How to setup the Windows Command Prompt (CMD) to run as a Service with AlwaysUp

1. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

2. Start AlwaysUp.

3. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

   

4. On the General tab:

   • In the Application field, enter the full path to the Windows Command Prompt application, cmd.exe. On most systems this will be
     C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe

   • If you are setting up this Command Prompt so that you can troubleshoot an issue with AlwaysUp, you probably don't want it to start automatically when your PC boots. If that is the case, choose to start Manually, from AlwaysUp from the Start the application: drop down menu.

   • In the Name field, enter a name for this application in AlwaysUp. We have used cmd, the default.

   

5. If you want the Command Prompt to run in the context of a user account, then click over to the LogOn tab and enter a username and password. The Command Prompt will run in the LocalSystem account if nothing is specified on that tab.

   

6. Click the Save button. In a couple of seconds, an application called Command Prompt will show up in the AlwaysUp window. It is not yet running though.

   

7. To start the Command Prompt, choose Application > Start "cmd".

   

   The Command Prompt is currently running in Session 0. On Windows XP and Server 2003, we can see it by logging on to that session. On Windows 7, Vista and Server 2008, we can see it if we go to Session 0 by selecting Tools > Switch to Session 0:

   

8. Note that you can always select Application > Start "cmd" in this session to have the Command Prompt started on your desktop.

Command Prompt not working properly as a Windows Service?

• From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today... to bring up a HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and your application. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains the more obscure messages.
• Consult the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
• Contact us and we will be happy to help!