Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.customize (
More info?)
Curt,
No such place as
C:\windows\start menu\programs\startup
(windows 95 or 98 maybe?)
It is either
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
or
%homepath%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
which is the same as
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Win.ini
C:\windows\win.ini
I addressed this:
6) WIN.INI [Windows] Load
7) WIN.INI [Windows] Run
If the following list isn't long enough for you...
Download and install Autoruns.
Select Include Empty Locations in the Options menu to see all the locations.
Sysinternals Freeware - Autoruns
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html
Here is my longer version, which is not all inclusive either...
Execution Order for starting programs
From various sources.
Before Logon
RunServicesOnce
1) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
RunServicesOnce
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
RunServicesOnce
RunServices
2) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
<Logon Prompt>
RunOnce Local Machine Key
[[With the exception of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\RunOnce key, all keys and
their entries are loaded asynchronously. Therefore, all entries in the
RunServices and RunServicesOnce keys can potentially run at the same time.
Entries in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\RunOnce key are loaded synchronously
in an undefined order.
Because the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\RunOnce key is
loaded synchronously, all of its entries must finish loading before the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\...\Run, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\...\Run,
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\...\RunOnce, and Startup Folder entries can be loaded.
Because of different system configurations (such as a computer that is
configured to automatically log on), any application that is dependant upon
other applications that are executed under these keys having completed must
be prepared to wait until these applications are complete.]]
[[The RunOnce keys are ignored under Windows 2000 and Windows XP in Safe
Mode.]]
3) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
RunOnce\Setup
4) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
5) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx
6) WIN.INI [Windows] Load
7) WIN.INI [Windows] Run
Run keys. By default these keys are not executed in Safe mode. If you
prefix a value in these keys with an asterisk, *, it will run in Safe Mode.
8) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
9) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
All Users Startup Folder
10) C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
User Profile Startup Folder
11) C:\Documents and Settings\Your user name\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
RunOnce Current User Key
[[The RunOnce keys are ignored under Windows 2000 and Windows XP in Safe
Mode.]]
12) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Explorer Run
From Group Policy
Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative
Templates\System\Logon\
Run these programs at user logon
[[Note: This setting appears in the Computer Configuration and User
Configuration folders. If both settings are configured, the system starts
the programs specified in the Computer Configuration setting just before it
starts the programs specified in the User Configuration setting.]]
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer\Run
From Group Policy
Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative
Templates\System\Logon\
Run these programs at user logon
[[Note: This setting appears in the Computer Configuration and User
Configuration folders. If both settings are configured, the system starts
the programs specified in the Computer Configuration setting just before it
starts the programs specified in the User Configuration setting.]]
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer\Run
UserInit Key This key specifies what program should be launched right after
a user logs into Windows. The default program for this key is
C:\windows\system32\userinit.exe. Userinit.exe is a program that restores
your profile, fonts, colors, etc for your username.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Userinit
Load Key - This key is not commonly used anymore, but can be used to auto
start programs.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\load
Notify - This key is used to add a program that will run when a particular
event occurs. Events include logon, logoff, startup, shutdown,
startscreensaver, and stopscreensaver. When Winlogon.exe generates an event
such as the ones listed, Windows will look in the Notify registry key for a
DLL that will handle this event.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify
Also Load, Run & Shell
AppInit_DLLs - This value corresponds to files being loaded through the
AppInit_DLLs Registry value.
The AppInit_DLLs registry value contains a list of dlls that will be loaded
when user32.dll is loaded. As most Windows executables use the user32.dll,
that means that any DLL that is listed in the AppInit_DLLs registry key will
be loaded also. This makes it very difficult to remove the DLL as it will be
loaded within multiple processes, some of which can not be stopped without
causing system instability. The user32.dll file is also used by processes
that are automatically started by the system when you log on. This means
that the files loaded in the AppInit_DLLs value will be loaded very early in
the Windows startup routine allowing the DLL to hide itself or protect
itself before we have access to the system.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad This Registry contains values in a similar way
as the Run key does. The difference is that instead of pointing to the file
itself, it points to the CLSID's InProcServer, which contains the
information about the particular DLL file that is being used.
The files under this key are loaded automatically by Explorer.exe when your
computer starts. Because Explorer.exe is the shell for your computer, it
will always start, thus always loading the files under this key. These files
are therefore loaded early in the startup process before any human
intervention occurs.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
ShellServiceObjectDelayLoad
13) SharedTaskScheduler
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
SharedTaskScheduler
[[Startups in groups 6 to 11 all run at the same time (more or less).
