Start a program in Minimized window from batch file?

[DoctorJellybean]

This is my batch file:

Code: [Select]

@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe"
ping -n 6 127.0.0.1 >NUL
start "" "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
ping -n 11 127.0.0.1 >NUL
start "" "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe"
It works great, except that I would like the first program to start minimized. I've tried

Code: [Select]

start /MIN "" "C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe"
but that doesn't work. Is it possible at all?

Thanks.

[fireballs]

When you say it doesn't work, what exactly happens. Also what are the first quotation marks for? If you try...

Code: [Select]

start /min "C:\program files\Windows Live\Messenger\msnmsgr.exe" Also when i tried to run another batch program it didn't like the quotation marks around the address, you my have to make a shortcut to an address that doesn't require quotation marks around it and then run that. hope that helps

FB

[DoctorJellybean]

No idea what the first quotation marks are for lol. I was given the code on this post:

http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,62393.0.html

As for what happened when I tried my code, it started up in normal mode, not minimized. Using your example, it just opened a DOS prompt window. Using the first quotation marks, it starts the program called.

[fireballs]

so it now works then?

FB

[DoctorJellybean]

Sorry for confusion, but no. I meant if using the original code with double quotation marks, it starts the program, Take it away, and it opens a DOS window. If I add the /min to the original code, it has no effect and the program starts in normal mode. Maybe there are command line switches for the program I want to start minimized, must Google.

[fireballs]

I think it's something to do with using quotation marks around the address (found out the first set of quotation marks in to add a title) try creating a shortcut in c:\users\public and rename it without the " - shortcut" after it so you would have the file c:\users\public\msnmsgr.exe (which  is a shortcut to msn messenger) and your ode would look like:

Code: [Select]

  start /min c:\users\public\msnmsgr.exe
i reckon that should work

FB

[Sidewinder]

The "" is required if the path and the file name of the started file needs to be quoted. (ex: start "" "C:\Documents and Settings\Compaq_Owner\My Documents\Perl\us.jpg")

The "" is not required if the path and file name of the started file does not need to be quoted. (ex: start c:\temp\us.jpg)

The parser cannot distinguish the window title and the started file in this example: start "C:\Documents and Settings\Compaq_Owner\My Documents\Perl\us.jpg"

The first set of quotes are the new window title. You can actually put a literal in there!

Maybe there are command line switches for the program I want to start minimized, must Google

Didn't find anything about running minimized, but found some switches for opening into a particular status:

msnmsgr.exe /status:Online
msnmsgr.exe /status:Busy
msnmsgr.exe /status:BeRightBack
msnmsgr.exe /status:Away
msnmsgr.exe /status:InACall
msnmsgr.exe /status:OutToLunch
msnmsgr.exe /status:AppearOffline

 

[DoctorJellybean]

Messenger has an option not to show the main window if it automatcally starts when Windows loads. As I prefer to start it manually, I unchecked that option, which also disables the hide main window option. Hence the need to start it minimized from a batch file, which doesn't seem possible. Thanks for all the advice, guess I have to use it as is.

[fletcjas]

What if I wanted to open Outlook? That doesn't have an option in the settings? thanks

[Salmon Trout]

What if I wanted to open Outlook? That doesn't have an option in the settings? thanks

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