FAQ

Correct. The program runs entirely inside your PC and contains no code that transmits your files anywhere. On its own it makes only two kinds of network call — a version-number check (can be disabled), and — by default — after the scheduled scan it downloads a new build when one exists (auto_update: false to disable; small app updates come from drev.co.kr, full runtime updates from GitHub). Sending feedback happens only when you click the button. Security review material (connection list, install location, what remains after uninstall) is published at review.html (Korean only).

Nothing. Keep saving to shared folders as always. Date-suffixed saves and overwrites are both recognized automatically.

Text and table comparison: DXF, PDF, XLSX/XLSM, DOCX, HWPX. Visual before/after comparison: drawings only (DXF, PDF, DWG) — pictures, charts and objects inside Excel, Word and HWPX files are not compared visually; Drev checks whether their content (fingerprint) changed and reports a replaced picture as a change. Native DWG gets the same comparison when ODA File Converter (company use requires ODA membership) is installed on that PC (AutoCAD support is beta — try [Test DWG conversion] in Settings first); otherwise Drev compares the embedded preview image and reports the change itself. Scanned PDFs and CAD prints whose SHX text became line art are read with the built-in Windows OCR (Korean language pack) so title blocks and text still get compared, flagged as "OCR estimate". Other formats get file-level tracking — HWP, DOC and similar out of the box, PLC programs and others once you register the extension — who changed what, when — plus revision history.

No. Comparisons and before/after images are produced by Drev itself. Your default viewer is only used when you click "Open file". The one exception is native DWG: full text and picture comparison needs ODA File Converter (company use requires ODA membership) (works for DWG from any CAD, e.g. CADian, ZWCAD) on that PC (AutoCAD support is beta) — Settings detects it automatically.

No. One ordinary office PC that can reach the shared folder is enough. No database server, no web server, no user accounts.

On work PCs it usually just runs — if the blue SmartScreen warning appears, choose [More info]→[Run anyway].

A freshly installed Windows 11 has Smart App Control on, which blocks unsigned programs outright. The installer is not code-signed, so it can be blocked there. The portable build runs on official Python signed by the Python Software Foundation and launches even under Smart App Control — if the installer is blocked, use the portable build.

The first launch can take 1–3 minutes while Windows security scans the files — click once and wait. Afterwards it opens in seconds, and re-launching brings the existing window to the front.

One button, inside the app. When a new version ships you get a notice on screen; press [Install new version] at the top of the left menu and Drev downloads it, replaces itself and restarts — no unzipping, no moving folders.

History and settings live in separate files (state.db, config.yaml) that updates and uninstalls never touch, with automatic schema migration and weekly backups. If a replacement fails, it rolls back to the previous version (except if the PC loses power during the few seconds of the swap — then unzip the portable package over the same folder again; history and settings are kept).

That's normal — the baseline reads every file once. Tens of thousands of files can take a few hours, with progress shown. Daily scans afterwards finish in minutes because unchanged files are skipped.

Yes — add extensions like .gxw or .xgwx in Settings for file-level tracking and revision history. Ladder-level content diffs are on the roadmap (vendor-proprietary formats).

The screen opens on the PC it's installed on; the team shares through the morning briefing emails. The owner acknowledges on the watch PC's screen and email recipients reply to let them know. A multi-user web dashboard is on the official-release roadmap.

Short for Document Revision. It started with drawing (Drawing + Rev) revisions, but the goal is guarding revisions of every project document — drawings, BOMs, specs and purchase orders — which is why the engine is document-type agnostic.

Closing the window is always safe (if it opened as a browser tab, closing the tab keeps the program running — use Settings › Quit to stop it). A scan in progress stops cleanly and is rolled back; nothing is lost, the next scan picks it up, and what was already read stays cached so the next scan is faster. If the folder won't delete, the program is still running — end Drev in Task Manager first.

Removing it from Apps & features deletes the program and the scheduled task ('ProjectWatcher'). %LOCALAPPDATA%\Drev keeps config.yaml (mail settings — the SMTP password is encrypted with this PC's Windows account), state.db (history — it contains the text and comparison images of the documents it watched, so treat it like the drawings themselves), briefs, backups and watcher.log. Delete that folder to remove everything. You may install on several PCs, but history is kept per PC, so one watching PC is recommended.

Yes. Scanning, comparing and briefing need no internet. Only the version check fails and is skipped quietly (you can turn it off in Settings). To update, copy the installer downloaded on another PC over the old one — settings and history are kept. If github.com is blocked at your company, contact us for another download route.

Everything is free during the beta, and a beta build keeps working after the beta ends — your history (state.db) is always your own file. The official release will be paid, with special terms planned for beta participants. Internet traffic the program makes on its own: one GET of a version file (drev.co.kr/version.json, can be disabled), an update download when you click Install or, by default, after the scheduled scan when a new version exists (auto_update: false to disable), and your own SMTP server only if you enable mail.