Frequently Asked Question

Use this article to stream the screen of a Windows kiosk user. Windows kiosk mode runs only one program for the kiosk user. Windows Task Scheduler can start DeskCamera in the background when the kiosk user signs in.

Step 1: Run Windows with a normal (non Kiosk) user

1. Sign in with a normal (not kiosk) Windows account that has administrator rights. Do all the steps below with this account.

Step 2: Disable DeskCamera’s Default Autostart

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. Open Startup apps (in Windows 10: Startup).
3. Locate DeskCamera in the list of startup applications.
4. Right-click DeskCamera.exe (on some PCs: DeskCamera) and choose Disable.
5. Right-click the DeskCamera Watchdog, KeepAliveGuard.exe (on some PCs: DeskCamera Watchdog), and choose Disable.

Step 3: Create task in Task Scheduler

1. Press Win + S, type "Task Scheduler," and open the Task Scheduler app.
2. In the Task Scheduler window, click on Create Task in the Actions pane on the right.

Step 4: Configure Task General Settings

1. In the General tab, give your task a name, such as "Start DeskCamera in Kiosk Mode."
2. Under Security options, click Change User or Group and choose the kiosk user account.
3. Select Run only when user is logged on.

Step 5: Set the Trigger to Start at Logon

1. Go to the Triggers tab and click New.
2. In the New Trigger window, set the Begin the task option to At log on.
3. Select Specific user and choose the kiosk user account.
4. Click OK.

Step 6: Configure DeskCamera to Start as the Task Action

1. Go to the Actions tab and click New.
2. In the New Action window, set Action to Start a program.
3. Under Program/script, enter the path to the DeskCamera executable file (e.g., C:\Program Files\DeskCamera\DeskCamera.exe).

Step 7: Finalize and Save the Task

1. If the PC is a laptop, click the Conditions tab.
2. Clear Start the task only if the computer is on AC power.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Clear Stop the task if it runs longer than. Otherwise Windows stops DeskCamera after that time.
5. Click OK to save the task.

Step 8: Test the Configuration

1. Restart the PC.
2. Sign in with the kiosk user account.
3. The kiosk program opens. Task Scheduler starts DeskCamera in the background.
4. Check that the camera streams in your NVR/VMS.

Video

Some screens in the video may look different.