Dead Pixel Simulator

Because who doesn't love a dead pixel on the screen ...

As seen on YouTube (https://youtu.be/a2ojpAbMyko).

READ THIS BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY RUN THE THING

• Never set $SpeedLevel higher than $MaxPixels. You will regret it, trust me.
• Never run more than 1 instance at the same time. You will regret this one even more.
• Exit the simulator with F7.
• Your mouse will feel sluggish, that's expected and normal.
• Yes, anything that changes your cursor will give the trick away, as you will see two cursors. 80/20 rule, guys.
• To kill the simulator (in case F7 does not work or something like that), you have to run taskkill /f /im powershell.exe as the generator actually runs as a PowerShell script in the background. The original exe just drops the script and then exits.
• If you kill the script via taskkill/task manager, your cursor will be invisible. DON'T PANIC. You can still use your cursor, but it is invisible. Two ways to fix:
  • Restart your computer / log out. Easiest fix.
  • Use your keyboard to restore the cursor.
    1. Start button
    2. Enter in the search (just type away): "Change the mouse pointer display or speed" and press enter to open the menu
    3. Use your keyboard to navigate to the "Pointers" tab (Shift+Tab > Left button)
    4. Tab into the cursor selection dropdown (press Tab once - it will most likely say "Windows Default (system scheme)" for you)
    5. Press UP then DOWN - we need the dropdown selection to change away and then back
    6. Hit Alt+A for Apply (or, if you are not using English, whatever letter is underlined on the "Apply" button instead of A).
    7. Done, cursor is back.

Why is this a weird repo and not just a downloadable .EXE?

I made the experience with BlueScreenSimulator that AVs were overly eager to mark it as "JokeWare" which led to loads of false detections. While I understand the reasons behind it (after all, certainly not a professional software), it did cause many people to be concerned about it.

This time, I provide you with the scripts to self compile. Basically all you have to do is this:

1. Clone the repo / download as ZIP
2. Unzip (if zipped) and open a PowerShell inside
3. Run this code

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass –Scope Process
.\Compiler.ps1

4. An exe file named "simulacron.exe" will spawn.
5. Enjoy.
6. Usually, you should be able to run it at least once after generation without AV interfering. Should Defender/your AV remove the EXE at some point (probably something like "Wacatac"), just continue from step 3. Should that also not work anymore, change the config values in _Packager.cs and/or the .ico file and try again.

What can I change?

Configurations regarding the dead pixels

You can change some stuff regarding the dead pixel generation. The constants are at the top of _DeadPixelSimulator.ps1. They should be fairly self explanatory.

Should you desire different patterns, more configs etc. please consult the clanker programmer of your choice. (No shame.)

Configurations regarding the generated EXE

• Want to change the data in properties? Open _Packager.cs and adapt the values on the top of the file.
• Want to change the icon? The script literally just takes DeadPixel.ico. Replace that with whatever you want and run the compiler script again. Note: Must be a valid .ico file. Just renaming a .png to .ico will not work.
• Want to change the generated filename? You can either change the name in Compiler.ps1 or ... hear me out ... just rename the output file.

Final Remarks

This thing is not destructive, not a virus, not malware. It's a little joke program. However you are responsible for what you are doing with it. Follow the instructions and stay safe. Take care.