Run a completly hidden batch file

Question

I'm looking for some way to run a batch file (.bat) without anything visible to the user (no window, no taskbar name, .etc..).

I don't want to use some program to do that, I'm looking for something cleaner. I've found a solution that uses VBScript, but I don't really like using VBS, either.

Answer 1

Solution 1:

Save this one line of text as file invisible.vbs:

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False

To run any program or batch file invisibly, use it like this:

wscript.exe "C:\Wherever\invisible.vbs" "C:\Some Other Place\MyBatchFile.bat"

To also be able to pass-on/relay a list of arguments use only two double quotes

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run "" & WScript.Arguments(0) & "", 0, False

eg: Invisible.vbs "Kill.vbs ME.exe"

Solution 2:

Use a command line tool to silently launch a process : Quiet.

Answer 2

use Cmdow is a Win32 commandline utility for NT4/2000/XP/2003 that allows windows to be listed, moved, resized, renamed, hidden/unhidden, disabled/enabled, minimized, maximized, restored, activated/inactivated, closed, killed and more.

Run a batch file hidden passing it parameters:-

cmdow /run /hid mybat arg1 "arg 2"

Answer 3

Run the script via an at job without making it interactive:

at 11:00 script.bat

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Another solution, if you don't mind installing something like Python, you could simply create a script and run it with pythonw (the linked version for GUI operations). Since you aren't using any graphical APIs, the window will not show. Simply use calls to os.system() and it will mimic a batch script, as it is the same as typing the strings into the command line.

Example:

import os

os.system("tasklist > C:\tasks.txt")
os.system("ipconfig /all > C:\netinfo.log")

Answer 4

You can run it minimized easily.

start /MIN batch.cmd

Answer 5

Seems that somebody made a list of the 7-8 ways to run 'silent':

http://forums.techguy.org/dos-other/644932-solved-howto-run-batch-file.html

Answer 6

cmdow /run /hid "file.extention" arg1 "arg 2"

Answer 7

You do not need to do any special.

If you are running the batch files from a windows service, they should be hidden by default unless you enable the "Allow service to interact with desktop" option on the service.