Launch and SPIN
Start Demo Wheel.exe from the extracted release_v1 folder. Click SPIN. Hope is optional; proving the control path is not. Home pillar: /.
Settings overview
Toolbar Settings exposes Wheel size and colors, Titles, Wheel Colors, Text options, Background type, Button colors, and Themes. Line color on the Wheel tab also colors the pointer per README. Titles cannot be edited in place; delete and add. The last title cannot be deleted so the wheel never empties.
Themes caution
Save Theme stores your look. Apply overwrites current settings without warning. Rename, Duplicate, and Delete exist for theme management. Share themes by copying themes and images folders beside the exe. Guide: /spin-the-wheel-settings-and-themes.
Performance notes
Shadow text can tank framerate. Large background images load slowly without a progress bar. Use reasonable images when you customize spin the wheel on older laptops.
Finish the hour
Bookmark Releases, write the folder path, and skip mystery mirrors. First hour checklist: /installed. Offline: /spin-the-wheel-offline-use. Safety: /is-spin-the-wheel-safe.
Ticket language you can reuse
Write one sentence: spin the wheel from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0 DemoWheel_release_v1.zip, extract all, run Demo Wheel.exe. That sentence beats vague download instructions that invite portal hopping. Add the folder path after the first successful spin so the next volunteer does not create a second copy in Downloads.
What to do when SmartScreen appears
Re-check that the browser address shows github.com/GradXL49/DemoWheel. Prefer the named zip over a mirror that promises a quieter install. Signing was UNVERIFIED on the research date, so honesty matters more than invented certificate claims. Download safety notes: /spin-the-wheel-download-safe. Safety overview: /is-spin-the-wheel-safe.
Classroom timing
Budget five minutes for download and extract on ordinary broadband, plus a few minutes to re-type titles. Theme art can wait until after the first SPIN works. First-hour checklist: /installed. Computer setup: /spin-the-wheel-for-this-computer.
Keeping adjacent tools separate
Wheel spinner, decision wheel, picker wheel, random picker, name picker, and raffle wheel searches belong on other doors. Mixing those installers into the same USB creates wrong-binary tickets. Keep this zip labeled for spin the wheel only.
After the room is calm
Bookmark Releases, retire Softonic shortcuts, and stop downloading alternate packs the same afternoon. Update later with a fresh zip when tags change: /update-uninstall-spin-the-wheel. Home pillar: /. GitHub overview: /spin-the-wheel-github. Releases map: /spin-the-wheel-releases.
Producer and streamer notes
If you spin live, rehearse once with the real title list before going on camera. Maximize the window and confirm text contrast on your capture card. Shadow text can hurt framerate on older laptops, so leave that option off during the show. Keep a browser picker tab as a cold backup only, labeled clearly so nobody “fixes” a blocked exe with a Softonic download mid-stream.
Family shared PCs
Write the Releases URL in the browser bookmark bar with a calm label. After vacation reimages, download DemoWheel_release_v1.zip again rather than restoring unknown Desktop shortcuts. Children should not need admin rights beyond the first extract for this portable spin the wheel path.
What success looks like
One documented folder, one proven SPIN, one Releases bookmark, zero mystery mirrors. That is enough for most desks. Anything else can wait until the next review date when assets change.
Extra install discipline for spin the wheel
Keep one Releases bookmark and one folder path. When a volunteer finds a faster mirror, compare the filename to DemoWheel_release_v1.zip before you allow it. If the mirror cannot show GitHub as the final hop, refuse it. That habit protects classrooms more than any slogan.
- One Releases URL on the ticket.
- One DemoWheel_release_v1.zip filename.
- One proven Demo Wheel.exe path.
Document soft parks explicitly on the ticket: macOS none, Linux none, winget none, brew none. Invented commands create false confidence and fail verification scripts. Upstream README already says Windows only for Demo Wheel.
When you teach spin the wheel, say the phrase people searched, then name Demo Wheel as the GPL-3.0 client that ships the zip. Phrase-first titles keep the head term ahead of the project name. Adjacent tools stay on other hosts so raffle and picker intents do not collide here.
After every successful event, resist downloading “better” packs the same night. Tomorrow is soon enough to evaluate a new tag. Until then, the reviewed zip remains the door. Related reading spans the releases page, the download-safe page, the GitHub overview, the installed checklist, and the home pillar for spin the wheel.
If antivirus quarantines Demo Wheel.exe, restore from the same official zip after you confirm the URL. Keep themes and images when you restore. Partial recoveries recreate missing-theme tickets. Portable copies should move the whole release_v1 tree, not a lone exe dragged to the Desktop.
Producers should store the title spreadsheet path beside the Releases URL. Re-typing titles is normal because the app has no CSV import on the reviewed build. Delete-and-add remains the Titles list workflow, and the last entry cannot be removed. Plan placeholders accordingly for spin the wheel shows.
Frequently asked questions
What should I click first?
Launch Demo Wheel.exe, then click SPIN once to prove the wheel moves. That is the README operate path for spin the wheel on Windows. Prefer DemoWheel_release_v1.zip from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0, extract Demo Wheel.exe, and keep Releases bookmarked for the next spin the wheel update on Windows.
Should I edit settings.ini?
No. README warns not to modify settings.ini directly. Use the Settings UI and saved themes instead. Prefer DemoWheel_release_v1.zip from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0, extract Demo Wheel.exe, and keep Releases bookmarked for the next spin the wheel update on Windows.
Where is Settings?
Open Settings from the toolbar in the top left of the Demo Wheel window, then use Wheel, Titles, Colors, Text, Background, Button, and Themes tabs. Prefer DemoWheel_release_v1.zip from GradXL49/DemoWheel tag v1.0, extract Demo Wheel.exe, and keep Releases bookmarked for the next spin the wheel update on Windows.