Building PresentMon

Install Build Tool Dependencies

• Visual Studio 2022

• vcpkg

• CMake

• Node.js / NPM

• v3 of the WiX toolset AND VS extension

Note: if you only want to build the PresentData library, or the PresentMon Console application you only need Visual Studio. Ignore the other build and source dependency instructions and build PresentData\PresentData.vcxproj or PresentMon\ConsoleApplication.sln.

Install Source Dependencies

1. Run the repository bootstrap script:

   > cd PresentMonRepoDir
   > .\bootstrap.ps1
   

   The bootstrap script:

   • Restores the locked Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) payload.
   • Pulls the pinned auxiliary test data.
   • Installs and builds the AppCef web UI.

   See the detailed guides for CEF lock management, AppCef web UI setup, and auxiliary test data.

2. Create and install a trusted test certificate. This is only required for the Release build. Open a command shell as administrator and run the following:

   > makecert -r -pe -n "CN=Test Certificate - For Internal Use Only" -ss PrivateCertStore testcert.cer
   > certutil -addstore root testcert.cer
   

Building PresentMon

Build PresentMon.sln in Visual Studio or msbuild. e.g.:

> msbuild /p:Platform=x64,Configuration=Release PresentMon.sln

Running PresentMon

Intel PresentMon

Intel PresentMon is the UI application, PresentMon.exe.

For Debug builds, the easiest IDE workflow is to set Client/KernelProcess as the startup project and launch PresentMon.exe with the service running as a child process:

> --svc-as-child --files-working --log-level verbose --middleware-dll-path .\PresentMonAPI2.dll --log-middleware-copy

For Release builds, either move the full Release output payload to a secure directory such as "Program Files" or "System32", or disable the secure directory check for local development. You cannot run release builds from the IDE typically. The installer is often the easier path for Release validation:

> build\Release\en-us\PresentMon.msi

PresentMon Service

To start the service, open a command window as Administrator, then run the following commands (using the full binPath to your build executable):

> sc.exe create PresentMonService binPath="C:\...\PresentMonRepoDir\build\Release\PresentMonService.exe"
> sc.exe start PresentMonService

When you are finished, stop and remove the service with:

> sc.exe stop PresentMonService
> sc.exe delete PresentMonService

PresentMon Standalone Console

The standalone console application is PresentMon-dev-x64.exe:

> build\Release\PresentMon-dev-x64.exe

Troubleshooting

• If you are seeing vcpkg errors when updating to a new version of PresentMon (e.g., "error: while checking out baseline from commit...") then try updating your vcpkg checkout.

• Make sure vcpkg is using the same Visual Studio installation as the solution build. If needed, set VCPKG_VISUAL_STUDIO_PATH before running vcpkg.

• If you get an error dialog from PresentMon.exe stating "A referral was returned form the server." you most likely do not have the certificate that the PresentMon service was signed with installed into your trusted root. Ensure that the trusted test certificate setup completed successfully. If you built the installer on another PC or received it from a trusted third party, you need to install the certificate on the target PC as well.

• Add the development user to the Performance Log Users group to run from the IDE, run tests, etc. without launching the IDE as administrator.