How to Install and Run Roon Server as a Windows Service

Roon Server is a headless program that manages your music library, streaming services and audio devices. It's responsible for serving your content to all your Roon-aware equipment.

Roon Server has a "Launch at startup" option so that the software will start up when you sign in. However, it won't run if you never log in. But not to worry, because that's where AlwaysUp can help — by automatically starting Roon Server as soon as your computer boots.

To install Roon Server as a set-it-and-forget-it Windows Service with AlwaysUp:

1. Download and install Roon for Windows, if necessary:

   

2. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

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 Roon Server executable, RoonServer.exe.

     This will probably be:

     C:\Users\<USER-NAME>\AppData\Local\RoonServer\Application\RoonServer.exe

     where USER-NAME is the name of your Windows account.

   • In the Start the application field, choose Automatically, but shortly after the computer boots. With this setting, Roon will start a couple of minutes after boot — once all the machine's critical services are completely up and running.

   • And in the Name field, enter the name that you will call this application in AlwaysUp. We stuck with the default, RoonServer.

   

6. Move to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the account where you installed and run Roon Server. Note that you should avoid using the default system account as Roon Server wasn't installed there.

   

7. Click over to the Startup tab.

   To ensure that AlwaysUp starts its copy of Roon Server without conflict, check the Stop all copies of the application running on this computer box. Please activate the Also whenever the application is restarted option as well.

   

8. We're now done configuring Roon Server with AlwaysUp, so click the Save button. In a couple of seconds, an application called RoonServer (or whatever you called it) will show up in the AlwaysUp window.

   Roon is now installed as a Windows Service. However, it's not yet running and the state will be "Stopped":

   

9. Before we start Roon Server as a service, let's make one final adjustment.

   Going forward as a Windows Service, Roon Server will always start at boot — before anyone logs in. That improvement renders Roon's "start at login" option irrelevant, so let's disable that functionality:

   1. Start Roon Server on your desktop.

   2. Right-click the tray icon () and un-check the Launch at startup? menu entry:

      

   3. Close Roon Server (right-click the tray icon and select Quit).

10. To start Roon Server, choose Application > Start "RoonServer". The state should transition to "Running" after a few seconds and Roon will start serving your media in the background:

    

11. That's it! Next time your computer boots, your new Roon service will be launched immediately, before anyone logs on.

    Feel free to edit the entry in AlwaysUp and explore all the options available. For example, boost the priority of the Roon Server process, send an email if the program fails, and much more.

Roon Server not working properly as a Windows Service?

• Consult 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 an HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and Roon Server. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains the more obscure messages.

• Browse the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.

• Contact us and we will be happy to help!