Starting Boxcryptor in Windows 7 early (before Server service)

TomDrop

Hi,

I use BC (paying client) and love it. Recently I shifted key Windows 7 Folders (Start Menu, Favorites, Documents) into BC and it overall works with 1 exception: As Boxcryptor seems to be starting late throught the Startup folder, Windows 7 does not detect the Start Menu early enough, and hence it stops working as the Server service can't be started (for which I guess the Start Menu location has to be known).

Is there any workaround for that? For example starting BC as a Service, or maybe even earlier in the Boot phase of Windows 7?

Thanks
Tom

Boris

Hello TomDrop

you can also run BoxCryptor as a Service. You can follow these instructions:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/251192
http://twigstechtips.blogspot.de/2011/02/windows-xpvista7-run-program-as-service.html

Best regards
Boris

TomDrop

Hi Boris,

Thank you - it worked beautifully. One step closer to have my whole machine secured in Dropbox :-)

Cheers
Tom

ViperGeek

Hi Tom.

Would you be willing to share the exact format of the 'sc' command you used? I tried a few combinations and always get a new BoxCyptor service, but it always fails to start.

The specific problem I'm trying to solve is that BoxCryptor always fails to create the virtual drive (Z:) during login. It complains about a conflict with anti-virus software. However, if I exit the toolbar app, then restart it, everything works fine.

Thanks!

- Dave

digrouz

Hello,

What the better way to implement te service? running it as a LocalSystem or a my normal user account?

Can you provide the exact command line with the sc?

I did something like this:
sc create boxcryptor binpath= "\"C:\Program Files\BoxCryptor\BoxCryptor.exe\" /root D:\Document\Encrypted /mountpoint Z: /password XXXXX /config D:\Document\Encrypted\.encfs6.xml" displayname= "BroxCryptor" start= auto password= "XXXXXXX" obj= "MYUSER"

while the service is starting, I can see my Z: drive appears, then i takes times to finish to start to finally fail with a 1053 error and my Z drive disappear.

Some help with this would be really appreciated ;)

jexxer

I have the same issue like digrouz.

I testet my commandline and it will properly start BC. But as soon as I use it as service the service does not respond to the service manager. Before the error is thrown, I can access the encrypted drive for some seconds and then BC closes.

Any hint what we might do wrong?

TomDrop

Sorry, I was pretty busy over the past couple of weeks, so let me reply and hopefully help you all now: The way I finally solved it was to use the Registry to start BC earlier than through the Startup folder, here is how:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"Boxcryptor"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\BoxCryptor\\BoxCryptor.exe"

This does it for me - BC starts up as one of the first things when booting, and so the system has visibility of the BC drive even before it starts to look for system folders on that drive.

Cheers
Tom

Arne

The solution to only start BoxCryptor by registry (suggestion from Tom) didn't work for me. The programm starts much to late.

Did someone figure out how to start BC as service in the meantime?

With the suggestions of digrouz I had even worse luck: I tried the comandline with administrator rights but nothing happend at all. There is only a message that the service has been created, but nothing else happens, no icon, no drive. :(
Is it neccessary to restart after creating the service?
(I tried to start BC with a command line before and this worked well...)

Any suggestions? Would be nice if BC runs as service... Thank you in advance!

PS: Perhaps it is necessary to use the depend option?