[Solved-sort of] Delaying app start under user account

[phkhgh]

Mainly... what I want is to delay auto starting an app (UK's "Kalender.exe"), so doesn't interfere w/ other apps loading sys tray icons at startup.

I think its background activity at startup sometimes prevents a couple other applications' icons from loading in notification (sys tray) - due to a Windows internal time limit. I deleted / rebuilt the icon caches DBs under all user accts & deleted the registry strings "PastIconsStream" & "IconStreams". Didn't help this issue.

! This program WILL run / be interactive / load tray icon in a std user acct at startup w/ no UAC, by placing a shortcut to the users' acct Start Menu. Don't need task scheduler just to run it. But I can't delay its auto startup.

In Vista hm prem (probably Win 7) - creating tasks in task scheduler is easy. Getting a (non-administrative) app to then run * under a USER acct logon * & be interactive / show the icon in notification area is hard.

I've read & tried dozens of fixes & settings to run task scheduler tasks under any user (esp. if apps don't need UAC permission).
The scheduled task runs when starting Widows & only logging into the user acct, but it runs under an Admin acct, and its GUI or tray icon are NOT visible from the user acct.

Selecting the std user acct under "when running the task, use the following user acct," doesn't let me enter the std user acct's PW & save settings.
I take it that's because the user acct doesn't have "Log on as batch job" rights.
I'm concerned even if I can change that, giving that right to non-admin accts poses extra security risks from malware?

Maybe, unless willing to try & force a UAC or want to risk giving a user acct "log on as batch job rights," trying to delay apps' startup using task scheduler won't work for a std user acct?

I don't know if any commands or arguments could be added to the properties command line that shows under a Process Explorer window? Probably same issue - insufficient rights to run in std user accts.

Using Admin acct or "System" under "...use the following user acct," it only runs in background - not visible from the active std user acct.

With these task scheduler settings, it never displays in the std user acct :
General: Checked: run whether user is logged on or not; UNchecked: "run w/ highest privileges" (prgm doesn't need UAC) - but checking that doesn't work either.
Trigger: "at logon - any user"; delay task: 1 min.

 

[Bubbaleone]

Welcome to the Forums, phkhgh....Check permissions and ownership of the executable file and, if 'System' or 'Trusted Installer' is the current owner; take ownership under an admin account instead, add 'Batch" to the users with full control, and then see if you can setup Task Scheduler. Don't forget to restart after editing permissions/owner, and before setting up Task Scheduler again.

.

 

[phkhgh]

Bubbaleone,
Kalender.exe only listed security permissions group or acct is "Everyone." It already has full rights. The typical last entry in permissions list, "special permissions" is not checked & grayed out.
The owner is my std user account, though it isn't shown in the file's 1st Security screen under "group or user names.

When you say, "take ownership under an admin account instead, add 'Batch" to the users with full control,"
where / how exactly do you mean to add Batch?
Do you mean if an admin acct had ownership & full control, then 'batch' would be allowed? Or add "Batch" as a separate user name in file's security properties (which it apparently will allow)?

How will adding "Batch" (however it's done) affect task scheduler, so kalender.exe now becomes interactive under a std user acct (not named 'Batch')?

Note: The task will run when an admin acct is used for "when running the task, use the following user acct." It just runs "in background" under the admin acct & isn't interactive in the logged in user acct (or else the calendar reminder pops up).

When change the "when running the task, use the following user acct" to the std user acct name, task scheduler won't allow saving the settings - gives msg, "unknown acct, or bad PW, or user acct doesn't have "Log on as batch job" rights." It gives that error after entering the user acct's PW & clicking OK in task scheduler.

 

[phkhgh]

I'm not sure that making an Admin owner of the exe file, then adding 'BATCH' under Group or User Name affected task scheduler.
Haven't gone back & tested it w/ only those changes.

In Vista home versions (& later?), MS removed ability to access / modify Group Policy. Appears giving a user acct "log on as batch job" rights may not be possible, whether it's a security risk or not.

What did change it was the MS statement on Task Scheduler: Task Security Context.

You can specify that a task should run even if the account under which the task is scheduled to run is not logged on when the task is triggered. To do this, select the radio button labeled Run whether user is logged on or not . If this radio button is selected, tasks will not run interactively. To make a task run interactively, select the Run only when user is logged on radio button. ​

The last sentence was key. I had to START Task Scheduler under an admin acct, but then enter a user acct, under "when running the task...", AND choose the same user acct under the Trigger tab, or it wouldn't let me save the settings. It never dawned on me (apparently) it's not possible in Task Scheduler for an Admin to schedule interactive tasks to automatically run under any logged on acct (the way most installed prgms can).

That's what I saw - when entered an Admin acct under General tab & "run whether user is logged on or not," then checked "any user" at logon under Triggers, it ran in background (under Admin acct) when I logged into the user acct.

I induced it might allow putting a specific user acct under Triggers vs. selecting "any user." Under Triggers, setting Run Task: "At log on" & entering a named std user acct seems to work.
I haven't tried logging into (only) the admin acct at startup to see if the task runs interactively. My guess is no.