Automating Application Launch with Task Scheduler

Configure Windows Task Scheduler to launch your application at every Windows startup. It can then return after a scheduled restart or a reboot caused by a crash without waiting for an admin to log in. The screenshots use OmegaManager; use the same steps with your executable.

Use Remote Desktop to connect to the server. Search the Start menu for “Task Scheduler”, open it and configure the tabs below.

Create a Task

Add a task with a name you can recognize. On the General tab, choose Run whether user is logged on or not and enable Run with highest privileges, as shown below.

Task Scheduler General tab with the task named OMEGA, “Run whether user is logged on or not” selected, and “Run with highest privileges” ticked Main Settings.

Create a Trigger

Add a trigger on the Triggers tab. Set Begin the task to At startup and keep Enabled selected. The trigger runs after any Windows reboot, including a reboot caused by a crash.

Edit Trigger dialog with “Begin the task” set to At startup and the Enabled checkbox ticked Trigger Settings.

Create an Action

Add Start a program on the Actions tab. Set Program/script to the .bat (batch) file you will create in the next step.

Edit Action dialog set to “Start a program” with the Program/script field pointing to Task.bat in the server folder Action Settings.

Batch File

Create the batch file named in the action, such as Task.bat. Add the commands below, replacing the folder path and executable name with those for your application:

@echo off
start /d "C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\Server" OmegaManager.exe

Task.bat open in Notepad showing the @echo off and start commands, next to OmegaManager.exe in the same server folder Batch File.

Configure Conditions

Clear the idle, power and network start conditions on the Conditions tab so they cannot prevent the launch. Keep Wake the computer to run this task selected:

Conditions tab with the idle, power, and network start conditions cleared and “Wake the computer to run this task” ticked Conditions.

Apply Settings

On the Settings tab, select Allow task to be run on demand and If the running task does not end when requested, force it to stop. Choose Do not start a new instance for an already-running task to prevent a second copy. Save with OK.

Settings tab with “Allow task to be run on demand” ticked and the already-running rule set to “Do not start a new instance” Settings.

The task now launches the application on each Windows startup without admin input. Test it before rebooting: right-click the task and select Run.

Windows may hide console output for an application launched this way. We have not confirmed a reliable workaround using custom arguments, so this guide does not recommend one.