Installing and first run

Install RKCoders POS on a Windows till and get through the one-time setup wizard.

RKCoders POS installs like any other Windows program and keeps everything on the machine you install it on. There is no server to set up and no account to create.

Before you start

You need Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit, with about 250 MB of free disk space plus room for your own data. A 4 GB machine is enough; go to 8 GB if you expect a large catalogue.

64-bit Windows 7 uses a separate installer, named RKCoders POS-Setup-1.0.24-win7.exe on the download page. The Windows 10 and 11 setup will not start on Windows 7. On that Windows 7 build the app does not update itself: download a newer Windows 7 setup and install it over the old one. Your database stays in your Windows user profile. OneDrive backup is not available, because Microsoft no longer provides the OneDrive app for Windows 7. Copy a backup to a USB disk instead. The sign-in and search fields do not control the Windows touch keyboard. If the Start menu shortcut shows Unspecified error, run this Windows 7 setup again and install it over the current copy.

If you have a receipt printer or a barcode scanner, plug them in and let Windows install its drivers before you run the setup wizard. That way you can test printing straight away.

If a second monitor will face the queue, attach it in Windows and extend the desktop (do not duplicate). You turn the customer-facing display on later in Settings → Customer display. See Customer-facing display.

Running the installer

Download the installer and double-click it. It installs for the current Windows user, so you do not usually need an administrator password.

Because the build is not code-signed yet, Windows SmartScreen may show a blue panel saying Windows protected your PC. Click More info, then Run anyway. If you want to be certain the file is genuine first, check its SHA-256 against the value published for that release.

The installer lets you change the install folder, and it creates a desktop shortcut and a Start menu entry named RKCoders POS.

The setup wizard

The first time the app opens it runs a one-time wizard. It only ever appears once per installation.

Demo data or an empty store

The wizard’s first real question is how the store should start:

Demo data fills the catalogue with sample products, categories and images so you can practise on a realistic till. Use this if you are evaluating the app.
Empty store gives you a clean database with nothing in it. Use this if you are setting up for real.

You cannot switch between them later without starting over, so if you are unsure, install demo data now and do a fresh install when you are ready to go live.

Store name, email, and administrator PIN

Next you enter the store name, the store email, the inventory opening date, and the administrator PIN. Both the name and the email start empty, and setup will not continue until each one is filled in. The email must look like a real address. The opening date is the day opening stock is recorded against. The store name and email appear on receipts, and the same name and email are sent with the licence request so the desk knows which shop asked. You can change them later in Settings.

The PIN is what you will type to sign in, so choose something you will remember but a customer watching over your shoulder will not guess. You can change it later, and you can add more users with their own PINs once you are in.

Country, VAT and national address

Then you choose Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, enter the seller VAT / TRN, store phone, and the national address used on e-invoices (ZATCA fields for Saudi Arabia, or Bahrain e-invoice building / road / block / area / city). Setup creates VAT 15% and 0% for Saudi Arabia, or VAT 10% and 0% for Bahrain. A later update does not change tax rates already stored on this till. You can change the company details later in Settings → Company, including the store email.

Finishing

Click through to the end and the app restarts into the sign-in screen. Setup is done.

Where your data lives

Everything is kept in a single SQLite database file inside your Windows user profile, under AppData. Nothing is sent anywhere. Copying that file is a complete backup, and Settings → Database has Backup database for that .db file. Export Excel writes every table into a spreadsheet you can open without the till; restore from the .db copy, not from Excel.

The installer and the uninstaller both leave the database alone, so upgrading or even removing the app will not lose your sales.

When a new version is published, the till shows a notice. Open About & License on the home screen to see the version you are running, then click Update only after you have finished any open sale. The app closes itself to install; it never restarts on its own.

Android

The same shop also runs on Android as its own app, com.rkcoders.rkpos, on the same version as this Windows till. A tablet opens in landscape with the side-by-side till. A phone opens in portrait with a compact product grid, a cart bar, and a sale receipt. On a phone or a tablet, the camera button opens the device camera and reads the barcode into the sale. After the bill is paid, Save & print opens the Android print dialog, and Download PDF shares the receipt so it can be saved. The keypad till stays on the tablet. The device keeps one SQLite database. Sales and stock recorded there stay on that device. Each document and stock move stores the device id so a later import onto a Windows till has an origin. Choosing an image can take a photo with the camera or pick one from the gallery. Licence requests still go to the same ops desk.

The download page on this site serves the Windows installer. The Android file for the same version is RKCoders-POS-1.0.26.apk on pos.rkcoders.com/releases. latest-android.json in that folder names the current package. Older APKs stay there. The download button appears after that file is on the host and its SHA-256 is recorded. The till does not download the new package by itself. Install the newer APK over the one already on the device.

The first launch is the same setup wizard. A USB or Bluetooth scanner that types into the focused field works the same way. The camera button on the till reads a barcode. Receipts open the Android print dialog. For 58 mm and 80 mm paper, save the paired printer’s Bluetooth address in the btPrinter setting so the till can also send ESC/POS bytes, including a cash-drawer kick. A4 uses the system print dialog or a shared file. Settings backup writes a file you can copy off the tablet. OneDrive backup is part of the Windows app.

When a second screen is attached, turn it on under Settings → Customer display. A live scale or customer pole can connect over Bluetooth or TCP. Serial COM ports are part of the Windows till. About shows the version you are running. A newer APK is installed by hand.