AlwaysUp Command Line Tools Revision History
============================================

Version 17
----------

17.0.5.64 (February 6 2026)
    New Features:
	* Added the option to terminate the main application/script if it runs for
	  too long.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved support for group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA).
	* Fixed a problem where the service's description could be truncated in
	  the registry.
	* To run more smoothly on Windows Secure Host Baseline (SHB),
	  rearchitected internal components to avoid conflicts related to Data
	  Execution Prevention (DEP) and similar process mitigation technologies.
	* When writing to the Windows Application Event Log, set an "Event ID"
	  value that classifies the event.
	* When writing to the Windows Application Event Log, set a "Task Category"
	  value that groups all events written by AlwaysUp.
	* To improve security, oversight and accountability, AlwaysUp now reports
	  important application/configuration updates to the Windows Application
	  Event Log.
	* Improved the shutdown process for Python scripts to ensure that they're
	  closed more gracefully.  


Version 16
----------

16.5.4.33 (June 6 2025)
    New Features:
	* New sanity check: Restart your application if it's using too many
	  handles.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem starting in the autologon session when the workstation
	  name is a truncated version of the host name.
	* Fixed an issue with registration when running in a Parallels virtual
	  machine.

16.0.9.48 (February 7 2025)
    New Features:
	* Introduced a flexible framework for sanity checks that are able to
	  detect when a running application isn't functioning as required, and
	  subsequently restart it.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application if it's not accepting basic
	  TCP/IP connections.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application if a web server isn't
	  responding properly.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application if a specific file isn't being
	  updated regularly.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application whenever an important
	  program isn't running.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application if it has no outbound/inbound
	  TCP/IP network connections.
	* New sanity check: Restart the application if a given drive letter isn't
	  mapped/available.
 	* New sanity check: Restart the application if one or more critical events
	  are written to a Windows Event Log.
 	* New sanity check: Restart the application if your own custom program or
 	  script detects a problem.
 	* New sanity check: Run a custom program or script that informs AlwaysUp
 	  when your application isn't working.
 	* Introduced an option to avoid spurious errors when running an application
 	  or script that completes very quickly (in 1-5 seconds).
   Fixes & Improvements:
	* When running a custom sanity check program/script, treat a failure to
	  launch the program as an inconclusive result. The application won't be
	  restarted in that situation.
	* Fixed a problem where an application running as a non-admin user
	  wouldn't start in the autologon session at boot.
	* Fixed a problem searching the event logs for a specific, non-standard ID.
	* Improved efficiency when processing records from the Windows Event Logs.
	* Internal improvements for Windows Server 2025.


Version 15
----------

15.5.0.86 (October 4 2024)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem where a shortcut targeting an executable in the
	  Program Files area wasn't handled correctly. 
	* Fixed a problem where restarting an application in the current session
	  would sometimes fail.
	* Launch the sanity check on the interactive desktop, to satisfy programs
	  like "cscript.exe" that won't run on a non-interactive desktop.
	* Adjustments for running OneDrive as a Windows Service on Windows Server.
	* Improved the identification of prompts/dialogs when running OneDrive in
	  Session 0.
	* Improved the algorithm to detect network connection failures in OneDrive
	  and other software.

15.1.3.82 (February 9 2024)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed an issue running batch files with parameters.
	* Improved how AlwaysUp launches applications (and detects errors)
	  in the auto-logon session.
	* Dropped the SHA-1 digital signature. Executables are digitally signed
	  with SHA-256 alone.

15.0.4.97 (December 8 2023)
    New Features:
	* Advanced monitoring of Dropbox running as a Windows Service.
	* Advanced monitoring of OneDrive running as a Windows Service.
	* Advanced monitoring of Google Drive for desktop running as a Windows
	  Service.
	* The application being monitored can now be restarted hourly, to react
	  to memory leaks, connection failures and other sporadic problems.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a few issues with Windows 64-bit redirection.
	* Improved coordination with Windows to better support applications that
	  take a while to shut down.
	* Tweaked the code to improve efficiency when loading the list of
	  services.
	* Fixed a problem loading read-only Windows Services.
	* Removed additional administrative rights when running applications with
	  restricted rights.
	* Fixed a problem where an application with unusual characters in its
	  name could not write records to the Windows Event Logs.
	* Added the option to send an email notification whenever the application
	  is running but may need your attention.
	* Remove the HKCU AlwaysUp registry key when the software is uninstalled.
	* Fixed a problem where the output of the sanity check utility would
	  sometimes be garbled.


