What Is NT Wrapper?

The NT Wrapper allows standard Windows 32 bit applications or scripts to be run
as a NT service in Windows NT/2K/XP/2003/Vista (see Vista notes below).
NT Wrapper features: Easy configuration thru a GUI and simple INI-files,
prioritization of sub-processes, custom environments, CPU binding, redirecting of
Stdout/Stderr to file, logging to the event log and to disk, administration of remote
NT Wrapper services, and the capability to run multiple applications in a single NT
Wrapper service instance.

Currently two different versions are available:
NT Wrapper Lite - Freeware for noncommercial use.
NT Wrapper Pro - Commercial, must be registered.

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Order NT Wrapper

NT Wrapper Pro is licensed by "package". The number of licenses allocated
in each package determines the maximum number of computers on which the
NT Wrapper Pro software can be installed.

Delivery
As soon as your payment has been registered at our partner Share-It! we
send the download link to the Pro version and a registration certificate
file by e-mail to you.
More, common information, about how to order software at Share-It!


Screenshot of the NT Wrapper GUI installed in XP



More Screenshots

NT Wrapper and Windows Vista

Interactive Services

Current version has been tested in Vista and Windows 7 RC. Since Windows Vista interactive services cannot interact with the user desktop any more. For backwards compatibility Microsoft provides the new service "Interactive Services Detection" (UI0Detect.exe) which notifies users whenever a service shows a window and provides an option to switch to the default desktop in session 0 (see screenshots below). You may have to enable the "Interactive Services Detection" service (UI0Detect) in
Windows service manager. Details about session0 isolation in Vista can be found
here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/vista/services.mspx


When an interactive service is started a new window should appear on the
taskbar (it does not appear in the foreground). That window is the notification
from the "Interactive Services Detection".



Press "Show me the message" to switch to the default desktop in session 0.



Notepad as an interactive service on the default desktop in session 0.


Administration of remote NT Wrapper services running in Windows Vista (UAC enabled)
(Pro-Version only)
Administration of remote NT Wrapper services requires that some conditions are met, they are described here: http://www.duodata.de/ntwrapper/help/5_1_0_3.htm.
Windows Vista however prevents local administrators from using their administrator powers over the network if UAC (User Account Control) is enabled. This results in the inability to remotely administer a computer using filesharing and tools that use similar technology (such as the computer manager MMC snap-in and the administrative shares, such as C$).

To allow administrators local to a computer to use their administrator powers when accessing the Vista system and to allow NT Wrapper services being administered remotely, you need to turn off remote UAC:

• Click start
• Type: regedit
• Press enter
• In the left, browse to the following folder: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
  Policies\ system\
• Right-click a blank area in the right pane
• Click New
• Click DWORD Value
• Type: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy
• Double-click the item you just created
• Type 1 into the box
• Click OK
• Restart your computer

FAQ

What is a Windows NT Service?

On Windows NT-based operating systems (NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista) NT Services are special executables run by the system. These range from device drivers running in the background through to interactive applications, Windows 9x/Me does not support 'real' services.

Differences between regular applications and services

Services can execute even when no user is logged onto the system.
Services may run in a different security context than the interactive user. By default they run as the LocalSystem account.

Why should I run a regular application as a NT Wrapper service?

If you want the regular application run at system boot, independent from the interactive, logged on user then run it in an instance of a NT Wrapper service.

Does NT Wrapper modify my applications?

No it doesn't, NT Wrapper actually acts as a service wrapper, means it starts the regular application in its own context and handles some system messages on behalf of the application.

Does NT Wrapper work with any Windows 32 bit application?

NT Wrapper should work with most native Windows 32 bit applications or scripts.
However there are some applications that simply shutdown when the user logs off since they do not handle some system messages correctly. Those applications can be turned back on again by NT Wrapper (option "Restart Application").
Also some buggy applications do not restore their tray icon when the user logs on or when Explorer restarts after it crashed.
Those applications can be fixed by their developers easily, a tray application must restore its tray icon each time the taskbar is (re)created.

My GUI application requires access to network files. Can I run it as an Interactive service?

Yes. NT Wrapper is capable to start the service and the wrapped application(s) in different accounts. Thus with NT Wrapper it's possible to run interactive services that require access to network files.

Known Issues
-

Revision History

• v1.13 November 2008
  Fixed a major bug which prevented the screen saver and monitor power down
  from working properly.
  Eventlog messages and event source fixed.
  Fixed a bug which prevented both the manager and the command line
  program from running on Windows NT4.
  
