How to auto start a bat file after re-booting without using a service

[mmcc]

Hi,

I am trying to have a license server program start up automatically after a system reboot on a computer running Windows 2003 Server.

The provider of the license in question is a third party reseller who provided software including a program to create a service to start the license program. I followed the instructions and the service got created but it does not (can not) start. It results in a 1053 error when attempted.
This seems to be a dead end.

I want the startup to be automatic and not dependent on a user (or administrator) logging in. How do I accomplish this?

What I had tried (trying to follow instructions provided concerning an alternative to using a service) was to put a .bat file in c:\program and settings\administrator\start menu\program\startup. To me, this implies that one had to log in as administrator for the program to be executed (I don't know whether I am correct in this assumption). HOWEVER, somewhere along the way, I saw that the System Configuration Utility (msconfig) had an entry checked with the path to the executable that I had given above. In the bat file it had the full path to the executable that I had intended to have executed by the OS on system startup. (By the way, in the .bat file, are double quotes needed around program files?).

The server was rebooted yesterday and the license program was not running. Was this method flawed or on the right track? By the way, how can one remove the entry that msconfig has under Startup? I didn't see it in the registry.

In summary, the license program .exe can be started up manually AFTER a reboot after an administrator logs in and this works but after a re-boot, I can't seem to have it automatically start up without first logging in.

Unfortunately, I can't reboot the server at will because of the many users on it.

Thanks for any help/insights...

 

[eritguy]

Task Scheduler? You can set admin credentials to login and start for you.

 

[mrdenny]

I assume that you used srvany to configure the service? Can you post the instructions that they provided?

Denny
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[Lemon13]

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;886695&x=12&y=9

M. Knorr

MCSE, MCTS, MCSA, CCNA

 

[mmcc]

Thank you all 3 for responding to my question.

What I found most helpful was the task scheduler suggestion. It actually worked! I tested it on a backup Server 2003. The primary one that is actually running with the valid license, I will check after the next Microsoft automatic boot after installing updates. I have every expectation that it will work as well. Thanks again to eritguy!

mrdenny: I did not use srvany but thanks for mentioning it. I would take a look at it if I had to configure a service. As I said in my question description, I had used what the license supplier had included in their software i.e. an executable which had the purpose of creating a service. It DID create the service, but the service could not start up. So much for that course.

lemon13: the Microsoft web page that you directed me to referred to 3 Microsoft services that COULD be affected by that type of error. It later gave a caveat about the hotfix that they mentioned applies to (perhaps) only the services that Microsoft mentioned (it didn't seem to apply universally to all services). Using a hotfix unless absolutely necessary was not what I wanted to do.

Again, thanks to all of you for taking the time to answer.

-mmcc