Version 14
----------

14.5.1.68 (May 12 2023)
    New Features:
	* On startup, provide the option to stop only instances running in the
	  same Windows session or account.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved the handling of non-English text throughout the program.
	* Better support for handling and terminating multiple Dropbox processes.
	* Fixed a bug when deleting a service with unbalanced quotes in its name.

14.0.8.19 (November 14 2022)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed an issue where volume licensing would occasionally fail.

14.0.7.36 (November 4 2022)
    New Features:
	* Allow the creation of Windows Services without the
	  "(managed by AlwaysUpService)" suffix.
	* Support for updating an existing service.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Applied multiple optimizations to the low-level code that kick in when
	  managing 5 or more applications/services.
	* Improved performance and reduced CPU demands when monitoring
	  applications on computers running hundreds of processes.
	* Fixed a performance issue when an event log contains millions of
	  records.
	* Improved efficiency when reading from the Windows event logs.
	* Added logic/code to preserve the desktop's visual styles/themes when
	  launching the application in the current session.
	* Support for services that don't return a valid description
	 (e.g. McpManagementService) on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
	* Stricter XML validation, with warnings output.
	* Reject invalid service names with a friendly error message.
	* Tolerate Active Directory slowness by increasing the timeout when
	  creating a new service.


Version 13
----------

13.3.8.92 (April 16 2022)
    New Features:
	* File rollover is now an option when capturing console output.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved internal logging on Windows Server 2022.
	* Allow special command line variables to be used in input fields.
	* Full support for Windows Server 2022.

13.2.2.17 (November 5 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved support for Google Drive for desktop.

13.2.1.58 (October 26 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fix for parsing command lines with special operating system characters.

13.2.0.49 (October 10 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Avoid trying to re-launch in the autologon session if the user
	  quickly logs off after boot.

13.1.1.62 (October 10 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Minor adjustments for Windows 11 Version 21H2.

13.1.0.56 (October 5 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Introduced a registry setting that enables services to opt-out of
	  automatic launch in the autologon session.

13.0.7.84 (October 1 2021)
    New Features:
	* Full support for Windows 11.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved internal logging on Windows 11.
	* Resolved licensing issues on "locked down" versions of Windows.
	* Added code to tolerate systems that apply timezone settings late, a few
	  seconds after boot.
	* Special handling for "splwow64.exe" processes, which may not exit
	  properly following the completion of a print job.


Version 12
----------

12.9.0.46 (July 2 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed the "a required privilege is not held by the client" error when
	  running OneDrive as a Windows Service.

12.8.5.43 (June 11 2021)
    New Features:
	* Enhanced support/controls for running OneDrive as a Windows Service.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Minor adjustments for Windows 10 May 2021 Update (21H1).
	
12.7.1.53 (January 16 2021)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a misleading warning when setting Dropbox environment variables.
	* Eliminated a misleading warning about interactive services from the
	  Windows Event Logs.
	* Improved performance when loading 50+ services.
	* Improved performance when loading 1000+ records from the Windows event logs.
	* Bug fixes for internal TCP/IP networking components.

12.5.8.33 (November 27 2020)
    New Features:
	* Support for running Dropbox version 105+ as a service.
	* Alert emails now include the most recent activity from the Windows
	  Event Logs.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Minor adjustments for Windows 10 October 2020 (20H2).
	* Fixed a bug when representing dates in the "friendly" format.

12.0.8.31 (March 13 2020)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Smoother exiting for Dropbox running as a service.
	* Report the session number in the Event Log when the application is started.
	* Better handling of licensing component problems.
	* Minor tweaks for Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10 Insider Preview
	  Build 19577.
	* Check for missing passwords when installing the service via XML.
	* Warn if a username/password combination could not be verified when
	  installing the service via XML.


Version 11
----------

11.8.3.74 (May 3 2019)
    New Features:
	* Added hourly options for restarting the application.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Send an email when the application and service are being stopped.
	* Wait a bit longer for emails to be sent.
	* Better processing of SCM messages recorded in the System Event Log.
	* Give long-running services a bit more time to stop when the system
	  is shutting down.
	* Treat "Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library" errors as fatal.

