How to run “BootNow /hibernate” at startup on Windows Vista or Windows 7/8.x/10

Problem:

Adding a BootNow /hibernate shortcut to the Startup folder of Windows Vista or Windows 7/8.x/10 does not run the program correctly when the computer starts. It is either blocked, displays an error message, or is ignored and not run.

Cause:

BootNow requires Administrator privileges in order to run correctly in Windows Vista or later. However, due to the way in which these versions of Windows handle programs run from the Startup folder, adding those privileges to the Startup folder's BootNow shortcut does not work. Windows Vista will block the program, which requires it to be unblocked manually, while Windows 7 or later ignore it.

Note: The need for BootNow /hibernate to run on startup is explained in the BootNow documentation.

Solution:

Create a Windows Task Scheduler task to run the program when a user logs in.

Instructions:

Before continuing, please make sure you're using the most current version of BootNow. The Windows version can be downloaded from here. (Other OS versions are available on the BootIt BM download page.) The download is a zip file. You will need to unzip the contents into a folder before the program can be used. Please note that using a BootNow folder and path that doesn't contain any spaces may simplify the task creation process and any associated troubleshooting. In these instructions, C:\BootNow is the folder that contains the BootNow files.

Creating the BootNow Task:

Log into an Administrator account.
Click the Start button or press the Windows Logo key.
Type "task scheduler" (without the quotes) into the search box. Windows will search for matches and should display Task Scheduler in the Programs list. If Task Scheduler is highlighted, simply press ENTER. Otherwise, click on Task Scheduler to run the program. If you get a UAC prompt, click Continue or Yes to allow it to run.

Windows 8: The search won't find the Task Scheduler unless the Show administrator tools option is enabled for the Start screen (the default is disabled). The Task Scheduler can be run by pressing WinKey+R to bring up the Run dialog and typing taskschd.msc into the Open box. Then click OK.
Click the Action menu, then click Create Task...
The Create Task window will open and the General tab should be selected (if not, click on it).
In the Name box, type in the name for the task: Run BootNow
In the Security options section:
- If there is only one user, select the Run only when user is logged on option. If there are multiple users, select the Run whether user is logged on or not option. Note: Using the first option will only run the program for the specified user and the BootNow tray icon will be available. Using the second option will run BootNow for any user, but there will not be a tray icon. If the hibernate feature of BootNow is required for multiple users, use the second option.
- Check the Run with highest privileges option.
Click the Triggers tab, then click the New... button. The New Trigger window will open.
In the Begin the task drop-down box, select At log on.
In the Settings section, make sure Any user is selected (this is the default).
Click the OK button to close the New Trigger window.
Click the Actions tab, then click the New... button. The New Action window will open.
In the Action drop-down box, make sure Start a program is selected (this is the default action).
Click the Browse... button, browse to the folder in which you placed the BootNow files, double-click on BOOTNOW.EXE or select it and click the Open button. The Program/script box should now contain the complete path to the BootNow program. In this example, the box contains: C:\BootNow\BOOTNOW.EXE
In the Add arguments (optional) box, type the following: /hibernate
Click the OK button to close the New Action window.
Click the Conditions tab.
In the Power section, uncheck the Start the task only if the computer is on AC power option.
Click the Settings tab.
Uncheck the Stop the task if it runs longer than option.
Click the OK button to close the Create Task window and save the task. If asked, enter the password for the Administrator account associated with the task and then click OK.
Exit Task Scheduler.
Log off and back on to run the task.

Technical Notes:

Depending on your computer's setup and your use of BootNow, the following information may be helpful.

If the BootNow tray icon is not available and you need to exit BootNow, start the Task Manager, find BOOTNOW.EXE in the Processes list and end it. (You may need to Show processes from all users in order to see it.)
An additional advantage of using the Run whether user is logged on or not option (see Step 7) is that (once BootNow has run) it will still function on the Log On screen. This means that if a user logs off and the computer goes to sleep or hibernates while on the Log On screen, BootIt BM will be notified to automatically boot back into the OS.
When the BootNow task is configured as in these instructions, the task will remain in a Running state. This is because the BootNow program remains running. If, for some reason, you require the task to be configured so that it starts BootNow and returns to a Ready state, use the instructions below instead of Steps 14 & 15 above:
1. In the Program/script box, type in "cmd" (without the quotes).
2. The value entered into the Add arguments (optional) box depends on whether or not there are any spaces in the path to BOOTNOW.EXE. If the path contains spaces, make sure not to miss any of the quote marks when entering the text. In either case, make sure to enter the correct path to the BOOTNOW.EXE file.
  - If there are no spaces in the path, type in:
    cmd /c start C:\BootNow\bootnow.exe /hibernate
  - If there are one or more spaces in the path, type in:
    cmd /c "start "Run BootNow" "C:\BootNow Files\bootnow.exe" /hibernate"
Note: When configured using this method, the BootNow program is run every time the user logs in. If using a version of BootNow prior to 1.21b, this may result in multiple copies of BootNow running simultaneously. Please make sure you're using the latest version of BootNow.

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