However, the groups themselves are triggered in the order shown above. In
other words, the next group can begin launching while the previous group is
still loading its startups. Due to timing issues it is impossible to say
what order these items will finish loading, thus it is impossible to
predict the exact order of execution for individual startups. For instance,
you may notice two or more system tray icons changing position with each
boot - even when no changes have been made to the order.]]
[[The order of items within a group is not necessarily the final order, as
some programs take longer than others to load, and synchronous groups can
overlap each other.]]
Items in 10 and 11 execute alphanumerically. You can change the order in 10
and 11 by moving the items from 11 to 10. Also, you can rename the
shortcuts in 10 and/or 11.
For example; dfg.exe, fgh.exe and ghj.exe would start in that order. To
change the order rename to aghj.exe,bdfg.exe and cfgh.exe. They would then
start in that order.
The following are files that programs can autostart from on bootup:
1. c:\autoexec.bat
2. c:\config.sys
3 . windir\wininit.ini - Usually used by setup programs to have a file run
once and then get deleted.
4. windir\winstart.bat
5. windir\win.ini - [windows] "load"
6. windir\win.ini - [windows] "run"
7. windir\system.ini - [boot] "shell"
8 . windir\system.ini - [boot] "scrnsave.exe"
9. windir\dosstart.bat - Used in Win95 or 98 when you select the "Restart in
MS-DOS mode" in the shutdown menu.
10. windir\system\autoexec.nt
11. windir\system\config.nt
========================
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\state
bootini
services
startup
system.ini
win.ini
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\win.ini
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\system.ini\boot
Shell
REG_SZ
SYS:Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\win.ini
Winlogon
REG_SZ
SYS:Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\win.ini\Windows
AppInit_DLLs
REG_SZ
SYS:Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In news:7A52AA40-D21E-458B-807E-774ABAF17AB9@microsoft.com,
CurtB <CurtB@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> Wesley, that is some useful information I copied and saved for future
> reference. I realize your list was not meant to be all-inclusive and
> neither is mine, but here are a few other places I found. This brings
> the total number of places where program start up can occur to 23 and
> counting. Curt
>
> All Users Startup Folder
> C:\windows\start menu\programs\startup
> C:\WINNT\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
>
> Registry Local Machine RunOnceEx
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx
>
> Registry Current User RunServices
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
>
> Registry Local Machine Policies\Explorer\Run
>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explor
er\Run
>
> Registry Current User Policies\Explorer\Run
>
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explore
r\Run
>
> UserInitKey
>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\User
init
>
> Load Key
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows
> NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\load
>
> Win.ini
> C:\windows\win.ini
>
> System.ini
> C:\windows\system.ini
>
> "Wesley Vogel" wrote:
>
>> Depends on where the programs start from.
>>
>> Execution Order for starting programs
>>
>> With Windows XP, There are 13+ places that programs can start from and
>> they are executed in the following order:
>>
>> Before Logon
>> 1)
>>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce
>> 2)
>> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices
>>
>> After Logon
>> 3)
>>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\Setup
>> 4) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
>> 5)
>> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx
>> 6) WIN.INI [Windows] Load 7) WIN.INI [Windows] Run
>> 8) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
>> 9) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
>> 10) C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
>> 11) C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
>> 12) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
>> 13) As a Scheduled Task set to run at startup.
>>
>> [[Startups in groups 6 to 11 all run at the same time (more or less).
>> However, the groups themselves are triggered in the order shown above. In
>> other words, the next group can begin launching while the previous group
>> is still loading its startups. Due to timing issues it is impossible to
>> say what order these items will finish loading, thus it is impossible to
>> predict the exact order of execution for individual startups. For
>> instance, you may notice two or more system tray icons changing position
>> with each boot - even when no changes have been made to the order.]]
>>
>> [[The order of items within a group is not necessarily the final order,
>> as some programs take longer than others to load, and synchronous groups
>> can overlap each other.]]
>>
>> Items in 10 and 11 execute alphanumerically. You can change the order
>> in 10 and 11 by moving the items from 11 to 10. Also, you can rename the
>> shortcuts in 10 and/or 11.
>>
>> For example; dfg.exe, fgh.exe and ghj.exe would start in that order. To
>> change the order rename to aghj.exe, bdfg.exe and cfgh.exe. They would
>> then start in that order. Or 1fgh.exe, 2ghj.exe and 3dfg.exe, et cetera.
>>
>> --
>> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>>
>> Wes
>> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>>
>> In news:C5514801-568A-42FF-A9C4-0CA80981D50D@microsoft.com,
>> Liam <Liam@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
>>> Is there any way of making my norton firwall to startup before
>>> everything else? Basicly modify the startup sequence?
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Liam
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