Step-by-step guide to running Automatic Email Processor as a background Windows service

This guide shows how to set up Automatic Email Processor as a Windows service that runs continuously in the background - without a user being signed in or the program window being open. This is the right operating mode for servers and for machines that should process email around the clock.

The service uses the program AEPProcessor.exe, which is installed next to the regular program. From then on you only start the main window occasionally, to maintain profiles or review the logs.

Note: This guide covers the most common case - running as a classic Windows service. Other operating modes (NSSM, scheduled task, headless mode) and all command-line parameters are described in the program help, chapter 60.3 - Service mode and headless mode.

Step 1: Choose a dedicated account for the service

Create a dedicated Windows user account for the service (or use an existing user or domain account). The service will later run under this account.

Do not use the “Local System” account. The reason: sign-in data and permissions in Windows are always tied to a specific user. When the service runs as “Local System”, it cannot reach exactly these things:

• the sign-in to Microsoft 365 (the consent granted once is only valid for the user who granted it)
• saved account passwords (stored in the Windows vault per user)
• network printers (printer shares are set up per user)

In addition, the main window would otherwise permanently show the message “External processor not active”, even though the service is in fact working correctly - because the window and the service only recognize each other when both run under the same user.

Recommendation: Set up a dedicated account such as AEP-Service and give it a password that does not expire.

Step 2: Set up the program once under this account

Sign in to Windows once with the service account and start the regular program (AutomaticEmailProcessor.exe). Set everything up here completely:

1. Add your email accounts and verify them with “Send/receive test message…” (see How to set up an IMAP account or set up a Microsoft 365 account).
2. Enter your license.
3. Create or import your profiles and verify them with a test run.

This step matters: account sign-ins and the license are stored for exactly this user account. The service can later only use what was set up here under its account.

Step 3: Install the service

Tip: As of version 4.5.0 you can leave this step to the program: simply enable the option from step 4 - if no service is set up yet, the program offers to set it up directly (a small dialog asks for the service name, service account and password; an administrator confirmation follows). The program also takes care of automatic start, recovery and the “Log on as a service” right. You only need the following commands if you prefer to create the service by hand.

Open an elevated command prompt (Run as administrator) and create the service with sc.exe. Adjust the path to AEPProcessor.exe to your installation location (the default is C:\Program Files\Automatic Email Processor 4) and enter your service account from step 1 at obj=:

sc.exe create "AEP4Service" binPath= "\"C:\Program Files\Automatic Email Processor 4\AEPProcessor.exe\" --service"
sc.exe config "AEP4Service" obj= ".\AEP-Service" password= "YourPassword"

• binPath= points to AEPProcessor.exe with the --service parameter.
• obj= is the user account the service runs under - exactly the account under which you set everything up in step 2. For a local account write .\AccountName, for a domain account Domain\AccountName.

Important: There is a space after each of binPath=, obj= and password= - that is how sc.exe requires it.

You do not need to set up automatic start and the first start of the service yourself here - the program does that for you in the next step. (If you prefer to do it by hand: sc.exe config "AEP4Service" start= auto and then sc.exe start "AEP4Service".)

Step 4: Enable the “External processor” option

So that the main window and the service do not get in each other’s way, enable the matching option - still signed in as the service account:

Open Options → Windows Service and, under Operating mode, tick “Use external processor (e.g. Windows service)”. Then close the program with OK. (Up to version 4.4.0, the option was located on the “Processing” page.)

The page also continuously shows the state of the service (set up, started, startup type, account) and bundles all management actions: set up, start, stop, correct, and remove the service.

What this option does: The main window assumes that the service handles processing. It therefore no longer starts or stops a processing process of its own and serves only for configuration and for showing the logs. Without this option, the window would start its own processor on every launch and get in the service’s way.

The service is started here: Because you already created the service in step 3, the program detects on confirmation that it is not yet running and offers to start it directly and set it to automatic start. Confirm this prompt (an administrator confirmation) with Yes - the service then runs immediately and starts automatically with Windows from then on. If no service is set up yet, the program offers to set it up now (see the tip in step 3). If the program detects an incorrectly configured service - the program path points to the wrong executable - it offers the correction directly.

Step 5: Verify the service

Check that everything is running:

1. In the Windows Services console (services.msc), “AEP4Service” should have the status “Running” and the startup type “Automatic”.

2. If there are problems, the file ServiceDiagnostics.log helps. It is located in the application data folder of the service account:

   %AppData%\Automatic Email Processor 4\ServiceDiagnostics.log

   It contains the startup messages and - during operation - the entry IsWindowsService=True. If it says IsWindowsService=False, the service is not running as expected.

If the service unexpectedly does not run (for example because you declined the start prompt in step 4), start it by hand and set automatic start:

sc.exe config "AEP4Service" start= auto
sc.exe start "AEP4Service"

The regular processing and error logs appear, as usual, in the main window under Log.

Step 6: Set up an early warning on standstill (recommended)

During unattended continuous operation, no one notices right away if processing ever comes to a halt. So set up the notification on standstill: the program then automatically sends you an email as soon as no processing has happened for a defined period - so you learn about a problem without having to check yourself.

Open Options → Processing → Malfunction report, enable “Send message if no processing for x minutes” and enter a time span as well as one or more recipients.

Step 7: Ongoing operation

From now on, the service processes email continuously in the background - regardless of whether a user is signed in. You only start the main window when needed, to change profiles or view logs; the actual processing stays with the service.

If you later want to stop or remove the service:

sc.exe stop "AEP4Service"
sc.exe delete "AEP4Service"

Common problems

Related topics

• Program help chapter 60.3 - Service mode and headless mode (all parameters, NSSM, scheduled tasks, exit codes)
• Program help chapter 60.4 - Backup and restore
• How to set up an IMAP account - add an account as a data source
• How to set up a Microsoft 365 account - prepare the sign-in for the service user
• Getting started - from account to first productive profile