Install As Service, Working!

2006-08-30 01:26:59 by jmouse888

Running PDFCreator as a service is working!

After I RTFM for the instsrv and srvany, I finnaly got the PDFCreator running as a service on our server. For those don't want to RTFM, just follow these steps (may vary from version to version, ie. NT4 thru 2003):

1. Install the PDFCreator server mode and make sure it's running correctly.


2. grab the Resource Kit for your Windows server verison from Microsoft. Just do "Search" on Microsft's site. It's pretty popular.



3. unpack/install the Resource Kit, and copy instsrv.exe and srvany.exe to C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32 (I like to use the system32 just in case the command is not in the PATH)



4. install srvany.exe as a service by running following command at the prompt:
   
   instsrv PDFCreator c:\winnt\system32\srvany.exe
   
   


5. run regedit, and
   
   
   
   
   • go to HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PDFCreator
   
   
   • Add a key "Parameters" under PDFCreator
   
   
   • in "Parameters", add a string (REG_SZ) value "Application"
   
   
   • assign the following to "Application"
     
     "C:\Program Files\PDFCreator\PDFCreator.exe"
     (or wherever you installed the program)
     
     
   
   
   • Close regedit
   
   
   
   



6. open your Service manager and locate PDFCreator
   
7. go to the "Log on" property, ("Startup" button in NT4 and Property->"Log on" tab in Win 2000 and 2003)



8. do ONE of the following
   
   
   
   
   • if you need the PDFCreator interface (monitor), select System Account and check "Allow service to interact with Desktop".
     
     This will show the main window and allow you to see the "queue/monitor". However, the application can be closed even if the primary service appears running.
   
   
   • if you don't need the monitor, do not check the "Allow interact...", or select This Account and use an admin user's login.
     
     Running the service this way will disable the primary interface, but you can still change settings and view logs by using the shortcut provided by the PDFCreator installation in the Start Menu.
   
   
   
   


9. Make sure "Startup Type" is set to Automatic


10. Start the service.

2006-09-11 16:49:31 by Icetea

i've the same problem as the other user's before. also when i install pdfcreator with the "new" methode....i still have to start pdf-creator manually and stay logt-in. the serviec are installed and run. any other ideas ? thanks.....

2006-09-11 19:04:48 by mr-roboto

Why ? What is the advantage of PDFCreator as a service or even as a networked printer ? Other than to facilitate terminal server users, I don't understand. I guess if one is using a Windows-based kiosk and doesn't have permission to install PDFCreator locally (or any other program for that matter), I can grok that. Otherwise, I can't visualize the point of this exercise....

2006-10-13 09:47:54 by jmouse888

When a new update comes out, and you have 348 workstations to patch, plus no one has admin priv. except you, you will appreciate the network printer ;)

2006-11-10 01:09:55 by ldullow

Hi,

How would it be possible for a C# Windows
Service to talk to the PDFCreator service?
Is this via the COM interface?

Thanks


ldullow

2006-12-07 21:54:24 by gclumpkin

I work for an engineering firm. Our 30+ CAD users need to plot their drawings sometimes to PDF files to send to clients via e-mail. We have network-based printers and CAD plotter configs for those printers. If I can give all our users the ability to plot to PDF and NOT have to purchase and install Adobe Acrobat on each machine, then the cost savings alone is worth it. Not to mention the upkeep of all those seats of Acrobat (patches) as well as the resource overhead of the software.

Greg

2006-12-25 23:48:34 by philip

Hello,

Thank you very much for your description :)

I have added your text to the how-to section of the PDFCreator Documentation:
http://www.pdfforge.org/node/560

regards,
Philip

2007-06-27 04:06:10 by yh_low72@hotmail.com

Yes u r right, and also run as a service can be trouble free to make the shortcut in the startup. the service will run automatically once the machine is up.

2007-07-18 12:36:46 by Thomthom

Hi,

I tried to install if on a print server Windows 2003R2 SP2 and even if the service is installed and running, the PDF creation is not working. I can see the PDFCreator.exe running but nothing is created in the temp directory and the enduser folder.
It's working only if an admin user logged on the server and running the PDFCreator.exe by hand.
Do you have a reason for that?
Thanks for your help.

Thomas

2008-06-13 22:38:33 by RickYoung

When this is installed as a service, does the user lose the ability to assign metadata and to direct the file to wherever they want it to go?

2009-04-09 16:27:29 by SPerras

Same here...

I had the service working for fews day but stopped working with no reason.

uninstall, reinstalled with latest version and still no scucces

any help or idea would be appreciated ;-)

2009-04-21 01:47:05 by smiabe

Perhaps check that all three options for recovery after a service crash are set to 'restart the service', as the last one may be set to 'take no action' and PDFCreator will stop working after two crashes.

2009-04-22 19:54:07 by mlh1972

Yes, but HOW? I have installed .PDFForge on my print server using the server method and manually created a service for it on the same server, and created a shared printer on it as well, yet when I install that printer on a desktop it sends the .pdf docs to the print server, which does me no good - they should be able to create the .pdfs on the desktop. Am I missing something?

2009-04-23 08:20:21 by smiabe

AFAIK that's how it works in the server configuration. The server installation can be shared as you've done, but any files printed on the server remain on the server. You need to use autosave and print the documents to a shared directory that can be accessed by users over the network.

Also check out http://www.pdfforge.org/node/2488

2009-04-23 08:16:08 by smiabe

[quote=RickYoung]When this is installed as a service, does the user lose the ability to assign metadata and to direct the file to wherever they want it to go?[/quote]

AFAIK yes.

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