Installing on Windows · Pop Dispatch help

One installer puts Pop Dispatch on Windows. The same app can be the office server for your business, join a server that already runs, or sign in to the hosted service. The first time it opens it asks which one you want. You will be able to install it, choose, set up your business, update it, and remove it.

Before you start #

A 64-bit computer with Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 1809 or later. The computer that becomes the server stays on during business hours and has a disk you back up.
Permission to install software. Windows asks for an administrator password when you install, and once more when you make this computer the server.
Your license key, if this computer will be the office server. The setup page asks for it.
The installer PopDispatch-<version>-x64.msi. Each build comes with a SHA256SUMS.txt file that lists its SHA-256 sum, so you can check your copy.

Install the app #

Double-click PopDispatch-<version>-x64.msi. Follow "If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning" if it appears.
Choose Yes when Windows asks for permission. The app installs in C:\Program Files\Pop Dispatch\Desktop, with a shortcut named Pop Dispatch in the Start menu. Nothing else starts at this point.
Open Pop Dispatch from the Start menu. It asks how this computer will be used.

Choose how this computer is used #

You can change the answer later in Settings, under This computer's role.

Set up my business on this computer #

Choose this on the one computer that holds your data. It becomes your office server.

Tick "Other computers in my office will connect to this one" if more computers or phones will use it.
Choose Start the server. Windows asks for permission to install the server service. Choose Yes.
The app waits for the server. When it says the server is running, choose Open setup. Your browser opens the setup page at http://127.0.0.1:8480/setup. It asks for your license key, your business details and the owner's sign-in, and it shows the recovery key once. Write the recovery key down and keep it away from this computer.
Sign in to the app with the owner email and the password you chose.

The server runs as a Windows service, starts with Windows and restarts itself after a failure. Nothing needs to be typed in a window or edited in a file. The license service's verification key is built into the server.

Join my business #

Choose this on every other computer. The app looks for your office server on the network and lists it. Choose it, then sign in. If it is missing from the list, type the server's address, or paste the link from the Connect devices step of the setup page.

Use the hosted service #

Choose this when your supplier runs the server for you. Type the cloud address you were given, then sign in. Nothing runs on this computer.

Setting up from another computer #

While no owner exists, setup is open without a code on the server computer. From another computer it asks for the one-time setup code, which is in the file setup-code.txt in C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\data (open it as administrator). Tick the network box above first, then open http:// followed by the server computer's name and :8480/setup. The code stops working once the owner account exists.

Moving your business to this computer #

Make this computer the server, then choose Restore from a backup file in the setup page and type the recovery key. See "Moving to a new computer".

If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning #

The installers carry no digital signature yet, because the build has no code-signing certificate yet. Windows SmartScreen shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" window for a new, unsigned program. The installer is safe to run when it came from your supplier and its SHA-256 sum matches the one in SHA256SUMS.txt.

Choose More info in the blue window. The program name and "Unknown publisher" appear.
Choose Run anyway.
The installation continues as described above.

Check the SHA-256 sum first

Open PowerShell in the folder that holds the installer and run Get-FileHash .\PopDispatch-<version>-x64.msi -Algorithm SHA256. The value after Hash should equal the line for that file in SHA256SUMS.txt.

Keep the app up to date #

The app checks once a day for a new version. Open Settings, then Updates, to see the version, check now, or switch the daily check off. When a newer version exists, the app shows a bar at the top and an Install button in Settings. The button asks first. After you say yes, the app downloads the installer, checks it against the signed list, closes itself and runs the installer. Windows asks for permission. Open the app again from the Start menu afterwards. A download that fails the check is deleted and nothing is installed.

The server is inside the app, so the same update updates it. Your data stays and the service starts again by itself.

Start and stop the server #

The server runs as the Windows service Pop Dispatch Server.

Press the Windows key, type Services and open it.
Find Pop Dispatch Server in the list.
Right-click it and choose Start, Stop or Restart. The Status column shows the result.

To check that it answers, open http://127.0.0.1:8480/health in a browser. The answer shows ok: true.

Let other computers connect #

The server answers on this computer only until you allow the office network. In Settings, under This computer's role, switch on Let other computers connect. Windows asks for permission. The app opens port 8480 on private and domain networks and restarts the server. Switch it off to go back to this computer only. The connection is plain HTTP, so use a network you trust.

Where your data lives #

What	Where
Programs, server, web console, help articles	`C:\Program Files\Pop Dispatch\Desktop`
Database, keys, backups, photos, crash logs	`C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\data`
Server settings (listen address)	`C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\server.env`
Start-up problems	`C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\data\service.log`
Windows app settings, saved sign-in and local copy	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Pop Street Dispatch` on each computer

Only the service account, the system and administrators can open the data folder. Back up the whole data folder to a second disk every night, and turn on BitLocker for the disk.

Uninstall #

Open Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps (Apps and features on Windows 10).
Choose Pop Dispatch and choose Uninstall.
Confirm. Uninstalling stops and removes the server service if there is one, and deletes the program files.

Your business data stays in C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch after the uninstall, so a later installation picks it up again. Delete that folder yourself only after you have a backup you trust. The app leaves its folder in %LOCALAPPDATA% for the same reason.

Technical details

The installer is built with WiX 5. It puts the app, the server program (Desktop\Server\dispatch-server.exe), the web console and server-service.ps1 on disk and starts nothing. Choosing "Set up my business on this computer" runs server-service.ps1 install with a Windows permission prompt. It makes the service PopStreetDispatch with the account NT AUTHORITY\LocalService, start type Automatic, restart after a failure, and the arguments service --data-dir "C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\data" --env-file "C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\server.env".
The license verification key sits inside the server program. A PSD_LICENCE_PUBLIC_KEYS line in server.env replaces it, which is only needed after the license service changes its key.
Settings files hold one NAME=value line per setting, with names that start with PSD_. A value in the real environment wins over the file. The app writes PSD_BIND for the network switch.
While it listens beyond this computer, the server advertises itself as _psdispatch._tcp so the app on other computers can list it. It carries the port and the version, never a business name. PSD_MDNS=off switches it off.
The data folder is closed to LocalService, SYSTEM and Administrators only, and the service checks this each time it starts.
The app is self-contained: the .NET runtime and the Windows App SDK sit in its folder. Apart from the update check, it downloads nothing while it runs.
The replica key is sealed with Windows DPAPI for the signed-in Windows user. The sign-in token is sealed the same way.
Updates: the app reads a signed list from https://thepopstreet.com/products/dispatch/windows-feed.json and checks the signature with a public key built into the app. It downloads the new installer only after you say yes, compares its SHA-256 sum with the signed one and deletes a file that differs.

If something goes wrong #

Windows shows no permission window after Start the server: look for it in the taskbar, or choose Start the server again.
The app says the server could not be started: choose Start the server again and choose Yes in the Windows window. If it fails again, send C:\ProgramData\Pop Street Dispatch\data\service.log to your supplier.
The browser shows "This site can't be reached": the service is stopped, or another program uses port 8480. Start the service in Services.
Another computer cannot find the server: switch on Let other computers connect in Settings. Typing the server's address always works.
The installer will not start: Windows may have blocked a downloaded file. Right-click the file, choose Properties, tick Unblock, and try again.
The app says the server cannot be reached: check the address in Settings, and that the server computer is on.