Automatically running TCP-Com on PC startup or as a Windows Service or Scheduled Task

You can set TCP-Com to run automatically when you start your computer using a few different methods detailed below.

Before you start, save your desired TCP-Com configuration

When you quit TCP-Com, it saves all its settings, including its activation state, to a file named DEFAULT.T2C. This file is either in the same folder as the TCP-Com.exe program file or in a VirtualStore folder at the following path: C:\\Users\\<Your User Name Here>\\AppData\\Local\\VirtualStore\\Program Files (x86)\\TCP-Com

Once you have TCP-Com configured to your liking, we recommend setting the DEFAULT.T2C file as “Read Only” to prevent accidental changes. To modify it in the future, you will need to remove the setting and re-apply it after your changes.

Method 1: Using TCP-Com’s Settings

If the computer is set up for one user, the simplest method is through TCP-Com’s settings when saving your DEFAULT.T2C file:

1. In the TCP-Com main menu, select “File” > “Options”.
2. Check the box next to “Load TCP-Com with Windows at startup” and click “OK”.
3. Make sure TCP-Com is activated.
4. Exit TCP-Com while it’s running to save its settings to your DEFAULT.T2C file.

Method 2: Using a Windows startup folder

The latest versions of Windows have multiple Startup folders – one for each user and one for all users.

To open the Windows 11/10 Startup folder:

1. Hold down the Windows key and press the X key
2. Select Run to open the Run dialog window
3. Type shell:startup and hit Enter to open the Current Users Startup folder (or type shell:common startup and hit Enter to open the All Users Startup folder).

Then, you would create a shortcut to the TCP-Com.exe program file and put that shortcut in your desired Windows Startup folder. 

Method 3: As a Windows Scheduled Task using Task Manager

This method will run TCP-Com automatically at startup regardless of the logged-on user. 

The preferred way is to use the Windows Task Scheduler to create a Task that launches TCP-Com.exe at startup and select “Run whether a user is logged on or not” in the Task settings.

Method 4: As a Windows Service using the Command Line

This method will also run TCP-Com automatically at startup regardless of the logged-on user. However, we recommend using the Windows Task Scheduler instead as it allows greater control and flexibility.

To install TCP-Com as a Windows Service, open a command prompt and navigate to the file folder where TCP-Com.exe is located (typically: C:\Program Files (x86)\TCP-Com) and then run the command: TCP-Com.exe -I to install the service. To uninstall the service, run the command TCP-Com.exe -U.

Please note that if you use Windows Task Scheduler to run TCP-Com at Startup or install it as a Windows Service, it will run invisibly in the background and you will also not see an icon for TCP-Com in either the Windows Taskbar or in the Windows System Tray. If you run TCP-Com.exe after it is already running as a scheduled task or as a service, the second instance will not function correctly until you either end the task or uninstall the TCP-Com service.