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This page gives specific instructions on setting up Node-RED in a Microsoft Windows environment. The instructions are specific to Windows 10 but should also work for Windows 7 and Windows Server from 2008R2. It is not advisable to use versions prior to Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008R2 due to lack of current support.

1. Note: This driver can be used with Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. Note: This driver can be used in a 32bit or 64bit system with less than 4gigs of ram. To install: Download and unzip to a directory you will remember; Run HCWDriverInstall.exe to automatically install the driver; Name: pvr-150-500204825037whql.zip.
2. Task Scheduler is a system tool available in all versions of Windows. It helps you schedule automated tasks that runs your programs or scripts at a specific time. For example, you can schedule your computer to automatically shut down in middle of the night. In this tutorial, you'll learn all the methods of opening Task Scheduler in Windows 10.

Since XP embedded uses Minlogon instead. It is a good idea to have a Windows scheduled task to reboot the Samsung Screens once in a. This tip will describe how to use Task Scheduler in Windows 7. Gizmo has written previously about using Task Scheduler in Windows XP and much of that discussion applies to Windows 7. However, the Windows 7 version.

Quick Start

1. Install Node.js

Download the latest 12.x LTS version of Node.js from the official Node.js home page. It will offer you the best version for your system.

Run the downloaded MSI file. Installing Node.js requires local administrator rights; if you are not a localadministrator, you will be prompted for an administrator password on install. Accept the defaults when installing. After installation completes, close any open command prompts and re-open to ensure new environment variablesare picked up.

Once installed, open a command prompt and run the following command to ensure Node.js and npm are installed correctly.

Using Powershell: node --version; npm --version

Using cmd: node --version && npm --version

You should receive back output that looks similar to:

2. Install Node-RED

Installing Node-RED as a global module adds the command node-red to your system path. Execute the following at the command prompt:

3. Run Node-RED

Once installed, you are ready to run Node-RED.

Alternative Installations on Windows

In this section, we provide you with information on alternative ways to install Node.js, npm and the Windows Build Tools needed to install some Nodes for Node-RED on Windows.

Standard installations of Node.js on Windows require local administrator rights. Download the appropriate version from the official Node.js home page. It will offer you the best version. While you can use either 32 bit or 64 bit versions on 64 bit Windows, it is recommended to use the 64bit version of Node. If for some reason, you need a different installation, you can use the Downloads Page.

There are two potentially useful alternatives to installing Node.js with the MSI installer.

1. Using the Chocolatey package manager

   Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows similar to APT or yum on Linux and brew on the Macintosh platforms. If you are already using Chocolatey, you may want to use this tool to install Node.js (e.g. using the nodejs-lts package). Note however, that many packages have uncertain management and that these packages may use different folder locations than those mentioned above.

2. Using a Node version manager

   Using a Node.js version manager such as nvm-windows can be very helpful if you are doing Node.js development and need to test against different versions. Keep in mind that you will need to reinstall global packages and may need to re-install local packages when when you switch the version of Node you are using.

npm on Windows

When you install Node.js, you are also installing the npm package manager. You may see some instructions on the web that recommend installing later releases of npm than the one that comes with the Node.js release. This is not recommended as it is too easy to later end up with an incompatible version. Node.js releases are very regular and that is sufficient to keep npm updated.

Sharing Node-RED between Users

Node.js is installed into the Program Files folder as you would expect. However, if you install a global package like Node-RED using npm -g, it is installed into the $env:APPDATAnpm folder (%APPDATA%npm using cmd) for the current user. This is less than helpful if you are installing on a PC with multiple user logins or on a server and installing using an admin login rather than the login of the user that will run Node applications like Node-RED.

To fix this, either give permissions to the folder to other users and make sure that the folder is included in their path user environment variable.

Alternatively, change the global file location to somewhere accessible by other users. Make sure that you use the user that will be running Node-RED to make these changes. For example, to change the location to $env:ALLUSERSPROFILEnpmglobal using PowerShell:

You will then want to change the npm cache folder as well:

If using the above changes, you can add the new prefix folder to the PATH System variable and remove the old folder from the user’s Path variable. To change the PATH Environment variable, type environment into the start menu or Cortana and choose Edit Environment Variables.

For each of the users running Node-RED, check that the above settings for the other users are correct.

Installing Node.js Windows Build Tools

Many Node.js modules used by Node-RED or installed nodes have binary components that will need compiling before they will work on Windows. To enable npm to compile binaries on the Windows platform, install the windows-build-tools module using the command prompt as an Administrator:

If you wish to have the built-in Python v2.7 install exposed for use, use the command:

• Not all Node.js modules will work under Windows, check the install output carefully for any errors.
• During the install some errors may be reported by the node-gypcommand. These are typically non-fatal errors and are related to optional dependenciesthat require a compiler in order to build them. Node-RED will work without theseoptional dependencies. If you get fatal errors, first check that you installed the windows-build-tools module and that you have closed and opened your command prompt window.