11.5.0.57 (November 17 2018)
    New Features:
	* Disable switching to Session 0 on versions of Windows where Session 0
	  is no longer accessible (currently Windows 10 Version 1803 and later).
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved support for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.
	* Small technical enhancements for Windows Server 2019.

11.0.5.83 (June 23 2018)
    New Features:
    * Each application can now have one or more tags associated.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Removed a warning when checking if windows networking is available.
	* Corrected a misleading message when the service account doesn't have
	  full administrative rights.
	* Improved performance when reading from the Windows Event log.
	* Improved efficiency when capturing output to a text file.


Version 10
----------

10.5.0.93 (November 19 2017)
    New Features:
	* Added support for starting the application without admin rights.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Don't attempt to restart the application when a system shutdown is in
	  progress.
	* Added a workaround for a problem when licensing on Windows 10 SHB.
	* The output from failed sanity checks is now captured and emailed or
	  logged as necessary.

10.0.5.29 (April 2 2017)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved logging for troubleshooting startup.
	* Warn if data execution prevention (DEP) is always on.
	* Fixed an error when granting desktop rights.
	* Ensure that the service user has access to the current desktop when
	  starting in session.
	* Fix for an inaccurate CPU percent computation when tracking a CPU hog.


Version 9
---------

9.7.2.88 (September 2 2016)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Enhancements for scripts that launch applications (like Solr).
	* Fixed a bug when dismissing Windows popups.
	* Fix for a launcher identifying the wrong launched process.
	* Applications can now be stopped even after the trial has expired.
	
9.5.0.84 (March 11 2016)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Executable components are now signed with a SHA-256 certificate.
	* Avoid locking the file for long periods when capturing output.
	* Several enhancements for "launcher" programs.
	* Give applications more time to close gracefully when the system is being
	  shut down.


9.1.0.32 (June 6 2015)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Automatically retry when the ISD service fails to start.
	* Resolved a registry permission issue that occasionally occurred when
	  registering the software.
	* Eliminated a few scenarios where starting in the user's session would
	  fail.
	* Removed HTML centering from email messages, to avoid poor formatting
	  when viewed in Gmail.


9.0.3.81 (December 4 2014)
    New Features:
	* Added the ability to stop all running copies of the application before
	  starting it up.
	* Added the option to prevent the computer from automatically going to
	  sleep while the service/application is running.
	* Introduced the option to minimize event logging for applications that
	  run periodically (and must be restarted frequently).
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Show sanity check error codes in the range of -10 to -1 as negative.
	* Removed the "try to prevent closing on logoff" option, which only worked
	  on Windows XP and Server 2003.
	* Tweaks for supporting Windows 10 Technical Preview (October 2014).
	* The option to hide the application's windows did not always work when
	  run in the current session.
	* Dates and times were inconsistently formatted on non-English localizations.
	  These have all been normalized to the English locale, to be consistent
	  with the rest of the program.
	* Fixed a problem sending reports at midnight when a scheduled restart was
	  configured at the same time.
	* Fixed a problem launching .CMD files on Windows Server 2008 and 2012.


Version 8
---------

8.8.0.43 (June 21 2014)
    New Features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Messages written to the event log were occasionally garbled.


8.7.5.11 (May 24 2014)
    New features:
	* Added support for stopping the application when the computer resumes
	  from a sleep/hibernate/low-power consumption state.
	* Added support for screening out certain types of events from
	  the Windows event log.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a race condition when the service was stopped while waiting
	  for auto-logon to complete.
	* Increased the time to wait for automatic logon from 5 to 10 minutes.
	* Improved the log messages for CPU hogs.
	* Restricting an application to processor #32 was not possible.
	* Increased the sanity check timeout from 2 to 5 minutes.


8.5.3.47 (April 20 2013)
    New features:
	* Added the option to limit the pause at startup to only when rebooting.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Improved switching to Session 0 on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
	* Improved licensing on virtual machines (Azure, EC2).
	* Fixed a problem where mail authentication errors were incorrectly
	  reported.
	* Improved the performance of the components capturing output.
	* Fixed a bug starting in sessions with very large identifiers.
	* Mail servers actually called "mail" weren't being recorded properly.
	* Introduced a method to throttle CPU usage/monitoring - useful when
	  running many applications as services.
	* Fixed a bug when restoring network shares containing spaces.
	* Registration would sometimes fail on PCs where there is no "C:" drive.
	* Introduced several new command line replacements used when launching
	  helper applications.


