windows: write steam_appid.txt before starting (the cause of the Steam error box); start the server window minimized

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

README.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ What you get:
 You need 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and about 1.5 GB of free space.
 
 1. Click **Download ZIP** on this page and unzip it (Downloads is fine).
-2. Double-click `setup.cmd`. Answer the questions or press Enter to keep the defaults. It downloads the game (about 600 MB) and starts the server in its own window. Say Yes when Windows asks for admin permission: that lets your friends through the firewall.
+2. Double-click `setup.cmd`. Answer the questions or press Enter to keep the defaults. It downloads the game (about 600 MB) and starts the server in its own window, minimized in the taskbar. Say Yes when Windows asks for admin permission: that lets your friends through the firewall.
 3. Setup then asks how your friends will join and helps with that (see below).
 
 The server is installed in `Documents\cs16` (or `C:\Users\<you>\cs16` if your Documents folder is synced by OneDrive). From then on, double-click `cs.cmd` in that folder to start or stop the server, change the map or mode, set the bots, or see the kill counter. Closing the server window stops the server.
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ More for players (Steam and non-Steam): [docs/PLAYERS.md](docs/PLAYERS.md).
 
 - **Setup stopped with an error.** Fix what it says (usually the internet connection) and run it again. It continues where it stopped.
 - **Friends can't connect, but you can.** On Windows, run `cs.cmd` → 10 → 1 and accept the admin prompt so the firewall lets them in. If they're not in your house, check the playit tunnel or the port forward.
-- **"Unable to initialize Steam" (Windows).** This can happen once, on the first start after installing; `cs.cmd` and setup retry by themselves. If you started `hlds.exe` yourself, close the box and start the server with `cs.cmd` → 9.
+- **"Unable to initialize Steam" (Windows).** Close the box and start the server with `cs.cmd` → 9 instead of opening `hlds.exe` directly: `cs.cmd` writes the `steam_appid.txt` file the server needs.
 - **The server window closes right away, or setup says files are missing.** Your antivirus probably removed a file. Allow the install folder in it and run `setup.cmd` again.
 - **The port is taken.** Setup offers the next free port. Your friends then need that port in the address.
 

docs/HOW-IT-WORKS.md

@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ The same stack, native instead of Docker: the win32 builds of every part, `hlds.
 
 Things that differ from Linux:
 
-- **First start after an install.** The server's Steam part sets itself up on its first run (`hlds\appcache`, `hlds\config`) and the server stops with a "Fatal error: Unable to initialize Steam" box. Every start after that works, with or without the Steam client running. `Start-CsServer` notices that box (window title "Fatal error"), closes the server and starts it once more.
+- **`steam_appid.txt`.** A fresh SteamCMD install has no `hlds\steam_appid.txt`. `hlds.exe` writes it while starting, but after Steam has already failed, so the very first start ends in a "Fatal error: Unable to initialize Steam" box that blocks the desktop until it's closed. `Start-CsServer` writes the file (`10`) before every start. If the box shows up anyway, it closes the server and starts it again (up to 3 times). The server window starts minimized so it doesn't take the focus.
 - **Firewall.** Setup adds an allow rule for `hlds\hlds.exe` on all network types (admin prompt) before the first start, so Windows' own popup doesn't appear, and removes block rules Windows made if that popup was ever cancelled. Normal users often can't read firewall rules, so the result is remembered in `secrets\firewall-rule.txt`.
 - **Install folder.** `Documents\cs16`, or `%USERPROFILE%\cs16` when Documents is synced by OneDrive, or `C:\cs16` when the user folder has non-ASCII characters (SteamCMD and HLDS can't handle them). The folder is remembered in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\cs16-dm-server\install-folder.txt`, so running a newly downloaded `setup.cmd` updates the existing install.
 - **Console log.** `-condebug` writes `hlds\qconsole.log`; setup shows its end when the server doesn't come up.

windows/common.ps1

@@ -334,11 +334,15 @@ function Start-CsServer($root) {
   $y = $y -replace '(?m)^yb_difficulty ".*"', ('yb_difficulty "' + [int]$s.CS_BOT_DIFFICULTY + '"')
   Write-TextFile $ycfg $y
   $hargs = "-console -condebug -game cstrike -port $([int]$s.CS_PORT) +maxplayers $([int]$s.CS_MAXPLAYERS) +map $($s.CS_MAP) +log on"
-  # On the first start after an install, the server's Steam part sets itself up and the server
+  # A fresh install has no steam_appid.txt. hlds writes it while starting, but too late: Steam
-  # stops with a "Fatal error: Unable to initialize Steam" box. A new start works, so that box
+  # has already failed and the server sits on a "Fatal error: Unable to initialize Steam" box.
-  # gets the server closed and started again.
+  # 10 = Counter-Strike.
+  $appid = Join-Path $h 'steam_appid.txt'
+  if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $appid) -or [IO.File]::ReadAllText($appid).Trim() -ne '10') { Write-TextFile $appid "10`r`n" }
+  # If that box still shows up, close the server and start it again. The window starts minimized
+  # so it doesn't take the keyboard away from whatever you're doing.
   for ($try = 1; $try -le 3; $try++) {
-    $p = Start-Process -FilePath (Join-Path $h 'hlds.exe') -WorkingDirectory $h -ArgumentList $hargs -PassThru
+    $p = Start-Process -FilePath (Join-Path $h 'hlds.exe') -WorkingDirectory $h -ArgumentList $hargs -PassThru -WindowStyle Minimized
     if (-not (Test-SteamFailure $p ([int]$s.CS_PORT))) { break }
     Stop-Process -Id $p.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
     Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

windows/setup.ps1

@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ Write-Host "      connect 127.0.0.1:$port      (on this PC)" -ForegroundColor Gr
 foreach ($ip in Get-LanIPv4) { Write-Host "      connect ${ip}:$port      (same house)" -ForegroundColor Green }
 if ($s.CS_PUBLIC_ADDR) { Write-Host "      connect $($s.CS_PUBLIC_ADDR)      (friends over the internet)" -ForegroundColor Green }
 Write-Host ''
-Write-Host "  The server runs in its own window. Close that window to stop it."
+Write-Host "  The server runs in its own window (minimized in the taskbar). Close that window to stop it."
 Write-Host "  Menu (start, stop, map, mode, bots, kill counter, ...): double-click cs.cmd in"
 Write-Host "    $Root"
 if ($repo -ine $Root -and -not $Yes) { Start-Process explorer.exe -ArgumentList "`"$Root`"" }