Installation Guide

📄 settings.ini

ExamPad+ stores its configuration in a settings.ini file located in the shared ProgramData directory. This file is created automatically on first launch and can be replaced to tailor installs.

Because this path is under ProgramData, the configuration is shared across all user accounts on the machine — ideal for managed deployments where student accounts have limited permissions.

A typical settings.ini file looks like this:

; ; ============================================================
; ExamPad+ - IT Admin Configuration File
; ============================================================

[mode]
mode = exam          ; exam | classroom | exam_officer

[candidate]
default_candidate_name = 
default_candidate_number = 

[institution]
name = 
centre_number = 

[compliance]
jcq_compliance = true
word_count_enabled = true
spellcheck_default = true
grammarcheck_default = true
autocorrect_default = true
thesaurus_default = true
find_replace_enabled = true
show_compliance_reminder = false

[exam_overrides]
; All features below are forced OFF in Exam Mode unless explicitly enabled here.
; Use this section to grant access arrangements to candidates on this machine.
exam_spellcheck = false
exam_grammar = false
exam_autocorrect = false
exam_thesaurus = false
exam_find_replace = false
exam_tts = false
exam_overlays = false
exam_dyslexia_fonts = true
exam_font_size = true
exam_line_spacing = false
exam_high_contrast = false

[access_arrangements]
dyslexia_fonts_enabled = true
overlays_enabled = true
font_size_adjustment_enabled = true
allow_large_font = true
line_spacing_enabled = true
high_contrast_enabled = true
reader_toolbar_enabled = true

[defaults]
default_font = Arial
default_font_size = 14
default_line_spacing = 1.5
default_overlay = none
default_margin = normal
default_portrait_mode = true
lock_page_layout = false

[fonts]
available_fonts = Arial, Calibri, Century Gothic, Comic Sans MS, Courier New, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, Verdana
font_size_min = 12
font_size_max = 72
font_size_step = 2

[overlays]
overlay_colours = Yellow:#FFF9C4, Blue:#BBDEFB, Green:#C8E6C9, Pink:#F8BBD0, Orange:#FFE0B2, Lavender:#E1BEE7, Cream:#FFF8E1, Aqua:#B2EBF2, Grey:#F5F5F5
overlay_opacity = 0.35

[tts]
tts_voice = 
tts_rate = 0
tts_volume = 100

[autosave]
autosave_enabled = true
autosave_main_interval = 120
autosave_recovery_interval = 30
autosave_notify = true
autosave_retention_days = 1

[print]
print_enabled = true
force_print_header = true
allow_landscape = false

[features]
insert_images_enabled = false
insert_symbols_enabled = true
insert_tables_enabled = true
insert_page_break_enabled = true
lists_enabled = true
text_colour_enabled = true
strikethrough_enabled = true
highlight_enabled = true
show_recent_files = true

[licence]
licence_key = 

[security]
lock_accessibility_settings = false
admin_passcode = ExamPad+
disable_context_menu = true
always_on_top = true
start_fullscreen = true

[logging]
activity_logging = true
show_session_timer = false

You can pre-create this file via your deployment tool (PDQ, Intune, Group Policy, etc.) so settings are in place before the application first launches.

🔑 Admin Password

The default administrator password for ExamPad+ is: ExamPad+

To change it, update the AdminPassword line in settings.ini on each managed machine, or include your preferred password in a pre-staged config file as part of your deployment.

Step 1 — Prepare your files

Create a deployment folder on your PDQ server (e.g. \\server\PDQ\ExamPadPlus\) containing:

• The extracted ExamPad+ installer .MSI
• A pre-configured settings.ini file

Step 2 — Create a new Package

1. Open PDQ Deploy and click New Package.
2. Name it ExamPad+ v1.0 and click Add Step → Install.

Step 3 — Add a File Copy step

1. Click Add Step → File Copy.
2. Set Source to your settings.ini in the deployment folder.
3. Set Destination to:

C:\ProgramData\ExamPadPlus\settings.ini

Step 4 — Configure the Install step

1. Select your Install step and set Install File to the ExamPad+ installer .MSI
2. No Parameters are required, PDQ will add these. The Command line should look like:

msiexec.exe /i "ExamPad+.msi" ALLUSERS=1 /qn /norestart /log output.log

Step 5 — Deploy

1. Click Save then Deploy Once.
2. Select your target computers or an Active Directory group.
3. Click Deploy Now. PDQ will report success or failure per machine.

