What this guide is (and is not)
Idle Sleep after / “never sleep on AC” as the farm policy belongs in always-on-pc-earnapp-setup-europe-2026. First-run SmartScreen belongs in earnapp-windows-smartscreen-install-europe-2026. Core isolation Memory integrity belongs in earnapp-windows-memory-integrity-europe-2026. Firewall allow-app on Private belongs in earnapp-windows-firewall-europe-2026. Background apps Always belongs in earnapp-windows-background-apps-europe-2026. Metered Wi‑Fi or Ethernet belongs in earnapp-windows-metered-connection-europe-2026. A tray that vanished after reboot without a Protection-history block belongs in earnapp-windows-autostart-reboot-europe-2026. VPN split-tunnel versus EarnApp bans belongs in vpn-split-tunnel-vs-earn-app-bans-europe-2026. A week of $0 with the official tray Online belongs in earnapp-offline-zero-earnings-europe-2026. Power mode, Energy Saver, Efficiency / EcoQoS, Game Mode, Xbox Game Bar, Processor idle disable, Processor performance boost mode, Maximum processor state, Minimum processor state, System cooling policy, USB Root Hub Device Manager, USB 3 LPM, USB selective suspend, NIC adapter checkbox, Wi‑Fi Power Saving Mode, random MAC, EEE / Green Ethernet, PCIe ASPM, Fast startup, Modern Standby, Hibernate, hybrid sleep, lid close, power button, turn-off-display, hard-disk timeout, AHCI HIPM/DIPM, new-PC and first PayPal have their own pages. Here the stall was Smart App Control still blocking or isolating EarnApp.exe while Sleep after was already Never, Background apps already Always, Firewall already allowed on Private, Memory integrity already compatible with the NIC, SmartScreen already dismissed, and the tray still would not stay Online.
RefDeal will not invent a “Smart App Control off promo,” a SAC coupon, or an EU payout minimum copied from a 2023 screenshot. Windows 11 Smart App Control (App & browser control) is a separate switch from SmartScreen: Off, Evaluation, or On. Evaluation can silently flip to On after enough telemetry. On uses Microsoft’s cloud prediction plus a stricter publisher bar — unsigned or rarely seen binaries, including some EarnApp/Bright Data updates, get blocked even when SmartScreen already said “Run anyway.” EarnApp is a Bright Data client that needs a live process, not a Protection-history tombstone. Install from the tracked invite, then confirm Smart App Control versus the official EarnApp.exe — do not download a “SAC whitelist.reg” from a chat. Do not farm a work laptop whose MDM locks Smart App Control On forever.
Confirm it is Smart App Control, not SmartScreen or Firewall
Smart App Control blocking EarnApp.exe is not a SmartScreen first-run sheet — it is a quiet-hour EarnApp stall from a Windows 11 app-reputation gate on an “awake” box, not a missing promo code.
- Windows Security → App & browser control → Smart App Control. Note Off, Evaluation, or On. Screenshot before you touch anything. Then Virus & threat protection → Protection history: if EarnApp.exe / Bright Data is Blocked or Isolated only while SAC is Evaluation or On, that is this page
- If Smart App Control is already Off but SmartScreen still greys the first installer, that is the SmartScreen guide first. SAC is not the SmartScreen “More info → Run anyway” sheet
- If Smart App Control is already Off but Windows Firewall still blocks EarnApp.exe on Public, that is the Firewall guide first. SAC does not write the allow-list
- If Smart App Control is already Off but Background apps is still Never, that is the Background-apps guide first. SAC does not grant background-run permission
- If Smart App Control is already Off but Device Manager yellow-bangs Ethernet only with Memory integrity On, that is the Memory integrity / HVCI guide. SAC does not unload NIC drivers
- If Smart App Control is already Off but the NIC is still Metered, that is the metered-connection guide. Metered is a cost flag, not App & browser control
- If Smart App Control is already Off but a VPN is on (even split-tunnel), that is the VPN-split-tunnel guide. Bright Data often flags datacentre/VPN exits; turning SAC Off will not fix a VPN path
- If Put my device to sleep after is 5, 10, or 15 minutes on AC, that is the always-on guide first. A parked machine after Sleep is Sleep (or Modern Standby), not Smart App Control that killed the process
- If the tray vanished after reboot and Protection history is empty, that is the autostart path first — missing Startup vs a SAC block are different logs
- Search Microsoft Learn for “Windows 11 Smart App Control Evaluation On cannot turn off,” not a Telegram “EarnApp SAC off.reg”. Once On or Off is chosen, Evaluation is gone. OEM “secure PC” SKUs and MDM can lock SAC On — those chassis are weak EarnApp farm boxes
- After a quiet hour, reopen Protection history. If EarnApp is not listed as blocked, SAC is Off, Firewall allowed on Private, Background apps Always, Sleep after Never, Memory integrity compatible, and the tray is still Limited, check NIC power-saving / USB hub / Power mode / Energy Saver next, then the offline/$0 guide
Fix Smart App Control versus the official EarnApp.exe
Do this on the machine that actually runs EarnApp, on the home Ethernet path you intend to keep. Do not fight a work laptop whose MDM restores Smart App Control On, and do not farm a phone hotspot.