  
• v1.12 June 2008
  Bugfix redirection of standard output and error to file.
  
  
• v1.11 Nov 2007
  When option "On all Apps. Exit" was set to "Service terminates
  (reporting an error to SCM)" the OS ignored any service recovery actions
  (e.g. restart service after 1 minute). This bug has been introduced in v1.10.
  
  
• v1.10 Dec 2006
  NT Wrapper runs on Windows Vista now.
  Login dialog on connecting to remote computers when a connection does not yet exist.
  New option to start the RemoteRegistry service at the remote computer if the service is not yet running (stopped by default on Vista).
  
  
• v1.09 Feb 9, 2006
  New option to send Ctrl+Break instead of Ctrl+C to a console application.
  It sometimes happened that a wrapped application wasn't closed, fixed.
  
  
• v1.08 Feb 7, 2006
  Added full range of process priority settings.
  
  
• v1.07 July 22, 2005
  Added Data Execution Prevention (DEP) compatibility. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;889673
  
  
• v1.06 May 13, 2005
  Simplified and improved loading of environment variables into the GUI. A single click fetches all environment variables into the list, the fetched variables are now the same as command Set would display.
  
  
• v1.05 January 16, 2005
  New option "Process Group" forces NT Wrapper to close an entire process tree when the service stops. Procedure of hard terminating a process improved. SaferTray v0.9 Beta (see readme.txt in SaferTray.zip).
  
  
• v1.04 December 03, 2004
  I n German GUI a checkbox got of place. Help re-adjusted. Redirection had still a minor bug when process was excuted interactively under a logged on user.
  
  
• v1.03 November 28, 2004
  New feature allows applications to be executed in the context of a different user. For instance interactive services can now access network files (read online help topic 'Log On Tab' for more details).
  
  When redirection was enabled and option "Restart Application" was enabled as well file handles of output files were not always closed correctly, however they were closed when the service was stopped, fixed.
  
  
• v1.02 November 24, 2004
  Spaces in service names caused problems, fixed. Keep in mind that parameter of switch -name on the command line has to be enclosed in double quotes if spaces are used (i.e. ntwrapper -install -name:"My Service").
  
  
• v1.01 November 23, 2004
  Minor bug upon writing service definition files (applied only when the NT Wrapper command line was used). ("RedirStdOut" has to be => "RedirectStdOut" and can be removed manually from service definition files).
  
  
• v1.00 November 22, 2004
  Hot fix, command line stuff didn't work.
  
  
• v0.99 November 18, 2004
  Two separate options for redirecting StdOut and StdErr to file. The old global value "RedirectOutput" in service definition files has been replaced by two new values: RedirectStdOut=0 RedirectStdErr=0 Previous service definition files are upgraded automatically.
  
  Procedure of closing console applications has changed. Given that new option "IsConsoleApp" has been enabled the application is sent keystroke "CTRL + C" in the first place to give it a chance to close gracefully. Exit code is now logged. German language support (offline/online help is currently available in English only). Some internal improvements.
  
  v0.98 September 17, 2004
  NT Wrapper Manager Pro shows a list of previously connected computers.
  
  
• v097 Beta September 15, 2004
  NT Wrapper Manager Pro is capable to connect to remote computers and to manage remote (NT Wrapper) services as well as remote service definition files.
  
  
• v0.96 Beta August, 2004
  Fixed a bug with environment variables
  
  
• v0.95 Beta April 13, 2004
  In NT Wrapper Manager an error with message "Win32 Error 2. Code: 2. The system cannot find the file specified" was raised if a service wasn't uninstalled correctly, for instance if the service key in the registry has been deleted manually.
  
  
• v.0.94 Beta March 11, 2004
  Log entry "Terminated by NTWR..." changed from Warning to Information.
  CPU check-boxes didn't reflect the correct AffinityMask after re-loading a service definition file.
  Restarting a service that was set to redirect output failed with log entry "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect."
  
  
• v0.92 Beta January 22, 2004
  Field Load Order Group wasn't cleared by NT Wrapper Manager.
  The account password that has to be assigned manually in a Service Definition File if needed is no longer cleared after service installation.
  Help file available now.
  
  
• v0.91 Beta January 14, 2004
  Removed option Start-Up Timeout. Fixed some bugs.
  
  
• v0.9 Beta Jan 2004
  Intitial release.

Please post your comments or bug reports to ntwrapper@duodata.de

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