Appendix D: Using a Utility to Automatically Restart the Kiosk

As mentioned in the Installation and Setup section, you may wish to install a separate application that automatically restarts the Public Kiosk if it crashes or a clever kiosk user finds a way to close it intentionally. One free application that does this is called Restart On Crash. It has been successfully used with the Public Kiosk is described in this appendix.

Information about Restart On Crash is at the link Automatically Restart Crashed Or Hanged Applications.

In a web browser, click on the link Download Restart on Crash, which puts the file RestartOnCrash-v1.4.1.zip in your Downloads folder (or a different download location, depending on your browser settings).

Double-click on RestartOnCrash-v1.4.1.zip to unzip the utility. It does not have an installer and it’s easiest to just put the RestartOnCrash.exe on the Kiosk machine’s Windows Desktop.

Select Settings and enter the full path to a log file where crashes will be recorded in the Settings window. We recommend that you set the following options for Restart on Crash:

• Start minimized
• Log events to a file: C:\shared\sos\restart_log.txt
• Grace period: 30 seconds

Select Add and enter the full path to the Kiosk application (C:\shared\bin\Kiosk.exe) in the Add New Application window. We recommend the following application settings for the kiosk:

• Monitor this application: C:\shared\bin\Kiosk.exe
• Assume it has crashed or hanged when…: It isn’t running
• After a crash
  • Execute a command: “C:\shared\bin\Kiosk.exe”
  • Working directory: C:\shared/bin

To turn off Restart On Crash, first open it by right-clicking on its icon in the icon tray (the lower right side of the Windows taskbar), then choosing Show/Hide. In the window that opens, just uncheck the box next to the Application name (C:\shared\bin\Kiosk.exe) in the utility’s main window. The Status indicated by Disabled means that the kiosk won’t be automatically restarted when it’s not running. If you check the box again, then Restart On Crash will start monitoring and restarting it when needed.