Tip: Set/Remove program to run at System Startup

In this post, I'm providing helper methods to set/remove your non-service programs be automatically launched when Windows boots.

How to use:
To set your program to run every time the systems startup

ChoApplication.RunAtSystemStartup();

To set your application to run once during the systems startup

ChoApplication.RunOnceAtSystemStartup();

To remove your program from running everytime systems startup

ChoApplication.RunAtSystemStartup(true);

To remove your application from running once during the systems startup

ChoApplication.RunOnceAtSystemStartup(true);

Below is the implementation of the helper methods that we talked about. Feel free to use them. As usual, please drop your comments.

public static class ChoApplication

{

   private const string RegRunSubKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run";

   private const string RegRunOnceSubKey = "SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\RunOnce";

   /// <summary>

   /// Registry Key point to SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run

   /// </summary>

   private static readonly RegistryKey _rkAppRun;

   /// <summary>

   /// Registry Key point to SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\RunOnce

   /// </summary>

   private static readonly RegistryKey _rkAppRunOnce;

   static ChoApplication()

   {

       _rkAppRun = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(RegRunSubKey, true);

       if (_rkAppRun == null)

          _rkAppRun = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(RegRunSubKey);

       _rkAppRunOnce = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey(RegRunOnceSubKey, true);

       if (_rkAppRunOnce == null)

          _rkAppRunOnce = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(RegRunOnceSubKey);

   }

   #region RunAtSystemStartup Overloads

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunAtSystemStartup()

   {

       return RunAtSystemStartup(false);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="remove">true, it remove the application from running at system startup.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunAtSystemStartup(bool remove)

   {

       string appLocation = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().Location;

       return RunAtSystemStartup(Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(appLocation), appLocation);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunAtSystemStartup(string appName)

   {

       return RunAtSystemStartup(appName, false);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <param name="remove">true, it remove the application from running at system startup.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunAtSystemStartup(string appName, bool remove)

   {

       if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(appName))

          throw new ArgumentException("AppName is missing.");

       return SetValueToRegistry(_rkAppRun, appName, Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().Location, remove);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <param name="appLocation">Full path of the application to be set.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunAtSystemStartup(string appName, string appLocation)

   {

       return SetValueToRegistry(_rkAppRun, appName, appLocation, false);

   }

   #endregion RunAtSystemStartup Overloads

   #region RunOnceAtSystemStartup Overloads

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run once at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunOnceAtSystemStartup()

   {

       return RunOnceAtSystemStartup(false);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run once at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="remove">true, it remove the application from running at system startup.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunOnceAtSystemStartup(bool remove)

   {

       string appLocation = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().Location;

       return RunOnceAtSystemStartup(Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(appLocation), appLocation);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run once at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunOnceAtSystemStartup(string appName)

   {

       return RunOnceAtSystemStartup(appName, false);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run once at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <param name="remove">true, it remove the application from running at system startup.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunOnceAtSystemStartup(string appName, bool remove)

   {

       if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(appName))

          throw new ArgumentException("AppName is missing.");

       return SetValueToRegistry(_rkAppRunOnce, String.Format("!{0}", appName), Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().Location, remove);

   }

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run once at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <param name="appLocation">Full path of the application to be set.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   public static bool RunOnceAtSystemStartup(string appName, string appLocation)

   {

       return SetValueToRegistry(_rkAppRunOnce, String.Format("!{0}", appName), appLocation, false);

   }

   #endregion RunOnceAtSystemStartup Overloads

   #region Shared Methods (Private)

   /// <summary>

   /// Set/Remove the running executable to run at system startup

   /// </summary>

   /// <param name="appName">A name to represent the application name in the registry</param>

   /// <param name="appLocation">Full path of the application to be set.</param>

   /// <returns>true, if the operation is successfull. Otherwise, false.</returns>

   private static bool SetValueToRegistry(RegistryKey regKey, string appName, string appLocation, bool remove)

   {

       if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(appName))

          throw new ArgumentException("AppName is missing.");

       if (!remove && String.IsNullOrEmpty(appLocation))

          throw new ArgumentException("AppLocation is missing.");

       if (regKey == null)

          return false;

       if (remove)

          regKey.DeleteValue(appName);

       else

          regKey.SetValue(appName, appLocation);

       return true;

   }

   #endregion Shared Methods (Private)

}