How to Run Air Video HD as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Air Video HD is a free video streamer . It allows you to seamlessly watch videos stored on your Windows PC on your Apple devices.

To setup Air Video to run as a service with AlwaysUp:

1. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

2. Download and install and configure Air Video, if necessary. Please make sure that it works properly when you start it normally on your desktop or else it will not function as a Windows Service!

3. Start AlwaysUp.

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

   

5. On the General tab:

   • In the Application field, enter the full path to the Air Video executable, AirVideoServerStarter.exe. If you installed Air Video in the default location, this is:

     C:\Program Files (x86)\AirVideoServer HD\AirVideoServerStarter.exe

   • In the Name field, enter the name that you will call your application in AlwaysUp. We have used Air Video but you can specify almost any name you like.

   

6. Click over to the Logon tab, check the box at the top and enter the username and password of the account in which you installed and use Air Video. The video streamer should run in this account so that it can find its settings.

   

7. Switch to the Startup tab.

   • Check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This informs AlwaysUp that Air Video needs the TCP/IP networking stack properly initialized before it can start its work.

   • Check the Ensure that the following services have started box, then scroll down and select the Bonjour Service from the list. Air Video uses Bonjour for networking so that service must start before video streaming can commence.

   

8. We are done setting up Air Video to run as a Windows Service, so click the Save button. In a couple of seconds, an entry called Air Video (or whatever you called it) will appear in the AlwaysUp window. It is not yet running though.

   

9. Before we start Air Video as a Windows Service, let's disable the option to start when you login (and stop any running instance).

   • Start Air Video on your desktop.

   • Right-click on the Air Video tray icon () and select Preferences to open the settings window.

   • In the Other Options section, un-check the Start at Login box.

     

   • Close the Preferences window (click the "X" in the upper right corner) to record your settings.

   • And finally, right-click on the Air Video tray icon and select Quit to exit.

10. To start video streaming, choose Application > Start "Air Video". The state should transition to "Running".

    Click on the green circle to see details on the running process:

    

11. That's it! Next time your computer boots, Air Video HD will start up immediately, before anyone logs on. We encourage you to edit the application in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment. For example, configure AlwaysUp to send you an email whenever Air Video HD starts (Email tab), or boost Air Video HD's priority to give it preferential treatment on your PC (General tab).

Air Video HD not working properly as a Windows Service?

• Visit the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter - our online tool that can help you resolve the most common problems encountered when running an application 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!