Step 1 — Prepare your files

Create a deployment folder on your PDQ server (e.g. \\server\PDQ\ExamPadPlus\) containing:

• The extracted ExamPad+ installer .MSI
• A pre-configured settings.ini file

Step 2 — Create Powershell Script

Create a Powershell script called install.ps1 and place it deployment folder on your PDQ server (above)

Copy the script below

# ----------------------------
# CONFIG
# ----------------------------

$msiPath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "ExamPad+.msi"
$settingsSource = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "settings.ini"

$installFolder = "C:\ProgramData\ExamPadPlus"
$settingsDestination = Join-Path $installFolder "settings.ini"

# ----------------------------
# CREATE INSTALL DIRECTORY
# ----------------------------

if (!(Test-Path $installFolder)) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $installFolder -Force | Out-Null
}

# ----------------------------
# COPY SETTINGS FILE FIRST
# ----------------------------

if (Test-Path $settingsSource) {
    Copy-Item -Path $settingsSource -Destination $settingsDestination -Force
    Write-Output "Settings file copied successfully."
}
else {
    Write-Error "Settings file not found at $settingsSource"
    exit 1
}

# ----------------------------
# INSTALL MSI
# ----------------------------

$process = Start-Process "msiexec.exe" `
    -ArgumentList "/i `"$msiPath`" /qn /norestart" `
    -Wait `
    -PassThru `
    -NoNewWindow

# ----------------------------
# CHECK EXIT CODE
# ----------------------------

if ($process.ExitCode -eq 0) {
    Write-Output "MSI installed successfully."
    exit 0
}
else {
    Write-Error "MSI installation failed with exit code $($process.ExitCode)"
    exit $process.ExitCode
}

Step 3 — Create a new Package

1. Open PDQ Deploy and click New Package.
2. Name it ExamPad+ v1.0 and click Add Step → Install.

Step 4 — Configure the Install step

1. Select your Install step and set Install File to the Install.ps1 you have created
2. Under, Aditional Files check Include Entire Directory ✅
3. Set Run As to Deploy User (logged on as local system).

Step 5 — Deploy

1. Click Save then Deploy Once.
2. Select your target computers or an Active Directory group.
3. Click Deploy Now. PDQ will report success or failure per machine.

Step 1 — Prepare the source folder

Create a source folder (e.g. C:\IntunePackaging\ExamPadPlus\) containing:

• The ExamPad+ installer executable
• A pre-configured settings.ini file
• An install.ps1 wrapper script (see below)

Create install.ps1 with the following contents:

# ----------------------------
# GET SCRIPT DIRECTORY
# ----------------------------

$scriptDirectory = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Definition

$msiPath = Join-Path $scriptDirectory "ExamPadPlus.msi"
$settingsSource = Join-Path $scriptDirectory "settings.ini"

$installFolder = "C:\ProgramData\ExamPadPlus"
$settingsDestination = Join-Path $installFolder "settings.ini"

# ----------------------------
# CREATE INSTALL DIRECTORY
# ----------------------------

if (!(Test-Path $installFolder)) {
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $installFolder -Force | Out-Null
}

# ----------------------------
# COPY SETTINGS FILE FIRST
# ----------------------------

if (Test-Path $settingsSource) {
    Copy-Item -Path $settingsSource -Destination $settingsDestination -Force
}
else {
    Write-Error "Settings file not found."
    exit 1
}

# ----------------------------
# INSTALL MSI
# ----------------------------

$process = Start-Process "msiexec.exe" `
    -ArgumentList "/i `"$msiPath`" /qn /norestart" `
    -Wait `
    -PassThru

# ----------------------------
# RETURN PROPER EXIT CODE
# ----------------------------

exit $process.ExitCode		  

Step 2 — Package with IntuneWinAppUtil

Download the Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool (IntuneWinAppUtil.exe) from the Microsoft GitHub repository, then run:

IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "C:\IntunePackaging\ExamPad+" -s install.ps1 -o "C:\IntuneOutput"

This produces install.intunewin in your output folder.

