Use of StartWatch on multiple-user system - RESOLVED

Anyone have thoughts on the use of StartWatch on a WinXP multiple user system? Two issues:

  1. Upon power-up, the system displays a logon screen. StartWatch doesn’t run until some user has logged on, then it runs in that user account. This is not good for unattended 24x7 operation since for at least 12 hours per day no one is present to log on, so the system just hangs, waiting.

  2. After the first user logs on, StartWatch runs as configured and does its thing perfectly (in my case, simply running VirtualVP and then WeatherLink). Using WinXP’s Fast User Switching, it is possible to switch users without stopping the VirtualVP/WeatherLink programs in the first user account. If this happens, StartWatch runs again when the second user logs on. Again, not good.

For #1, it would be nice if there were a way within WinXP to avoid the need to log in upon power up (again, with multiple users). With a single user/dedicated computer this is not a problem. But I haven’t found a way. For #2, it would also be nice if there is a way to keep StartWatch from opening multiple copies of itself, but I haven’t found that either.

Very fine software packages, both of them. Have been using them only a few days (just paid SoftWX for them yesterday - well worth the money).

Thanks.

Bob Owen :wink:

  1. To run outside a normal user session a program must be run as a windows service. Windows already has built in the facility for configuring Windows services to run at boot up. Microsoft has always encouraged, and with Vista has begun enforcing the maxim that windows services should not have user interfaces. StartWatch was built to start up and monitor programs that run within a user session. Accordingly, StartWatch only starts programs after the user logs in. There are two ways to configure your computer so that a particular user account logs in automatically after boot up, without any user intervention. 1) set up a single user account without any password, or 2) configure windows to automatically log in a particular user account, even if the account has a password. I use the second option because it works even if there are multiple accounts set up on the computer, and you can use it with password protected accounts. To do option #2 see here:
    http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/01/04/auto-login-windows-xp-without-typing-password/

  2. Since StartWatch was made with the intention of using with an account that logs in automatically on a 24x7 unattended computer, it was written with the assumption of a single user environment. I’m working on changes to StartWatch to operate better under Vista, and the main thing that involves is working well with multiple accounts. Each user account will have their own StartWatch configuration.

Steve
SoftWx

Steve,

Thanks for the explanation and the useful workaround to the main issue which was the log-on problem. That one is now solved.

I’ll look forward to a future release of StartWatch which allows it to run in different user accounts with custom configurations.

Can’t say enough about the quality of your programs - and the support also.

Thanks again,

Bob