🪟 DiKAS on Windows¶

Which File Do I Need?¶

For exactly one POS station on a Windows PC, the Windows installer is the standard way. It installs POS server, hardware connection and POS interface directly on this PC. The Windows version is a single-station version: if several registers or other clients are to access the same server, use the VM/ISO appliance instead.

Your situation	The right way	What you download
Exactly one POS station on a Windows PC	Windows installer (recommended) — everything runs exclusively on this PC	dikas-setup.exe
Several registers or other clients	VM/ISO appliance (recommended) — it is the central server; the registers access it via browser, app or Windows client	dikas.iso · Guide for Hyper-V and VirtualBox
Additional Windows POS station	Windows client — only together with the central VM/ISO appliance	dikas-client-setup.exe

Setup, client or ISO — the important difference

dikas-setup.exe is the complete Windows single-station POS. It is intended only for exactly one POS station and is not used as a server for further clients.
dikas-client-setup.exe is just an additional operating station. It does not work on its own and always needs a reachable VM/ISO appliance as the main POS.
dikas.iso is not a Windows program. It installs a complete DiKAS appliance in a virtual machine or on dedicated POS hardware.

When Is the VM/ISO Still the Better Choice?¶

Choose the appliance as a VM if DiKAS is deliberately to run separately from the Windows workstation, Hyper-V/VirtualBox is already available or many registers access a shared server. Technically it corresponds to the DiKAS POS hardware and can be restarted and maintained independently of the workstation.

For exactly one POS station on an existing Windows PC, on the other hand, the Windows installer is simpler: download, start as administrator and activate with the InstallKey.

DiKAS as a virtual machine: Hyper-V and VirtualBox

Hyper-V in brief

Use Generation 2 and under Settings → Security switch Secure Boot off. Without this combination the DiKAS ISO does not boot.

Native Installation on Windows¶

The following part describes the direct installation of the Windows version. POS server, hardware service and interface run directly under Windows.

It is designed exclusively for the single station: one computer, one POS, everything on it. It is not the server route for a second register or other clients. As soon as several devices are to access the same POS, install DiKAS as a VM/ISO appliance.

Download¶

Package	Used for	Download
Windows single-station POS	Data, POS server, hardware service and interface are located together on exactly this computer	dikas-setup.exe (approx. 200 MB)

For additional POS stations, do not use this full Windows installation but a central VM/ISO appliance and, if needed, the Windows client.

The link always points to the current version

The download address stays the same — you always get the latest version through it. An update is simply running the freshly downloaded setup over the existing installation; your data is preserved.

Prerequisites¶


Operating system	Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) or Windows Server 2016 or newer
Permissions	Administrator (the installation sets up two Windows services)
Memory	4 GB, 8 GB recommended
Hard disk	2 GB free for the program, plus space for your data

Ports 80 and 443 must be free

DiKAS serves the POS interface via HTTPS on port 443 and redirects port 80 there. If a web server is already running on the computer, the installation aborts with a clear message and names the blocking program.

On Windows Server this is the normal case: the role Web Server (IIS) occupies both ports. Either switch IIS off or use another computer for the POS.

Stop-Service W3SVC
Set-Service W3SVC -StartupType Disabled

Installing the Main POS¶

Download dikas-setup.exe, then start it with a right-click → Run as administrator.

Windows warns about an unknown publisher

The setup is currently not signed. Windows SmartScreen therefore shows a blue notice. Via "More info" → "Run anyway" you can continue.
Confirm the installation directory (default: C:\Program Files\DiKAS).
Offline mode? The setup asks once:
- No (normal): The POS synchronizes with the DiKAS cloud. You can access reports from anywhere, and your data is additionally stored in the cloud.
- Yes: The POS works strictly on its own, without cloud synchronization. The license is checked every three weeks. Choose this only if the computer is deliberately to stay offline.
The setup then sets up by itself: data directories and the two Windows services. The first time this takes one to two minutes — Windows Defender scans the program files completely once.
Activate the license. After the installation, the license screen opens. Only with successful activation does DiKAS create the database, for a cloud POS first fetch your existing data from the cloud and then start the POS server permanently. Before that there is no POS, no demo operation and no random admin password — a POS without a license stays empty instead of silently running with wrong data.
Open the POS interface: https://localhost on the POS computer itself.

A licensed POS cannot be licensed a second time

Once the license is activated and the first data synchronization is complete, the license screen refuses a new selection. This protects against an accidental rebuild over a running database. If the POS is really to be set up anew, contact DiKAS support.

The Windows single-station version deliberately stays reachable only on its own computer. This avoids unnecessary shares and keeps the setup small. If you need a second register, a kitchen display on its own device or other clients, it is no longer a single-station installation: use the central VM/ISO appliance for that.

What the Installation Creates¶


Program	`C:\Program Files\DiKAS`
Your data	`C:\ProgramData\dikas` (database, receipt files, certificate)
Setup logs	`C:\ProgramData\dikas\logs\setup-install.log`
Service "DiKAS Server"	the POS server (`DikasNext`)
Service "DiKAS Arch"	Hardware: card reader, draught system, serial devices (`DikasArch`)

Your data survives an uninstall

C:\ProgramData\dikas is preserved on uninstall. Anyone who really wants to remove everything deletes the folder by hand afterwards — take a backup beforehand without fail.

Setting Up Several Registers or Clients¶

Install DiKAS centrally as a VM/ISO appliance. This appliance is the main POS and is reachable in the local network for the further stations.
On an additional Windows POS station, download dikas-client-setup.exe and run it as administrator on the second PC.
On first start, enter the address of the main POS — name or IP address, for example 192.168.1.50.
Done: the client remembers the address and connects automatically in future.

