Requirements
- Windows 10 or 11, builds 2004-23H2
- An Intel or AMD processor with AVX2
- Window mode: borderless or windowed
- A working USB flash drive: the loader only runs from it
System requirements
Preparation
Remove third-party antivirus and anti-cheats Kaspersky, Avast, ESET and the like, plus FaceIT and Riot Vanguard, conflict with the loader. They must be uninstalled, not just paused.
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Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features).
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Uninstall any third-party antivirus (Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, ESET, 360, Malwarebytes, etc.). Pausing or disabling is not enough — the antivirus driver stays resident.
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Uninstall the FaceIT AC and Riot Vanguard anti-cheats if present — they block third-party software at the kernel level.
- FaceIT is the CS2 anti-cheat, Vanguard is the Valorant one. If you don't play those games, they are safe to remove.
After removing an antivirus, restart the PC — some of its services only unload after a reboot.
Fully disable Windows Defender The #1 cause of "it won't launch". Disable it for real: manually first, then remove it from startup, reboot, and finish it off with Defender Control.
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Step 1. Turn protection off by hand. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and switch every toggle off:
- Real-time protection — Off.
- Cloud-delivered protection — Off.
- Automatic sample submission — Off.
- Tamper Protection — Off. Turn this one off first, otherwise the others switch themselves back on.
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Step 2. Disable reputation-based protection. In Windows Security → App & browser control → Reputation-based protection → Settings, turn everything off (SmartScreen, potentially-unwanted-app blocking).
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Step 3. Remove Defender from startup. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Startup apps tab, find Windows Security notification icon and click Disable.
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Step 4. Restart your computer. This is mandatory — some Defender services only unload after a reboot.
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Step 5. Finish with Defender Control. Download Defender Control (archive password: r1xon), run it as administrator and click Disable Windows Defender — the tile turns red.
- If your antivirus deletes the utility itself, protection is still active — go back to step 1. The file ships zipped on purpose so Defender can't wipe it before it's disabled.
Don't skip steps 3–4. "I turned the toggles off but it didn't help" almost always means Defender came back after restart because it was left in startup.
Disable Core Isolation Memory Integrity blocks the driver from loading. Takes a minute to switch off.
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Open Windows Security → Device security → Core isolation details.
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Turn off Memory Integrity and restart the PC.
Launch
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Uninstall Faceit AC and Riot Vanguard — their drivers conflict with the software at kernel level.
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Uninstall third-party antivirus software and fully disable Windows Defender.
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Move the loader to a USB flash drive and delete every copy from the PC.
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Run the loader from the flash drive as administrator and enter your activation key.
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Wait for the injected message — the loader closes itself. Remove the flash drive.
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Launch Rust. This build has no menu: every feature is toggled with the F2–F12 keys.
Problems & fixes
The loader does not start or closes immediately
The loader must be run as administrator. If that does not help, disable Windows Defender completely, uninstall any third-party antivirus and the Faceit AC and Riot Vanguard anti-cheats. Make sure Visual C++ 2015-2022, .NET Framework 4.8 and DirectX are installed.
The menu does not open on Insert
Wait up to a minute after entering the game — the menu does not come up instantly. The game must run borderless or windowed. On keyboards without Insert use the on-screen one: Win + R → osk → Enter.
After entering the key the loader asks to synchronise time
Open Settings → Time and language and press "Sync now". The loader checks the time against the license server, and a few minutes of drift is already enough to break it.
A Connection error appears after entering the key
The license server is unreachable from your network. Run the loader with a VPN on — that is enough; the VPN does not affect the game itself.
A No VMX, TPM, Legacy BIOS or Secure Boot error
The loader checks the BIOS. Enable virtualization (VT-x on Intel, SVM on AMD), turn TPM and Secure Boot off and switch the BIOS to UEFI mode.
A Bad HWID error
A copy of the loader is still on the PC — it may only run from the flash drive. Delete the file from Downloads, from the desktop and the unpacked archive, then empty the Recycle Bin. If there are no copies left, the key is bound to different hardware — support resets that.
FAQ
Why don't the boxes turn on with F8?
Type culling.toggle 1 in the game console — without it Rust culls models behind obstacles and there is nothing to draw. Chams on F10 need the opposite, culling.toggle 0.
Where is the menu?
Lite has no menu: its nine features sit on the F2–F12 keys, there is nothing to configure.
Still stuck?
Run R1XON Checker first — it pinpoints most launch problems in 30 seconds. If it still fails, attach the checker report to your support ticket and we’ll sort it out fast.