- Open /earnapp/ and use the RefDeal tracked invite if the client is not installed yet. The invite attributes a first signup. It does not change Smart App Control
- Best EU path: spare Ethernet mini-PC — Smart App Control Off (after Evaluation if it never flipped), Memory integrity On with an OEM NIC, Firewall allow on Private, Background apps = Always, Power mode = Best performance plugged in, Energy Saver Off, Efficiency leaf Off, Game Mode Off, Sleep after = Never. Leave Windows Firewall On. Leave Defender real-time protection On. Leave the box on AC, vents clear
- If Protection history blocks EarnApp.exe while Evaluation: Microsoft can still flip Evaluation to On later. On a dedicated spare farm PC you own, switch Smart App Control to Off now and restart. Document the before/after screenshot. You cannot return to Evaluation
- If Protection history blocks EarnApp.exe while On: Off is the only user toggle on a personal spare PC. There is no per-app “allow EarnApp” inside Smart App Control. Do not install a third-party “SAC bypass” or unsigned “EarnApp unlocker”
- On a real travel laptop: keep Smart App Control On (or Evaluation) and skip EarnApp there if the official binary is blocked. Farm overnight only on AC with a personal spare home PC, Firewall allow on Private, Background apps Always, Sleep Never, and the chassis not in a bag
- Tell the household: a dark monitor is supposed to happen; Smart App Control Off does not “open” EarnApp to the internet. Do not buy a “SAC whitelist pack”. If a Windows feature update re-enabled a block, redo this page from Protection history, not from a chat ZIP
After Smart App Control no longer blocks EarnApp.exe and Sleep stays Never
Sign in with the same account you intend to keep. Leave the box on AC. Confirm the official tray through a quiet hour on home Ethernet. Use /earnapp/ if you never started from our tracked invite.
- Tray Online through a quiet week with Smart App Control Off on the spare box (or Evaluation that never blocked), Firewall allow on Private, Background apps Always, Memory integrity compatible, and Sleep Never: leave it. We will not quote a fake first-day amount. Screenshot your own dashboard if you need a record
- SAC still Evaluation/On and Protection history still blocks EarnApp.exe: stay on this page until Off on a dedicated spare PC, or skip EarnApp on that chassis
- SAC Off but SmartScreen still blocks a new installer: switch to the SmartScreen guide
- SAC Off but Firewall still blocks Public: switch to the Firewall guide
- SAC Off but Background apps still Never: switch to the Background-apps guide
- SAC Off but Ethernet still yellow-bangs under Memory integrity: switch to the Memory integrity guide
- SAC Off but the NIC is Metered: switch to the metered-connection guide
- SAC Off but a VPN is still on: switch to the VPN-split-tunnel guide
- SAC Off but Sleep after still has minutes: switch to the always-on guide
- SAC Off, Protection history empty, tray vanished after reboot: switch to the autostart guide
- SAC Off, Firewall allowed on Private, Power mode Best performance, Energy Saver Off, Efficiency leaf Off, Background apps Always, Sleep Never, unmetered home fibre, tray Online or Limited, still $0 after a quiet week: switch to the offline/$0 guide (official binary, Limited, ISP)
What we will not claim
There is no RefDeal EarnApp promo code, no published “SAC bonus,” and no honest EU minimum we can paste from a 2023 screenshot. Primary CTA stays the EarnApp offer with our tracked invite. Hub: /guides/bandwidth-safety/. Starter: /en/start/bandwidth/.