The client needs the main POS

A client stores no data itself. If the main POS is off or the network is disturbed, no checkout is possible at this station.

Everything else about the client — full screen, amount display, card reader port, its own settings file and troubleshooting — is on a separate page: DiKAS Windows Client.

Customer Display (Amount Display)¶

There is a separate shortcut for the screen facing the guest: DiKAS Betragsanzeige — in the Start menu and on the desktop, created by the setup.

Connect the second monitor and activate it in Windows.
Start DiKAS Betragsanzeige. The window opens filling the second monitor and shows a six-digit pairing code.
At the POS, in the main menu open Settings (page Local settings), in the section Customer display tap Pair display and select the code. A prerequisite is the tick Customer display under Admin → Settings → Operations → Operations.

Done. The POS stays on the first screen, the guest sees on the second the shopping cart, total and, after payment, the receipt QR code.

No network needed

The amount display runs on the same computer as the POS. It therefore needs no network share and remains part of the one POS station.

Closing and starting automatically

Esc closes the display. If it should start by itself at login, put the shortcut into the Autostart folder: Windows+R, shell:startup, and copy the shortcut DiKAS Betragsanzeige there.

After a restart of the POS

The pairing holds as long as the display stays on; if for longer than about 24 hours neither the display queries anything nor the POS sends anything, it is forgotten. After a restart or update of the POS, the display logs in again by itself after a few seconds and briefly shows its code; with the next booking it is paired again. If you have reloaded the display or it shows a different code than the one selected at the POS, select it again at the POS (first Disconnect). If the display no longer shows anything new, close it with Esc and start it again.

A separate device as customer display (tablet, TV stick), on the other hand, is another client. For this use the VM/ISO appliance instead of the Windows single-station installation. The complete guide with slideshow, display modes and troubleshooting is under Settings → Customer Display.

Card Reader (Staff Cards)¶

Both installations support staff cards:

Reader type	Connection	Note
Baltech	serial (USB-COM)	detected automatically — if necessary enter the COM port permanently
PC/SC	USB	uses the Windows smart card interface
Keyboard wedge	USB	works without setup, the reader types in the number

Plug in the reader first, then let it search

Windows starts its smart card service only when a reader is plugged in. Simply plug in the reader — DiKAS checks regularly and then puts it into operation by itself. A restart is not necessary.

If a reader does not find a card, this usually helps: unplug the reader, wait ten seconds, plug it in again.

Baltech Reader: Setting the COM Port by Hand¶

DiKAS normally detects the Baltech reader by itself. If it is not found despite being plugged in — for example because another serial adapter interferes —, the COM port can be entered permanently. The correct port is shown by the Windows Device Manager under Ports (COM & LPT). On the main POS it is in C:\ProgramData\dikasarch\dikasarch.json:

{
  "NfcBaltech": true,
  "BaltechComport": "COM3"
}

The change takes effect immediately, no restart is needed. For a card reader on the client a separate entry applies — see DiKAS Windows Client.

Database¶

Under Windows, DiKAS uses SQLite — a file under C:\ProgramData\dikas\db\dikas.db. No additional database is installed, and you do not have to set anything up.

This file is your business

Back up C:\ProgramData\dikas regularly — see Backup & Restore. Copying the file during operation is not reliable; use DiKAS's backup function.

If the POS is not running in offline mode, your data is additionally stored in the DiKAS cloud.

Remote Maintenance & Updates¶

The Windows version updates itself: it downloads new versions and installs them in the maintenance window between 4 and 6 a.m., so operation is not interrupted. After the update, the POS checks whether POS server and hardware service run cleanly again; if this is not the case after ten minutes, the previous state is automatically restored. A completed update only reports in once both services are healthy.

Automatic updating is enabled by default with every main POS installation, also after an update of an existing POS. You receive only released versions (channel main). A beta channel exists only for pilot businesses that have explicitly agreed it with DiKAS; such a choice is not overwritten by updates.

Updating by hand

Anyone who does not want to wait for the night window runs a freshly downloaded dikas-setup.exe over the existing installation — the data is preserved. For client stations accordingly dikas-client-setup.exe.

In operation, the POS interface is addressed via https:// with a site certificate that the POS issues itself and that is valid only for local names; each device confirms it once — see Certificates.

If Something Does Not Work¶

The Installation Reports an Error¶

The setup writes a detailed log:

C:\ProgramData\dikas\logs\setup-install.log

It states in plain text which step failed — usually an occupied port 80/443.

Is this log missing entirely?

Then the setup could not even start. In that case C:\Program Files\DiKAS\server\setup\nsis-exec.log helps. Send us both files.

The POS Is There, but Nothing Can Be Saved¶

Open the POS via https://, not via http://. Without HTTPS the browser blocks saving — viewing works, booking does not.

Do not try to share this single-station installation on the network for a second register or a separate customer display. For several clients, set up a VM/ISO appliance; troubleshooting for additional Windows stations is under DiKAS Windows Client.

Checking the Services¶

Get-Service DikasNext, DikasArch

Both should report Running. If not:

Start-Service DikasNext
Start-Service DikasArch
Get-WinEvent -LogName Application -Source DikasArch -MaxEvents 20

What Is (Still) Missing on Windows¶


Electronic tax reporting (ERiC)	not yet available on Windows
Signed setup files	Windows shows a SmartScreen warning at start

The TSE and all POS functions are fully available.