How to Run Programs Automatically When a User Logs On

This article describes how to use group policies in Windows 2000 to configure a program to run automatically when a user logs on.

You can apply a policy to an individual user or to a computer, and you can use any valid program (custom, third-party, or Windows 2000 programs such as Microsoft Internet Explorer). For example, use the appropriate method to configure Notepad.exe to run when a user logs on:

• To configure Notepad to run when any user logs on to a specific computer:
  1. Edit the following group policy:
     Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Run These Programs at User Logon
  2. Type the full path name of the program. In this example, type the following path name:
     c:\%windir%\system32\notepad.exe
• To configure Notepad to run when a specific user logs on (regardless of the computer he or she uses):
  1. Edit the following group policy:
     User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Run These Programs at User Logon
  2. Type the full path name of the program.

NOTE: If the program does not run, make sure the path is correct. The program does not run (and no error message is displayed) if the path is not found.