How to Run Google Chrome as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Google Chrome is a free web browser renowned for its speed.

To configure Chrome with AlwaysUp:

1. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

2. Download and install Chrome if necessary. By default, Chrome is installed to C:\Users\<your-user-name>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe and we will use that setting in the steps below.

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 Chrome executable file, chrome.exe. Since we installed Chrome in the default directory for user Mike Jones, we have specified:

     C:\Users\Mike Jones\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe

   • In the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp. We have used Chrome but feel free to specify virtually anything you like.

   

6. Click over to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the account where you installed and have configured with Chrome. This step is important; if omitted, Chrome will not find your configured settings (home page, etc).

   You can check the When a user logs on, don't show the application's windows... box if you want to hide Chrome's windows, but we recommend against that for now, until after you have everything working as you like.

   

7. Click over to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This tells AlwaysUp that Chrome needs the TCP/IP networking stack to operate.

   

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

   

9. To start Chrome, choose Application > Start "Chrome":

   

   On Windows 7, Vista and Server 2008, Chrome will be running in the isolated Session 0. Select Tools > Switch to Session 0 to see it:

   

   You can also select Application > Restart "Chrome" in this session to temporarily stop Chrome and bring it onto your desktop where you can interact with it normally.

10. Note: If running in the background in Session 0 is not an option and Chrome must be visible on screen (for example, if you are constructing a Kiosk application), you may want to follow these instructions to run Chrome in a "regular" user session.

11. That's it! Next time your computer boots, Chrome will start up immediately, before anyone logs on. We encourage you to edit Chrome in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment.

Chrome 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!