Running on Windows

Once installed, the simple way to run Node-RED is to use the node-red command in a command prompt:If you have installed Node-RED as a global npm package, you can use the node-red command:

This will output the Node-RED log to the terminal. You must keep the terminal open in order to keep Node-RED running.

Note that running Node-RED will create a new folder in your %HOMEPATH% folder called .node-red. This is your userDir folder, think of it as the home folder for Node-RED configuration for the current user. You will often see this referred to as ~/.node-red in documentation. ~ is shorthand for the user home folder on Unix-like systems. You can use the same reference if using PowerShell as your command line as recommended. If you are using the older cmd shell, that won’t work.

You can now create your first flow.

Using PM2

If you are using Windows to develop Node-RED flows or nodes, you may find it helpful to use PM2 to run Node-RED. This can be configured to automatically restart when files change, always keep Node-RED running and manage log output.

Run Node-RED on Startup

If you want to use Windows as a production platform for Node-RED, you will want to have a Windows Task Scheduler job set up. To do so:

1. Go to the start menu and type “task scheduler” and click on the result.
2. Click on “Create Task…” in the right-hand menu. Follow the steps to create a new task.

Make sure that you use the user login that you’ve used to set up and do the initial run of Node-RED. You can use an “At startup” trigger to always run Node-RED at system startup. Use the Action “Start a program” with details set to C:Users<user>AppDataRoamingnpmnode-red.cmd (replacing <user> with your actual user name).

You may wish to make sure that it only starts if the network is available. You may also wish to restart if the job fails. Perhaps restarting every minute but only 3 times - if it won’t start by then, the error is fatal and will need some other intervention. You can check for failures by looking in the event log. If you want to access to the logs when running this way, you should amend the node-red.cmd file to redirect std and error outputs to a file (creating an alternative startup file would be better so that it isn’t overwritten on updates).

Task Scheduler Install Windows Updates

A task scheduler has to interface with Windows and have the ability to control start-up files so that it can help users manage start-up, shutdowns, program permissions and more. The native Windows Task Manager unfortunately is limited in functionality and only lets users close or end processes. These freeware task managers however do much more such as scheduling one year ahead, setting up impromptu scans, reminders and alarms. They may be free but are definitely more useful than what Windows currently offers as stock edition.

1. Freebyte Task Scheduler

With the Freebyte Task Scheduler, you can automatically start programs at particular periods or pre-defined times or you can schedule programs to run periodically. It is a simple application to use and allows users to set monthly, weekly and also daily start-up applications. Simply choose the application to be run and set the date with time to begin the start-up procedure. It even lets users perform auxiliary tasks such as defragmentation, cleanup and schedule full system scans for the future or even on a periodic basis.

• Our Rating:
• Pros: Easy Scheduler Interface, additional features included.
• Cons: None whatsoever.
• OS: Windows 7, XP, Vista both 32 and 64 bit

2. System Scheduler FREE Version

The System Scheduler Free Edition lets you close and start programs immediately as well as provide quick reminders as pop-ups. One can choose what keystrokes activate certain apps and at what time. You can even schedule programs sporadically to start for the next one year or schedule programs to close, minimize through automatic key functions. It even lets users include WAV audio alert files for events and allows snoozing for a few minutes. The best feature of this easy to use app is that it is free.

• Our Rating:
• Pros: Provides good flexibility in setting time and frequency.
• Cons: Limited to only starting, stopping or minimizing apps.
• OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7/8

Windows Task Scheduler Tutorial

3. Z-Cron

The Z-Cron is a free and robust scheduler capable of handling program start-ups and shutdowns as well as leaving reminders, directory cleaning and shutting down of the computer. Quite similar in design and functionality to the Unix Cron, it is however much more powerful than the Task Scheduler native to Windows. You can even control daily, weekly, monthly and more start-up options but what really makes this an excellent tool is the host of Embedded tools that do everything including setting up alarms, shutting down computer remotely and disconnecting at specified times from the net.

• Our Rating:
• Pros: Robust and Feature rich, stable environment, plenty of controls.
• Cons: Lots of features that novices may not want.
• OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8

4. Ka Firetask

The Ka Firetask can do many things at once such as automating windows applications, displaying messages through DNM scripts, copy folders and files. It is easy to trigger using hotkeys or by interfacing with the scheduler directly. Hotkeys work for starting applications and monitoring the system. Some other features include popup menus, message boxes, delete, copy and move folders or files.

• Our Rating:
• Pros: Functionality is high.
• Cons: Tends to be slightly unstable on 64 bit OS.
• OS: Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7

5. Scheduler

A no-frills Windows 98 style interface, the Scheduler lets you perform specific tasks at given times of the day. The tasks can range from opening files in default programs to starting a URL in a web browser or restarting and shutting down the computer. The main window remains in the system tray at all times for easy access and lets one alter settings as well as set reminders or the alarm clock.

• Our Rating:
• Pros: Simple interface, easy to use and limited buttons.
• Cons: Not the most advanced application on the market.
• OS: Windows 8/7/Vista/XP

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