8.0.7.65 (August 4 2012)
    New features:
	* Added support for certain "launcher" applications.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Reduced the number of emails sent when a service/application is
	  repeatedly failing.
	* Fixed a DST problem when restarting weekly.
	* Minor tweaks for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
	* Restricted the size of the output file to 1 GB when trimming (for 
	  performance reasons).
	* Fixed a problem where emails were sent on failure when not configured
	  to do so.


Version 7
---------

7.9.8.23 (January 7 2012)
    New features:
	* Added support for sending email with TLS or STARTTLS
	  encryption (for Office 365).
	* Added the ability to run a command when the application stops.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Applications that need additional time to stop are handled more gracefully
	  when shutting down.
	* Fixed a bug that caused the max CPU to show up as 0% in the reports.
	* Fix for some Java applications not receiving shutdown events.
	* Improved licensing on virtual machines.


7.9.4.33 (August 15 2011)
    New features:
	(none)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fix for not recording the correct peak memory in activity statistics.
	* Improved the licensing models.


7.9.3.85 (August 3 2011)
    New features:
	* Added the option to send an email when the service starts/machine
	  reboots.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fix for not detecting a hang in MetaTrader 4 / audio applications.
	* Improved licensing on virtual machines.


7.8.3.61 (February 19 2011)
    New features:
	* The first sanity check can now be delayed to avoid startup conflicts.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem running .CMD files with arguments.
	* Fix for not detecting a hang in Windows Forms applications.
	* Fixed a daylight savings time bug with emailed reports.
	* Fixed a bug where time zones in email dates could be negative.
	* Improved the performance of reading from the Event Logs.


7.5.0.39 (August 14 2010)
    New features:
	* Added support for disabling services/applications.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed the message logged when a scheduled stop is not executed.
	* Fixed the formatting of numeric memory values in the event log, to
	  avoid values being missed in the generated reports.
	* Fixed a rare condition where a program could not be terminated and
	  a second copy would be launched.


7.0.8.51 (February 21 2010)
    New features:
	* Apply conditions when restarting (when idle, memory threshold exceeded,
	  no one logged on).
	* Keep retrying to restart if conditions are not initially met.
	* Improved compatibility with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
	* Support for the "Automatic (Delayed Start)" option on 7/2008/Vista.
	* Option to not panic on "short" runs.
	* Support for restarting the application at a specific time.
	* Added support for suspending the computer while waiting to restart
	  the application.
	* Introduced the option to immediately close the application when
	  certain critical/serious crash dialogs are encountered.
	* Added support for waiting a while for the application to close properly.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Too many emails may be sent when an application is constantly failing.
	* Automation set to run when the program starts only runs when AlwaysUp
	  starts.
	* Delay when starting an application (1 second).
	* AlwaysUp now formats time-strings with regional settings applied.
	* Flap detection would occasionally fail when starting the application
	  in the current session.
	* Improved the monitoring of native 64-bit applications.
	* Password was not always requested when importing an application from XML.
	* A shortcut to a path with a space was not handled properly.



Version 6
---------

6.8.5.44 (February 15 2009)
    New features:
	* Added the ability to start/restart the application in
	  a specified session.
	* Added the option to stop restarting the application
	  if it fails to start properly after a few attempts.
	* Allow the sanity check program to signal to reboot
	  the computer or to stop the application and not
	  restart it.
	* Can now pass the sanity-check, stop and automation
	  programs special variables.
	* Allow the specification of additional text included
	  with each email.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a crash during the installation of some complex
	  applications.
	* Fixed a problem where an application would always be
	  restarted even if configured to run only once.
	* Don't send email notifying scheduled restarts/reboots.
	* Fix for encrypting the mail server password.


6.7.3.52 (August 7 2008)
    New features:
	(none)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem with weekly reports not being sent out when
	  daily reports were not selected.
	* Fixed an error with HTML mail not being properly formatted
	  in some mail systems (Outlook, yahoo mail).


6.7.3.28 (July 13 2008)
    New features:
	* Added support for sending email in plain text instead of HTML.
	* Added support for Windows Server 2008 (all editions).
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem where AlwaysUp would sometimes stop when
	  it was run in a remote session and that session would close.
	* Fix for not writing out statistics in advance of a reboot.
	* Fixed a situation where hang detection did not work for hidden
	  applications.
	* Improved the "ConnectToSocketSanityCheck" program to retry
	  several times before declaring failure.
	* Fix for not running the automation script or the stop-program
	  on the same desktop as the application when hidden.
	* Fixed a bug where an activity report could fail because of
	  "insufficient space".
	* Improved the always-on-top placement for applications with multiple
	  top-level windows.
	* Fixed a situation where hang detection would occasionally fail
	  on Vista.


