the Legal Stuff
This app has been downloaded and used by thousands of users without any issues, and a lot of effort has been spent in making sure it works.
This app controls the force feedback of your wheelbase. If you have a very strong wheelbase, this app can and will cause injuries if you are not careful.
This app does not do any automatic modifications to iRacing, but may require you to modify iRacing settings including disabling Force Feedback, and possibly also modify your iRacing app.ini file, if you have a Logitech wheel.
The app may require you to update your wheelbase firmware and/or software in order to work. This app does sometimes require additional components to be installed directly from Microsoft, depending on your system. These modifications and updates may cause iRacing or your wheel or your computer to stop functioning as expected.
I can’t be held responsible for any issues to your system, wheelbase, or to your body. If you do not agree with this, then please don’t use this software.
The code is public and can be found here:
Downloading
You can download the latest version by clicking on the first link at the top of the home page of this website.
Installing
After you download the app installer, find it on your computer and run it.
On a brand-new release, you might still see a Windows SmartScreen warning like this –
Good news — my app is now digitally signed with a proper code-signing certificate, so Windows shows Marvin Herbold as the verified publisher instead of scaring you with an “Unknown Publisher” warning. A brand-new release might still pop up a SmartScreen prompt for a little while, until Windows learns to trust that version — if you see one, just click on More info and then click on Run anyway. These warnings go away on their own as more people install each release. And as always, if you don’t trust me, then don’t — the source code for MAIRA is public and can be reviewed by anyone.
After you install my app, run it via either the desktop icon, or by finding it by pressing the Windows key and then typing “Marvin” in the search box.
Controlled Folder Access
MAIRA keeps all of its data — settings, sounds, calibration files, recordings, and logs — in a MarvinsAIRA Refactored folder inside your Documents folder. The installer creates this folder and copies the default files into it, and the app reads and writes files there every time it runs.
Windows has an optional ransomware protection feature called controlled folder access. It is off by default, but if you have turned it on, Windows will block apps it does not recognize from writing to protected folders — and your Documents folder is protected by default. This can stop the installer from creating the MarvinsAIRA Refactored folder, and can also stop MAIRA itself from saving your settings and writing its log files. Windows usually only shows a small “Unauthorized changes blocked” notification when this happens, so it is easy to miss.
If you use controlled folder access, here is how to let MAIRA through:
- Press the Windows key, type “ransomware protection”, and open it. You can also get there by opening Windows Security, clicking on Virus & threat protection, and then clicking on Manage ransomware protection.
- Click on Allow an app through Controlled folder access.
- Click on Add an allowed app. If Windows recently blocked the installer or MAIRA, you can pick it straight from Recently blocked apps — otherwise choose Browse all apps.
- Select MarvinsAIRARefactored.exe. If you installed the app just for yourself (the default), it is in C:\Users\[your name]\AppData\Local\Programs\Marvins Awesome iRacing App – Refactored. If you installed it for all users, it is in C:\Program Files\Marvins Awesome iRacing App – Refactored.
Allowing MarvinsAIRARefactored.exe is a one-time thing — it stays allowed through app updates because updates keep the app in the same location. The installer is different — its file name changes with every version, so Windows treats each new installer as a brand-new app. The easiest approach for installing is to temporarily turn off controlled folder access, run the installer, and then turn it back on afterward.