About our Windows Client
System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements
Wallboard Windows signage player application can run either on Windows mini box or desktop PCs.
- Dual core CPU with iGPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 20 GB free disk space
- 10/100 Mbit network connection
- Windows 10, or 11 OS (Enterprise for Kiosk mode)
- .NET Framework 4.6.2
- Administrator rights to run the application
Recommended Mini PC Box Requirements
These players are usually good enough for displaying basic contents on single/dual screen (FHD) setups.
A desktop PC is much more customizable for your needs, and are recommended for multiscreen setups and 4K contents.
- Mobile (undervolted) dual or quad core CPU
- 4 GB of RAM
- eMMC or SSD storage
Recommended Desktop/Signage Player Requirements
- Quad core standard voltage CPU
- Integrated or dedicated GPU
- 8 GB of DDR4 RAM
- HDD or SSD storage
SSD storage is always recommended to achieve faster boot time and better playback performance.
How does Our Windows Client work?
Our Windows client displays content on Windows 10 and 11 OS devices. Older versions of Windows will not be compatible
with our client due to compatibility and security issues.
The Windows client is compatible with any device that is operating on Windows 10, or 11.
In our Windows application, we provide and update the browser version. The current latest version of the browser is
Chromium version 110.
We recommend using Windows 10, or 11 Enterprise if the device will only run Wallboard and will never be closed. On Windows 10 and 11 Enterprise, the device can run in Kiosk mode which is the most optimized way to use our application.
For more information about Kiosk mode visit the following article: Kiosk mode
The application is a full screen HTML browser that also allows other functionalities:
- Controls the device and the performance of the client application
- Communicates with content inside the Wallboard CMS
- Maintains the system
Window modes
- Windowed Mode
- Fullscreen Mode
- Extended Fullscreen Mode
You can display our windows client in windowed mode which will display the application in a section of your screen. You can make it Movable. |
You can display our windows client in fullscreen mode, which will display the application on the whole screen. Clients who use fullscreen mode can be locked. See more about: Locking down Windows client. |
You can display our windows client in extended fullscreen mode, which will display the application on multiple screens. The extended fullscreen clients can be locked as well. See more about: Locking down Windows client. |
Content Caching On Windows
Our client application stores all components of a piece of content on the device storage and supplies the embedded browser locally. This allows the device to load in the content without an internet connection.
The cache also reduces the network traffic significantly because media files are downloaded to the device only once, and when you display content that includes these media, the device will initially load them in from the local storage.
FAQ
Why does Windows client require Administrator rights?
The application needs Administrator privileges for the following reasons to ensure all features work correctly:
Time management
- Changing time zone
- Changing system time
- Start/stop windows time service based on configuration
Lock default mode
- Eliminating explorer.exe process
- Disabling tablet mode if applicable
Lock KIOSK mode
- Create a dedicated local admin user
- Setting up Shell Launcher v1
Auto updater
- Creating a scheduled task with highest privileges
- Running the installer with administrator rights
Working hours
- Running powershell script to check whether Wake Timers are supported and enabled
- Creating a scheduled task with highest privileges
- Running powershell scripts to execute power state change (sleep/wake up)
Other
- Increasing Wallboard process priority
Windows client got flagged as a malicious software, what to do?
Before delving into the details, it is worth emphasizing that **Wallboard's actions are never intended to be malicious **.
Here's a short list what may have triggered the monitoring tool:
- Wallboard.exe created the scheduled task Wallboard Update: This task is solely for updating our application. We also utilize scheduled tasks for functions like Working Hours, which helps manage device sleep and wake-up times.
- Wallboard.exe performed discovery indicative of virtualization/sandbox evasion: These "discoveries" are intended to gather device information, such as BIOS version and unique hardware IDs, for metrics purposes.
- TabletMode-disable.exe file is an essential part of our system. It's required for the device's lock function, which disables the tablet's UI to prevent any tampering.
- A powershell command executed by Wallboard.exe
"powershell.exe" -WindowStyle hidden Remove-Item C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\WallboardUpdate.exe
that is part of our update process. Its purpose is to manage the update files by downloading them and then clearing them once the update is complete or if a newer update becomes available.
Additionally, please note that kflash.exe is not essential for the client app; and after version 4.0.356 it is no longer bundled with the application.
If you installed the application before version 4.0.356 the exe is still there, but you may remove it freely.