You could try what ib_console does:

Here is :

function IsIBRunning(): boolean;
begin
if GetWindow(GetDesktopWindow,GW_HWNDNEXT)= FindWindow('IB_Server',
'InterBase Server') then
result := false
else
result := true;
end;


function StartGuardian(): boolean;
var
lRegistry: TRegistry;
lEXEName: string;
lArray: array[0..255] of char;
begin
result := false;
lRegistry := TRegistry.Create;
try
Screen.Cursor := crHourglass;
lRegistry.RootKey := HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE;
if not
lRegistry.OpenKey('Software\Borland\InterBase\CurrentVersion',False) then
ShowMessage('InterBase server is not installed on your computer.')
else
lEXEName := Format('%s%s
',[lRegistry.ReadString('ServerDirectory'),'ibguard.exe']);
finally
if WinExec(StrPCopy(lArray,lEXEName),1) > 31 then
result := true;
lRegistry.Free;
Screen.Cursor := crDefault;
end;
end;

Luiz.

----- Original Message -----
From: <gerbreown@...>
To: <IBObjects@egroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000 5:57 PM
Subject: [IBO] Check if IB server is running


> Jason,
>
> Is there an IBO component that I can use from within my Delphi
> application to see if the local IB server is currently running? If it
> is not running then I want to start it before my application tries to
> access any databases. I then want shut it down, if I started it, just
> before my applicition quits. If it was running when my application
> started then I would leave it run at appliction quit time.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Gerald S. Brown
>
>
>
>
>