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Download and install PDFCreator, if necessary.
Please make a note of where you installed it as this will be used in a later step.
We installed PDFCreator Free in the default location:
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Next, let's prepare PDFCreator to run unattended.
That's because when run you run it with AlwaysUp, no one may be logged on to dismiss PDFCreator's confirmation and notification dialogs.
Start PDFCreator and go into the "Settings" tab. From there, deactivate all settings that may prompt for input.
We recommend the following, both in the General section:
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Set Allow PDFCreator to temporarily change the default printer to Yes.
You don't want PDFCreator to throw up a prompt each time.
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Disable (or reduce) checking for updates. We don't want that process getting in the way of 24/7 operation.
It's better to update manually, at a time of your choosing.
Please be sure to review all the settings particular to your situation and eliminate any other potential interruptions.
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Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.
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Start AlwaysUp.
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Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:
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On the General tab:
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In the Application field, enter the full path to the PDFCreator executable, PDFCreator.exe.
If you installed PDFCreator in the default location, this is:
C:\Program Files\PDFCreator\PDFCreator.exe
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In the Start the application field, select Automatically, but shortly after the computer boots.
That makes AlwaysUp launch PDFCreator.exe 1-2 minutes after a reboot — after critical Windows Services are up and running.
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In the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp.
We used PDFCreator but you can specify almost anything you like:
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Click over to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the account in which you installed and configured PDFCreator.
PDFCreator must run in this account so that it can find its settings:
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Move to the Startup tab.
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Check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box.
This informs AlwaysUp that PDFCreator needs TCP/IP networking support to do its work.
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We also recommend checking the Stop all copies of the application running on this computer box and the ones directly underneath.
They will ensure that the instance of PDFCreator launched by AlwaysUp takes precedence over any others running:
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Click the Save button.
In a couple of seconds, an application called PDFCreator (or whatever you called it) will show up in the AlwaysUp window.
It won't be running though, and the state will be "Stopped":
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To start PDFCreator as a Windows Service from AlwaysUp, choose Application > Start "PDFCreator".
You won't see PDFCreator's window pop up on your screen
(because of Session 0 isolation)
but it will be running in the background and printing should proceed normally.
If you do wish to see PDFCreator normally on your desktop, select
Application > Restart "PDFCreator" in this session from AlwaysUp.
Doing so will quickly quit your PDFCreator and restart it visibly on your desktop.
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That's it. Next time your computer boots, PDFCreator will start up immediately, before anyone logs on.
We encourage you to edit the entry in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment.
Boost priority, send email alerts, restart weekly, and much more!
