"Blocked" by Windows Vista at startup? (Hack)

So you have an application that is “blocked” at startup by Windows Vista. Every time you have to restart the computer, you see the bubble displayed in the lower right hand corner of the screen letting you know that you had an application blocked. You then use the notify icon to interrogate the list of applications and fire them off accordingly. Of course, you also have to say yes to the UAC prompt as well. Annoying, isn’t it?

Well, here’s a way that you can modify the startup procedure so that an application will no longer be blocked and doesn’t require you to accept the UAC prompt. Yes, it’s somewhat of a hack, but it’s not too difficult to pull off. (It’s a hack in the sense we are thinking outside of the box to work around the limitations that are in place due to a software manufacturer not updating their software to work “correctly” with Windows Vista.)

To do this, you’ll first need to modify the applications configuration so that it will no longer attempt to start with Windows Vista on it’s own. If you are unable to do this, then you may need to use the msconfig utility to remove it from the startup list. Once this is done, you can then setup an alternate startup method. This method involves using the Task Scheduler.

• Open the “Control Panel”.
• Select “Classic View” on the left (if not already done).
• Double click “Administrative Tools”.
• Double click “Task Scheduler”.
• Accept the UAC prompt accordingly.
• Click the “Create Basic Task…” link on the right hand side of the Task Scheduler dialog.
• The “Create Basic Task Wizard” dialog will not be displayed. Fill in the “Name:” text box with something appropriate such as “Launch WhateverNameOfProgram” and click the “Next” button.
• Select the “When I log on” for the Trigger and click the “Next” button.
• The “Start a program” option will already be selected for the Action by default. Click the “Next” button.
• In the “Program/script:” text box, enter the full path to the executable you wish to start when you log in. You can use the “Browse…” button to use the Open dialog. Once you have found the executable and entered it, click on the “Next” button to continue.
• The “Summary” screen should now be displayed. Here you will see the “Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish” check box. Check this box and then click the “Finish” button.

We are nearly finished at this point. Just a few more modifications…

• On the “General” tab, check the “Run with highest privileges” check box.
• On the “Conditions” tab, uncheck the “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” check box (just in case your doing this on your laptop).
• On the “Settings” tab, uncheck the “Stop the task if it runs longer than:” check box.
• Click the “OK” button to save the changes.

At this point, you should be able to restart your computer and, upon log in, the application configured should start automatically.

Enjoy!