PrintPoint Server has the ability to run as a Background Service rather than an application so that Windows can automatically keep it running in the event of a power outage or machine restart. When running in this mode, there is no user interface, therefore no way to run maintenance or interact with the Administration window.
Generally you can immediately tell if this is the case when you connect to the machine and you do not see the PrintPoint 7 Server icon underlined in the taskbar showing that it is a running application.
In order to run the MSC repair, we have to stop the running service and then launch it as an application, holding the ALT key down to get a pre-launch dialog in order to select the option to open in maintenance mode. We do this following the steps outlined here.
- Open the Services snap-in
- Click on the Start menu or the search bar
- Type "Services" and select the Services app from the search results
- At the top of the list of Services you should see a service whose name begins with 4D Server: like you see here:
- Select the 4D Server:PrintPoint 7 service that is running, keeping in mind that the actual name of the service running on this machine may be slightly different. It will ALWAYS begin with 4D Server:
- If you do not know where your PrintPoint 7 Server app folder is, double-click on this service to see the path to the executable that this service controls, as shown here
- As you can see, you can also use this properties dialog to start and stop the service.
- If you do not know where your PrintPoint 7 Server app folder is, double-click on this service to see the path to the executable that this service controls, as shown here
- Click the Stop button in the button bar at the top of the list. It may take Windows a few minutes to actually complete this process. It does display a thermometer to show its progress in stopping the service. Just be patient.
- Minimize the snap-in window so you can quickly get back to it at the end of the maintenance steps in order to restart the service
- Open the File Explorer and navigate to the folder where your PrintPoint 7 Server.exe resides, as noted from the service property above. Usually there is also either a shortcut on your Desktop or an icon in the taskbar.
- Quickly hold your ALT KEY down immediately after launching your PrintPoint 7 Server.exe, whether from a shortcut, the taskbar, or double-clicking the .exe file itself.
- If you are using an icon from the taskbar, you can hold the ALT key while clicking the icon
- If you are double-clicking the .exe or a shortcut to it and holding the ALT key, Windows will open the Properties dialog for the .exe or shortcut.
- Continue holding the ALT KEY down until you see the dialog for choosing alternatives for opening the PrintPoint 7 Server application, shown here:
- Select the radio button to Open the Maintenance and Security Center and click Continue
- Follow the steps here, starting with step 4, which starts with 'In the Maintenance and Security Center window...'
- Once you have finished the repair process, switch back to the Services snap-in you minimized above and click the Go button to start the service:
- Have a client machine connect to the server and verify that the Estimates & Job lists still look correct and they can perform whatever functions were failing before the repair.