way blur/transparencies are handled is maybe different to Windows 10.

[casperstorm]

vulkaninfo from said system. https://gist.github.com/arcadepro/56a1be6bb49b3e4afb3b7c9c638efa25#file-vulkaninfo-txt

I also noticed that 2026.2 added "Support for transparent background". Perhaps this has been coded for Windows 11? The way blur/transparencies are handled is maybe different to Windows 10.

Maybe, however 2026.2 works on the Windows 10 machine i tested. After work I can try make you build without the transparency enabled as you suggest - it's worth a try. If you wanna do it yourself and not wait for me it should be quite easy to just set these 3 places to false: https://github.com/squidowl/halloy/pull/1437/changes

Also, thank you for all the feedback and support.