Run SkyDrive Pro as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

How to Run SkyDrive Pro 24/7 as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Start the SkyDrive Pro sync client automatically when your PC boots; Keep it running in the background to automatically sync your library files before you log in

SkyDrive Pro is Microsoft's business-grade cloud storage service integrated with Office 365.

To setup SkyDrive Pro as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp:

  1. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

  2. Download and install SkyDrive Pro if necessary. Fire it up, enter the library you want to synchronize and ensure that everything works as you expect.

  3. Start AlwaysUp.

  4. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

    Add Application

  5. On the General tab:

    • In the Application field, enter the full path to the SkyDrive Pro executable file, Groove.exe. You can find the executable in your Microsoft Office folder, which may be

      C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15\Groove.exe
      or
      C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\Groove.exe
      if you are on a 64-bit system with the 32-bit version of Office installed.

    • In the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp. We have typed in SkyDrive Pro but feel free to specify almost anything you like.

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: General Tab

  6. Click on to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the Windows account where you installed and configured SkyDrive Pro. SkyDrive Pro must run in this account so that it can find the libraries/URLs you have configured.

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: Logon Tab

  7. Click over to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. SkyDrive Pro uses TCP/IP, the language of the Internet, and AlwaysUp must ensure that the underlying components are running before SkyDrive Pro tries to sync your files.

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: Startup Tab

  8. Almost there! Click the Save >> button and in a couple of seconds, an application called SkyDrive Pro will show up in the AlwaysUp window. It is not yet running though (as you will notice from the State column).

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: Created

  9. To start SkyDrive Pro, choose Application > Start "SkyDrive Pro". The state should transition to Running after a few seconds:

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: Running

    On Windows 8/7/Vista/XP and Server 2008/2012, SkyDrive Pro will be running in the background on the isolated Session 0. Select Tools > Switch to Session 0 to see it (shown here without a pre-configured library URL):

    SkyDrive Pro Windows Service: Running in Session 0

    And if you want to start SkyDrive Pro on your regular desktop, you can either:

    • stop SkyDrive Pro in AlwaysUp and start it on your desktop as you would normally, or
    • select Application > Restart "SkyDrive Pro" in this session, to bring SkyDrive Pro to your screen.

  10. That's it! Next time your computer boots, SkyDrive Pro will start up immediately, before anyone logs on. We encourage you to edit SkyDrive Pro in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment. Send an email when SkyDrive Pro stops unexpectedly (or someone accidentally shuts it down), completely hide the window from prying eyes, and much more!



SkyDrive Pro not working properly as a Windows Service?

  • From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today... to bring up a HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and your application. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains the more obscure messages.
  • Consult the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
  • Contact us and we will be happy to help!

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