ISSUE: Error message displays and receipt printers, cash drawers or credit card terminals are unresponsive.

SOLUTION: Restart NCR Counterpoint Device Services.

If you are working with NCR Counterpoint and encounter the error "Failure in Device Services Startup: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel," you are likely finding that your hardware like receipt printers, cash drawers, or credit card terminals are suddenly unresponsive. While the error message sounds complex and technical, the fix is usually very straightforward. This guide will walk you through resolving the issue in just a few minutes.

Understanding the Error:

When you launch NCR Counterpoint, it attempts to communicate with a background application called NCR Counterpoint Device Services. This service acts as the bridge between the software and your physical hardware. If this service is stopped, disabled, or fails to initialize, Counterpoint cannot "talk" to your devices, resulting in the error shown above.

The Fix: Restarting the NCR Counterpoint Device Service

In most cases, the solution is simply to ensure the local Windows service is running.

Follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Services

• Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the "Run" dialog box.

• Type services.msc into the box and press Enter.

• This will open the Services management window, which lists all the background processes running on your computer.

2. Locate the Device Service

• Click anywhere in the list of services and press the "N" key to jump down to the services starting with that letter.

• Look for a service named NCR Counterpoint Device Services.

3. Verify and Start the Service

• Check the Status column. If it is blank or says "Stopped," the service is not running.

• Right-click on "NCR Counterpoint Device Services" and select Start (or Restart if it was already showing as running but you are still seeing the error).

4. Set Startup Type to "Automatic"

To prevent this error from happening every time you reboot your computer:

• Right-click the service and select Properties.

• Under the General tab, find the Startup type dropdown menu.

• Select Automatic.

• Click Apply and then OK.

Testing the Solution

Once the service shows a status of "Running," close NCR Counterpoint and relaunch it.

Troubleshooting Tips:

• Permissions: If the service fails to start, ensure you are logged into Windows with Administrative privileges.

• Firewall/Antivirus: Occasionally, security software can block the "SSL/TLS secure channel" mentioned in the error. If restarting the service doesn't work, ensure your local firewall isn't blocking the ports used by NCR Device Services (typically port 8443).

• Certificate Issues: If the service is running but the error persists, it may be a local certificate trust issue, which may require a reinstall of the Device Services component.

By following these steps, you can minimize downtime and get your point-of-sale hardware back online quickly.