Program Startup Order (reviving an old question)

When I boot my computer, I'd like to have ZoneAlarm be the very first program to start, before any of my other startup programs access the Internet. I asked this question here before, and I've tried using various startup tools, and even relocating programs in the Registry by hand (moving them from one startup location to another). However, nothing works - other programs always start before ZoneAlarm does. So I ask the question again: How do I control the order in which the programs start, so that I can have ZoneAlarm be the first one?

 

First off - you can't have Zone Alarm start first. There are other things that need to be running to support Z/A.

It would be good if Z/A were the second process after a network connection is made.

 

I meant "first thing after all the necessary Windows components start up ". I have three other programs that run at startup which access the Internet - Netscape Mail Notifier, NISTime (synchronizes my computer's clock with Naval Observatory Time) and WeatherBug (readings from a local weather station, plus forecasts and alerts for the area). I'd like to have ZA load before these programs. Instead, my startup programs seem to load in alphabetical order, no matter what I do to them.

 

See the suggestion in your Safe Mode thread.

 

I looked at that article about logon scripting, and I didn't understand very much of it, but as far as I did understand, it doesn't seem to apply. I know I don't have anything resembling "policies" on this machine, and I don't know anything about scripting. What I think the article is saying is that you can choose which scripts run at logon, not which programs or in what order.

 

Hi ace
been pondering this since you put it up, I've a similar problem (wanting something to finish before something else starts) but with W98 I don't think it's possible...
...however yesterday while looking for something else altogether I ran into this

which might be useful or might be heavy-duty but will probably end up being both at the same time
best wishes, HJ.

 

Hugh,

Your link says page cannot be found.

acelightning,

How about DelayRun program from here.

 

Hugh, Microsoft doesn't seem to know where the page in question has gotten to.

Leeleeleelee, that program delays things by a fixed number of seconds, the same number for everything. I just want to have programs start in a particular order - in fact, all I really want is to have ZoneAlarm active before any of the programs that access the Internet start up.

Thanks for the ideas, though, both of you.

 

Ok, your Zone Alarm probably starts with the system and you can't change that.

Can you have your three internet programs:-
Netscape Mail Notifier
NISTime and
WeatherBug
start only *after* an internet connection is detected?

If so try NetRun.

 

I'm on DSL, so I always have an Internet connection. I would just like to have ZoneAlarm load before any of the programs that access the Internet (Netscape Mail Notifier, NISTime, and WeatherBug). I mean, ZA can't do its job as a firewall and block unwanted access (in or out) if it's not running yet, can it?

 

Can't find a link right now, but I know there's a program out there that will let you specify the order in which startup items start up. Used to have it on my Win 98 machine. I'll keep looking.

 

Do you need to have DSL connected at startup? Those I've come across need to be connected manually.

 

Aha! Found it:

http://www.greatis.com/regrun3startuporder.htm

 

sorry ace...

...indeed the link seems dud - I found it while I was confusing myself with CLSIDs and copied the link for later 'coz it looked just like what you had were after... but really should have checked it out before posting.

drawbacks of multitasking! - when I was hunting around trying to find where MS had lost the bumf to (never did find the page) I came across MS article suggesting that anything likely to take more than 300ms to launch should be blessed with a separate launcher thread, just so as not to hold up the rest of the computer. Which isn't exactly in your interest... But hopefully that won't apply to ZA?

oh dear. back to floundering in the C - or more likely crawl into one of the innumerable voids. At least it got a bit of interest going again

best wishes, HJ.

 

Leeleeleelee, DSL is "always on" - it's there all the time, even when I reboot my computer. Besides, I connect through a router - there are several other machines besides mine sharing the DSL line, via a home LAN.

Md2lgyk, I tried that program, and all it did was mess up my Registry and cause some of my startup programs to try to run multiple copies of themselves. I also tried following those guidelines manually, with pretty much the same results.

Hugh, I don't know how long it takes ZA to launch, but even if it's longer than 300 ms, I'd still like to let it go first.

Ah well... maybe there really isn't a way to do this after all.

 

I think the 300ms thing was intended for developers who are making "walloping big" things, to stop the launch holding anything else up; but ZA isn't that enormous a task.
It's been a while since I used ZA (use Kerio now) but from recollection it was only crucial to have one (of the three) bits of ZA "happening" to be safe. (was ZA v2.1.something)

perhaps they withdrew the page because people were getting into a mess? I had a really good trawl around M$ without finding an alternative location, after realising I'd given you a dud link... A shame, if there is an approved way of ordering tasks it would be highly useful.

hope you get it sorted, and best wishes, HJ.

 

Thanks, Hugh, and everyone else...