If you have a Windows Service that displays GUI elements in the isolated Session 0, then you know how frustrating it can be to work with Microsoft’s Interactive Services Detection Dialog. It pops up constantly, screaming for attention on the task bar, yet when you dismiss it by clicking on the “Ask me later” button, it goes away and is nowhere to be found when you actually need it. Very annoying!
For our customers using Dropbox, the helpful folks at HowTech have created a step by step video tutorial showing how easy it is to download and install AlwaysUp, then use it to setup Dropbox as a Windows Service:
After months of testing, Version 8.5 of AlwaysUp, our award-winning application that runs any application as a Windows Service, is now available for download. It is a free upgrade for customers who purchased version 7 or 8 (after February 2010) while users of earlier versions can upgrade at a 50% discount.
Here are some of the most notable advancements:
Improved support for starting applications on your desktop
Since the introduction of Windows Vista in 2007, Session 0 Isolation has prevented Windows Service applications from showing their windows and tray icons on the “normal” desktop. AlwaysUp has consistently provided tools to work around that restriction (such as the “Start in session” commands) and now we have another arrow in the quiver.
In works like this: Instead of starting your application on the isolated Session 0, the only session available when your PC boots, AlwaysUp will automatically log in a designated user and start your application in the user’s newly created session. When you later log on as that user you will see your application running normally on the desktop.
Select Tools > Autologon to configure this easy-to-use feature:
Viewing Session 0 is now even easier. Just click on the new toolbar button to see your applications.
Several bug fixes & minor enhancements
Support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 has been strengthened, a bug when registering on machines without a C drive has been resolved, and network shares containing spaces are now handled properly.
The latest version of Service Protector, our set-it-and-forget it application that keeps your important Windows Services running 24/7, is now available for download. It is a free upgrade for customers who purchased version 3 (November 2011 – March 2013) while version 1 and 2 users can upgrade at 50% of the regular price.
Key changes include:
Support for multiple scheduled stops
Instead of restarting your service once per day, you can now restart it as often as you like. Specify the times at the bottom of the Monitor tab:
Complex services now have more time to stop gracefully
Previous versions of Service Protector wait about 30 seconds for a service to stop gracefully before resorting to more (gasp) harsh methods. While that duration worked for most services, some (like Microsoft Exchange) need more time. We ended up making the wait time configurable, defaulting to a conservative 1 minute. The Extras tab houses the new setting:
Improved handling of rogue services
A couple of our customers reported a scenario where their service was in the stopped state but the underlying executable was stuck in memory, thus preventing a clean restart. This new version includes code to detect and resolve those insidious failures.
Several bug fixes & minor enhancements
For example, licensing on virtual machines has been improved and a bug when registering on machines without a C drive has been resolved.
It is with good reason that Windows doesn’t allow non-administrative users the right to start, stop or modify Windows Services. Think of the chaos that would ensue if Joe Blow, who barely knows how to print to a web page, was able to tinker with those critical processes and bring the entire PC to its knees!
However, every now and then we come across a specific instance where it makes sense for a non-administrator to stop, start or restart a misbehaving service without the overhead of involving someone else more credentialed. Relaxing the service’s permissions is the proper solution, but we have found Microsoft’s free command-line tools a bit cumbersome to use.
Our new (and completely free) Service Security Editor standalone GUI utility makes setting a service’s permissions a piece of cake. Simply select the service, find the user, and point & click to grant/deny the proper rights.
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