Step 3 — Add the app in Intune

1. In the Microsoft Intune admin centre, go to Apps → Windows → Add.
2. Select App type: Windows app (Win32) and click Select.
3. Upload your install.intunewin file.
4. Fill in the app details

Name: ExamPad+

Publisher: ExamPad+

Description Install ExamPad+ and custom settings.ini file

Version: 1.0.4 (Or Current Release Number).

Step 4 — Program settings

On the Program tab, set the following:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -File install.ps1

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command "Get-Package -Name 'ExamPad+' | Uninstall-Package -Force"

Set Install behaviour to System and Device restart behaviour to No specific action.

Step 5 — Detection rule

On the Detection rules tab, add a rule to confirm successful installation:

Rule type:  Registry
Key Path:   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ExamPad+
Value Name: Version
Detection:  Version Comparison
Operator: Greater Than or Equal To
Value: 1.0.4 (Whatever the current release is)

Step 6 — Assign and deploy

1. On the Assignments tab, assign the app to the relevant device group (e.g. All Exam Devices).
2. Set the assignment type to Required for automatic installation.
3. Click Review + create then Create.
4. Intune will deploy the app to target devices at the next check-in (typically within 1–2 hours, or trigger manually via Sync in the Company Portal).

💻 Manual Update

Simply download the latest ExamPad+ MSI from the Downloads tab in your Dashboard and run it on the target machine. The installer will automatically update the existing installation — no uninstall is required.

📦 PDQ Deploy (Premium & Free)

The update process is the same for both PDQ versions. In your deployment folder on the PDQ server (e.g. \\server\PDQ\ExamPadPlus\), replace the existing ExamPad+.msi with the latest version, then redeploy the package to your target machines.

☁️ Microsoft Intune

1. Place the latest ExamPad+ MSI into your source folder (e.g. C:\IntunePackaging\ExamPadPlus\), replacing the previous MSI.
2. Repackage using IntuneWinAppUtil to generate a new install.intunewin file.
3. In the Microsoft Intune admin centre, go to Apps → Windows → ExamPad+ and click Edit.
4. On the App information tab, upload your new install.intunewin file and update the version number to match the current release.
5. On the Detection rules tab, update the registry version value to match the current release — for example 1.0.5.
6. Click Review + save. Intune will push the update to assigned devices at their next check-in.

Rule type:  Registry
Key Path:   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ExamPad+
Value Name: Version
Detection:  Version Comparison
Operator:   Greater Than or Equal To
Value:      1.0.5 (update to match the current release)

Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer

ExamPad+ is currently pending extended validation (EV) code signing. Users or admins can bypass SmartScreen by clicking More info → Run anyway. For managed deployments via PDQ or Intune, SmartScreen does not apply as the install runs under the system account.

settings.ini not being read

Ensure the file is saved to exactly C:\ProgramData\ExamPadPlus\settings.ini — the folder name and filename are case-sensitive on some configurations. Verify the file is present before launching the application.

Licence key not accepted

Your licence key is shown on the Overview tab of your school's Dashboard. Ensure there are no extra spaces when copying it. Each key is tied to a single school account — contact support if you believe your key has been revoked.

Intune deployment stuck as "Pending"

Check that the target device is enrolled in Intune and has synced recently. You can force a sync by opening the Company Portal app on the device and clicking Sync. Review deployment logs at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\IntuneManagementExtension\Logs\.