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NovaBACKUP 22 Window Opens and Closes Immediately: Change the Ports NovaBACKUP Uses

If the NovaBACKUP 22 window flashes up and closes, another program is using port 8000 or 8001. Learn how to find it and move NovaBACKUP to other ports.

Applies to: NovaBACKUP PC Agent and NovaBACKUP Server Agent, version 22.

If the NovaBACKUP 22 window flashes up white and closes again right away, another program on the computer is most likely using port 8000 or 8001. This article explains how to confirm this and how to move NovaBACKUP to other ports, so both programs can run side by side.

Symptom

  • When you open NovaBACKUP, a white window appears for a moment and closes again. No error message is shown.
  • The same happens from the desktop shortcut, the Start menu, and the taskbar icon, and also with Run as administrator.
  • Reinstalling NovaBACKUP and adding antivirus exclusions do not help.
  • The NovaBACKUP services keep running, and scheduled backups keep running as well.

Note: If the window stays open but is empty, see NovaBACKUP 22 Opens with a Blank Window instead.

Cause

The NovaBACKUP 22 window is served by a small web server that runs only on the computer itself. By default it uses the local ports 8000 and 8001. If another program already listens on port 8000, NovaBACKUP moves its internal connection to port 8001, which its own web server also needs. The web server then cannot start, and the window closes.

We have seen this with the Incredibuild Manager service, which listens on port 8000. Other programs that run a local web interface, such as development tools, containers, or management agents, can cause the same problem.

Prerequisites

  • NovaBACKUP 22 installed
  • A Windows account with administrator rights

Solution

Step 1: Find the program that uses port 8000 or 8001

  1. Close NovaBACKUP, so that its window is not open.
  2. Open a Command Prompt as administrator and run: 
    netstat -ano | findstr ":8000 :8001"
  3. For each line that contains LISTENING, note the number at the end of the line. This is the process ID (PID) of the program that uses the port.
  4. Run the following command, replacing 1234 with that number, to see the program's name: 
    tasklist /fi "PID eq 1234"

If no line with LISTENING is shown, the ports are free and this article does not apply. Continue with NovaBACKUP 22 Opens with a Blank Window.

Step 2: Choose two free ports

This article uses ports 8010 and 8011. Check that they are free:

netstat -ano | findstr ":8010 :8011"

If nothing is shown, the ports are free. If a line with LISTENING is shown, choose another pair, for example 8020 and 8021, and use those numbers in Step 3.

Note: Windows can reserve port ranges for Hyper-V and other features. Run netsh interface ipv4 show excludedportrange protocol=tcp and make sure that neither port is inside one of the listed ranges.

Step 3: Change the ports NovaBACKUP uses

The ports are set in the file electron.manifest.json. Use either option below.

Option A: Edit the file in Notepad

  1. Click Start, type Notepad, right-click Notepad, and select Run as administrator.
  2. Select File > Open, set the file type to All files (*.*), and open: 
    C:\Program Files\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\App\resources\bin\electron.manifest.json
  3. Change these two lines: 
    "electronPort": 8000,
"aspCoreBackendPort": 8001,
    to: 
    "electronPort": 8010,
"aspCoreBackendPort": 8011,
    Keep the quotation marks and the commas exactly as they are.
  4. Select File > Save and close Notepad.

Option B: Run a PowerShell command

This option suits MSPs and administrators who deploy the change with an RMM tool. Run the following command in Windows PowerShell as administrator, as a single line:

$f = "$env:ProgramFiles\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\App\resources\bin\electron.manifest.json"; $j = Get-Content $f -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json; $j.electronPort = 8010; $j.aspCoreBackendPort = 8011; $j | ConvertTo-Json | Set-Content $f -Encoding UTF8

Note: If NovaBACKUP is installed in a different folder, adjust the path in either option.

Step 4: Open NovaBACKUP

  1. Open NovaBACKUP the usual way. The window now opens and stays open.
  2. If you stopped or disabled the other program while troubleshooting, start it again. Both programs can now run at the same time.

Important: A NovaBACKUP update or a repair installation can restore the default ports. If the window starts closing again after an update, repeat Step 3.

Step 5: If the window still closes

  1. Collect the logs: run LogCollector.exe from C:\Program Files\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\ as an administrator. It saves an archive of all logs on your desktop.
  2. In a Command Prompt, run the following command. It starts NovaBACKUP and records why the window closes in a file on your desktop: 
    "C:\Program Files\NovaStor\NovaStor NovaBACKUP\App\NovaBACKUP.exe" > "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\novabackup-ui.txt" 2>&1
  3. Open a support ticket and attach the Log Collector archive, the file novabackup-ui.txt, and the output of the netstat command from Step 1.

Best practices

  • Use the same port pair on all computers you manage, so the change is easy to deploy and check.
  • Recheck electron.manifest.json after each NovaBACKUP update on computers that need the changed ports.
  • Keep the two ports different from each other and outside the ranges reserved by Windows.

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Still Need Help?

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