Article

Admin Know-IT-All Question #4

Mr. Know-IT-All



KIA round-up
You're not out of the woods yet. Get back in the game and finish the rest of the quiz, cowpoke!

>> Return to the round-up!
>> Send Mr. Know-IT-All a question suggestion!

Were you correct?

"Don't make a grown man cry
My eyes dilate, my lips go green
My hands are greasy
She's a mean, mean machine
Start it up" - The Rolling Stones

Today's Know-IT-All answer is:
c. Add the appropriate registry entry

Learn more:

Many programs set themselves to run at startup, or run something once in Windows 2000. This is not that difficult to do, and simply involves adding a Registry entry.

If you want to add a program that runs at startup for every user in Windows 2000, navigate to the following key:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun
and add a new String value. The name of the key is arbitrary and is simply used for identification, but the value of the string must be the full drive and pathname to the executable or batch file you want to run. If your program includes switches or options, you must pass them like this (note the use of the quotes):
  • "drivepathprogram name" /switch1 /option2
If you want keys in the Run section to execute in a certain order, your best bet is to put them all into a batch file in the order you want them to run in, and then execute the batch file from the key.

If this quiz has left you yearning for a little more information, please check the links below for related articles and tips:

>> Serdar Yegulalp's full article on setting programs to run at startup.

>> Read this tip on streamlining a users' start menu.

>> Learn how to back up your registry with batch files.

Do you have an idea for an admin Know-IT-All question? Let Mr. Know-IT-All know!


Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.
    Back to top