Start-up program

[Dave Angel]

Virgil Stokes wrote:
> <div class="moz-text-flowed" style="font-family: -moz-fixed">How 
> difficult is to create a program that will be executed when Windows 
> Vista is started? As Windows Calendar does, for example.
>
> I am actually more interested in the Python tools that might be used 
> for this task. I hope that this question is not inappropriate for the 
> list. :-\
>
> --V
>
>
> </div>
>
The three responses I've seen probably aren't what you're asking.

You have to make a distinction between when Windows starts, and when a 
user logs in.  If you're interested in the point when the user logs in, 
all you need to do is make a shortcut for the script, no special 
executable is needed.  Just put the shortcut in the Startup folder.

But if you're really interested in the point when Windows starts, you 
have three options.  Most painful is making a service.  But that's 
unnecessary.

Second way involves the system policy:  
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft|Windows\System\Scripts\
     but anything started that way has a 10 minute time limit before 
it's automatically killed.

Third, and easiest way is  the task scheduler:
   Start Menu/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/ScheduledTasks

Add your program in with the scheduled task wizard.  There are various 
scheduling choices, and one of them is called something like "boot".   
Again, you needn't make a separate EXE file, since Python.exe is already 
a perfectly valid one.

It's likely that Vista has some security oddities, and I don't have any 
pointers for that.

But even in XP, one thing you might need to do is "Fast Logon 
Optimization".  It's enabled by default, but if somebody has turned it 
off, then logon might be blocked till your special script finishes.

DaveA