6.5.9.72 (December 15 2007)
    New features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Don't redirect the standard input stream when capturing
	  output.
	* Fix for problems parsing the command line to InstallService/
	  UninstallService.


6.5.9.48 (November 29 2007)
    New features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fix for licensing the CLT without installing
	  the GUI package.


6.5.9.41 (November 26 2007)
    New features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Fixed a problem where the path to an executable with
	  spaces was handled incorrectly when installing.


6.5.9.33 (November 25 2007)
    New features:
	* Added support for starting an application in the current
	  session. This enables visual elements to be displayed on
	  systems supporting multiple sessions, such as those with
	  remote desktop connections and terminal services
	  capabilities.
	* Added support for running the startup program whenever
	  the application is restarted.
	* Added the ability to make the application's main window
	  "always on top" of other windows.
	* Added the ability to show the application's main window
	  minimized, maximized or normally when it starts.
	* Running a batch file as the sanity check utility is now
	  supported.
	* Added support for using a special command to stop the
	  application.
	* The output from console-based applications can now be
	  captured to a file.
	* Added the ability to "detach" from the application. This
	  stops the service (and the monitoring) and leaves the
	  application running on its own.
	* "Zombie" processes are now detected and restarted.
	* Added the ability to pause for a number of seconds before
	  starting the application.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* The sanity check program is now run in the application's
	  session.
	* Fixed a misleading error message when AlwaysUp does not
	  have access to its key in the registry.


6.0.15.90 (September 12 2007)
    New features:
	(None)
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Gracefully close the application on scheduled stops.
	* Improved performance on Vista.
	* Improved the graceful closure of the application on
	  system shutdown.
	* Removed an errant message logged when rebooting the PC.


6.0.11.23 (March 25 2007)
    New features:
	* Allow OEM and Site licensees to brand the application.
	* Allow for specifying the minute and second when restarting the
	  application regularly.
	* On multi-processor systems, applications can now be restricted to
	  run on selected CPUs.
    Fixes & Improvements:
	* Made various enhancements to fully support Windows Vista.
	* Dialogs from sub-processes are now dismissed
	* Fixed a bug where an activity report could fail because of
	  "insufficient space"



Version 5
---------

5.7.2.9  (November 5 2006)
	* Introduced the option not to show the application's windows
	  when a user logs on.
	* Standard VB crash dialogs are now handled.
	* Added support for applications that must be run periodically
	  instead of all the time. For example, an application can now
	  be run every 15 minutes, or every hour on the hour.
	* Improved the format/precision of numbers in reports.


5.5.7.36 (August 27 2006)
	* Services can now be installed via XML (instead of using the
	  command line)
	* Introduced the ability to generate reports detailing application
	  activities.
	* Allow the reports on application activities to be emailed
	  daily or weekly.
	* Basic performance statistics, including CPU percentage and
	  memory usage, are now captured and recorded in the Event Log.
	  These are also displayed on the new activity reports (see above).
	* Introduced the option to prevent applications from closing
	  when a user logs off the computer.
	* Improved the quality of the messages reported to the Windows
	  Event Log.
	* Added the ability to automatically restore all network connections
	  at startup, on behalf of the user running the application.
	* Reduced the size of the executable and DLL files.
	* Fixed a problem with the "uninstallservice.exe" command line


5.0.3.77 (April 1 2006)
	* Added support for SMTP servers supporting 
	  authentication and SSL.
	* Added the option to restart the application if
	  it hangs.
	* Added the option of rebooting the machine
	  regularly.
	* Added the ability to set the priority of the
	  application. If boosting priority, there is also
	  the ability to reduce priority when a user logs
	* Fixed a problem with scheduling to restart the
	  application on a given day of the week.
	* Added the option to restart the application if
	  it "hogs" the CPU for some time.
	* Fixed a bug where AlwaysUp would fail to run
	  MS-DOS PIF files.
	* Fixed a problem where AlwaysUp would temporarily hang
	  when starting a service run under a domain user account.
