Microsoft provides no easy method for configuring an application to run in the background, automatically, upon boot. The closet a user can come is by adding a shortcut to the application in question in the Windows Start Up folder. For most circumstances this can often be enough to get the job done. The application launches when the specific user logs into Windows – you see this already with many applications.

The Start Up approach has some obvious limitations – it’s per-user based for one. If you wanted iTunes to auto-launch so that it can be used as a media server, it must be configured for every user of the system. More fundamentally, the second drawback is the process simply requires a user to be logged in. The concept of a headless system – a computer with no monitor – can be further complicated.

ServiceRunner is a free open source application that can assist in creating a Windows service for each application you wish to launch automatically upon system boot. While ServiceRunner is not the most intuitive piece of software out there, the documentation describes the process nicely. Here’s how it works!

Download and extract the two executables – ServiceRunner.exe and ServiceInstaller.exe.

Within that same folder, edit or create a text file titled config.txt. This file is the only manner with which to configure and define which application you wish to create a service for. The format of the file consists of three lines:

  • the name of the service you wish to create
  • the full path and file name of the application to launch
  • any arguments that should be passed to the application on launch (optional)

Example:

Windows Remote Service
C:\Program Files\wrs\wrs.exe
-s

With the config.txt correctly created launch the ServiceInstaller.exe with administrative privileges. Click Install.

A windows dialog will display your successful service creation.

You can now Start your service from the application interface the first time, or simply reboot. A service can be Uninstalled in the future through the ServiceRunner application assuming the config.txt file is still in place.

ServiceRunner is compatible with XP and newer versions of Windows, including Windows 7 64 bit.

Download ServiceRunner