CrashPlan is a local and offsite backup service. The application can be run as a Windows Service using FireDaemon Pro, which lets you start the application automatically at boot prior to login, start multiple instances of the application and more. This HOWTO will show you how to set it up. You can also use Fusion to manage FireDaemon and other Windows services via a web browser.


CrashPlan Setup Under FireDaemon Pro

Download the latest CrashPlan files from the official website.


Run the CrashPlan installer. By default it installs to C:\Program Files\CrashPlan.


Run the CrashPlan application at least once to change any settings. Be sure to create a CrashPlan account if you haven't done so already. Visit the CrashPlan settings and uncheck "Launch system tray on startup", as FireDaemon takes care of this.


Download and install FireDaemon Pro into the directory of your choice, typically C:\Program Files\FireDaemon.


Next start the FireDaemon GUI from the desktop shortcut. Click on the "Create a new service definition" button in the toolbar (or type Ctrl+N) and enter the information into the fields as you see below. Adjust the paths to suit your installation.



  • Executable: The path to the CrashPlanDesktop.exe file. The default path is C:\Program Files\CrashPlan\CrashPlanDesktop.exe
  • Working Directory: The directory containing the CrashPlanDesktop.exe file. The default path is C:\Program Files\CrashPlan.
  • Parameters: None. Leave this field blank.


Now click on the Settings tab. If you DON'T want to see CrashPlan running, uncheck the Interact with Desktop check box & select "Hidden" from the "Show Window" dropdown. You may optionally run CrashPlan as the user you installed it as. In the Logon Account field type your username (e.g. Administrator) and then enter the user's password twice in the Password and Confirm fields. You can change the Process Priority to allocate more CPU time to CrashPlan or specify which CPU or core CrashPlan will run on (in the case of multi-processor, hyperthreaded or multi-core CPUs).



Now click OK to finish setup and start CrashPlan!