Is there a way to make my costomized application to run 1st on start up??

i run an internet cafe buisness here.. and my costomized app is a billing system..

i tried adding a short cut of my app. in the startup folder in the start menu.. but it is always deleted by my costomers thus i cant tell how much is their bill....

tired puting it on registry here's the parth:[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

i created a DWORD there and put the path of .exe of the billing app im using.. but my costomers find another way on over riding the system... via task manager during start-up....my billing system has a built-in task manager disabler after it is loaded in the OS(XP Home)..my costomer's hands are just too fast in pressing ther ctrl-alt-del combo arrr.. driving me nutsss and mad ...

that's why i want my OS to load my billing app 1st because it has a built-in task manager disabler... please help me..... thanks.

You might want to try a driver-level or service-based solution...

I belive "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" runs alaphetical order so if you put a load of aaaaaa in front of the value name it would run first.

but to be honest your customers would probably find away around it.

I'd be more likly to turn your exe into a service. That way its loaded at system startup.. Even before a customer logs on. (assuming they logon??)

look at turnning the program into a service using sc.exe (comes as part of windows xp/2003/2000 Not NT)

or use srvany.exe for programs that dont like to be truned in to a service.

Thanks

Since it's your own application try replacing explorer.exe as the shell for boot up with your application and afterthe customer does what they need launch explorer.

Or remove the taskmanager all together.

Why not simply disable the task manager with a gpo ?

Edited October 26, 200619 yr by allen2

The OP is running XP HE so there's no GP editor but has to import the corresponding reg policy key.

But, without Task Manager, you can still use tasklist and taskkill in cmd. So I suppose you could disable cmd, and regedit too. You get the drift.

If you were to use reg run keys, the HKCU Run key is not the the first startup run key to execute.

I'd try putting an entry in the HKLM userinit key, as it is the first 'run' key to execute immediately after logon but before the desktop is fully loaded.

There is no way to "secure" a computer if your users have physical access.

Also, if you restrict too much it just gives the users more incentive to get around them. I've done this multiple times with public computers in e.g. libraries, community centers etc. It really isn't that hard to get root access.

Also, XP Home, in an internet cafe?