Ventrilo is voice chat software that uses minimal CPU resources. The application can be run as a Windows Service using FireDaemon Pro, which allows you to have the application start 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.


Ventrilo Setup Under FireDaemon Pro

Download the latest Windows version of Ventrilo from the Ventrilo website.


By default the 64-bit version of Ventrilo installs to C:\Program Files\Ventrilo so for the purposes of this HOWTO, we will use that directory.


Start up Ventrilo manually to begin initial configuration such as Mic/Speaker and server configuration. Then exit Ventrilo.


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 your Ventrilo.exe file. For the purposes of this HOWTO, the path is C:\Program Files\Ventrilo\Ventrilo.exe.


Working Directory: The directory containing your Ventrilo.exe file. For the purposes of this HOWTO, the path is C:\Program Files\Ventrilo


The most important field on the tab is the Parameters. The Parameters define the initial setup of your Ventrilo client. Failure to fill it out means your client will not automatically connect to a specific server. Here’s the full parameter list you should have:
-c1.2.3.4:3784:ServerPassword

  • -c - Tells Ventrilo to load your command line arguments.
  • 1.2.3.4 - The IP or URL of the Server you want to connect to.
  • 3784 - The Port of the Server you want to connect to (3784 is default).
  • ServerPassword - The password of the server if it has one. Leave blank if there is none.

Note: To automatically join a specific channel, you will need to edit the server connection and enter the name of the channel in the "Default Channel" textbox.


Now click on the Settings tab. If you DON'T want to see Ventrilo running, uncheck the Interact with Desktop check box & select “Hidden” from the “Show Window” dropdown. You must run Ventrilo 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 Ventrilo or specify which CPU or core Ventrilo will run on (in the case of multi-processor, hyperthreaded or multi-core CPUs).


Firedaemon-nojob-interact-settings.jpg


Now click on the Lifecycle tab. Uncheck Graceful Shutdown as Ventrilo doesn't respond to it.



Now click OK to install and start Ventrilo!