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I am developing a Java program that needs to run when user turns on his PC, I was suggested to :

create a .bat file

@javaw -jar path/to/jar/Name.jar arguments

drop this in the Windows startup directory

My question is :

  1. Can my Java program save the above file into the Windows startup directory ?
  2. Where is this Windows startup directory on the C: or D: drive ?
  3. How can my Java app find out the location ?
  4. Is it the same on all versions of Windows ?
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Unsure why this has been closed. Perhaps it should be migrated to Stack OVerflow? – quickly_now Dec 30 '10 at 22:49

closed as off topic by John T, studiohack, Diago Dec 30 '10 at 22:40

Questions on Super User are expected to relate to computer software or computer hardware within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

3 Answers

This depends on your version of Windows.

In XP the usual location is:

%userprofile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

and in 7:

%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Whether your application can save there depends on the permissions of the user running the program.

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How about other windows versions besides XP and 7 ? – Frank Dec 30 '10 at 21:17
you're targeting windows ME and 98SE????? – Call me V Dec 30 '10 at 21:23
Instead of having us guess, how about you go ahead and tell us what version you are targeting? – th3dude Dec 30 '10 at 21:24
All windows users, I don't care which version, as long as it's Windows. I hope to use a Java command to find out where it is, any sample code ? – Frank Dec 30 '10 at 22:21
Having a program start automatically is much more difficult on Vista and Win7. Hint: startup programs won't do much for you, nor will registry keys. You need to use the task scheduler. Do some searching on MSDN. – quickly_now Dec 30 '10 at 22:48

You can create that bat file and place a shortcut to it in (Windows XP):

YourDrive:\Documents and Settings\%userprofile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

You can also through it in the All Users startup folder.

The directory is in an entirely different location in Vista/7:

YourDrive:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
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How about other windows versions besides XP and 7 ? – Frank Dec 30 '10 at 21:17
Instead of having us guess, how about you just go ahead and tell us what version you are targeting? – th3dude Dec 30 '10 at 21:24

Guessing you want vista too. Well it's the same as Windows7.

YourDrive:\Users\%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Win95/98/4.0 is basically obsolete. Why do you care?

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Thanks. Is there any command to execute to get this path ? – Frank Dec 30 '10 at 22:44

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