Get the installer
From magicinfoservices.com/magicinfo-software — item "MagicINFO v9 server". Current version at time of writing: V9 21.1092.3. No account needed; the download is free.
Express install, screen by screen
Right-click the installer → Run as administrator. Choose Express when asked — it auto-configures everything, including the web port 7001. (Advanced is only for splitting the server across multiple machines.)
An advisory about using HTTP instead of HTTPS. For a LAN-only install, HTTP is the normal choice.
Leave the install path as it is. If this screen also lists an optional Remote Logger checkbox, untick it before clicking Next.
Select Express Install, set the database to PostgreSQL, and choose HTTP (one of HTTP/HTTPS must be selected — there is no "neither").
This screen shows the generated administrator accounts and passwords. There is no Save button in the Express install — copy every line into the site notes next to the PostgreSQL password, or photograph the screen.
Scroll the box. It is cut off mid-way through DB Information; the Server Administrator Information you actually need is below the fold and easy to miss.
This screen is your only record — newer versions no longer create the old MISInformation.txt file. Once you click Next, it is gone.
Open the web console
The server starts in the background after install. Go to:
http://localhost:7001/MagicInfoThe trailing MagicInfo is case-sensitive — capital M, capital I. From another machine on the network use http://<server-ip>:7001/MagicInfo.
Use the administrator account from the "Installation information" screen you saved. On older servers where that file was lost, try the legacy defaults admin / admin2016! (some builds use admin2016 without the exclamation mark). Change the password when prompted — and change the organization administrator's password too, not just admin.
Click the gear (Setting) → License Management. The 25 free Lite licenses should be listed. A sparse-looking console before licensing is normal — most menus stay hidden until a license is active, it is not a failed install.
Firewall + the server's IP
Screens reach the server on TCP port 7001. Windows 11's firewall blocks it by default — this is the #1 reason a screen "can't find the server".
Open Command Prompt, run ipconfig, read IPv4 Address under the active adapter (e.g. 192.168.1.50). This is what you'll type into the screens in Part 3.
Start → type wf.msc → Inbound Rules → New Rule… → Port → TCP, specific port 7001 → Allow the connection → tick Domain + Private (+ Public if unsure of the network profile) → name it MagicINFO Server 7001 → Finish. Or as a one-liner in an elevated Command Prompt:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="MagicINFO 7001" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=7001The four sections you'll actually use
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Content | The media library — upload images and videos here. |
| Playlist | Ordered sets of content items. |
| Schedule | When and where playlists run; publishing sends them to screens. |
| Device | The screens — grouped, with an Unapproved tab for new arrivals. |
Device → Unapproved → select the screen → Approve → set name, group, location → OK. Approval consumes one player license — which pool depends on the player version the screen reports (shown as badges next to the device name). (Full walkthrough with the screen side in Part 3.)
Content → New → Upload Content → Add Content → Start Upload → Close.
Playlist → New Playlist → pick the player type, type General → drag items from the left pane to the right → Save and name it.
Schedule → New Schedule → Content → player type, type General → Content → Playlist → drag the playlist onto the agenda → click the item and set playdate never expire, playback time 24 hours → Save → name it, choose the devices under Publish to → Save and Publish.
Published content downloads to the screen's internal storage, then plays — typically within about ten minutes, though large videos over a slow link take longer. It keeps playing even if this PC is later switched off. The server only needs to be on to publish changes and to monitor.