# Bootstrap instructions for Windows

### Instructions for a machine that did not have Alterdot installed before

* Open your File Explorer and paste `%appdata%` in the address bar (the place where you would normally see the address of your content, like C:/ExampleDirectory).
* Create a folder named `Alterdot`.
* Download the bootstrap for Windows from the following link:

[https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.8.0.0/bootstrap.zip](https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.8.0.0/bootstrap.zip)

* Extract the contents of bootstrap.zip into your `%appdata%\Alterdot` directory that you just created.
* Download and extract the Alterdot software for Windows wherever you want. The Alterdot folder from above is a data directory, it is where the blockchain will be downloaded. The Alterdot software itself does not have to be in there so just put it somewhere you can easily find it. Download link:

[https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.9.2.0/alterdot-v1.9.2-win64-qt.zip](https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.9.2.0/alterdot-v1.9.2-win64-qt.zip)

* Start the Alterdot wallet by running `alterdot-qt.exe`.

### Instructions for a machine already running Alterdot

* Go to your Alterdot data directory. You can just paste `%appdata%\Alterdot` in the address bar of your File Explorer and it will take you there.
* Delete all the files other than `alterdot.conf`, `masternode.conf` and `wallet.dat` files.
* Download the bootstrap for Windows from the following link:

[https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.8.0.0/bootstrap.zip](https://github.com/Alterdot/Alterdot/releases/download/v1.8.0.0/bootstrap.zip)

* Extract the contents of the bootstrap file into the `%appdata%\Alterdot` directory.
* Run the `alterdot-qt.exe` application. During its first run, the startup time might be a little longer as the wallet rescans the blockchain database for your wallet transactions.
