Minimise all apps on startup

[FiB3R]

I have it set so that Explorer restores previous windows at login, as well as a couple of apps that auto start. This can be/is very useful, but has the downside of making your desktop look a complete mess, every time you boot up, so I would love it if all apps that start up on boot, start minimised.

 

Is there a utility out there, or a registry edit I can use to accomplish this?

[Hum]

Couldn't you not start apps until you want to use them ?

 

And read here:

 

How to automatically start a program minimized in Windows

 

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20091807-285/how-to-automatically-start-a-program-minimized-in-windows/

[Ian S.]

You know you can just move your mouse to the bottom right corner and click to aero hide? Also Winkey+M works too. :)

[FiB3R]

Ladies, please, I am aware of those options, but that is not what I want to do, hence my question. ;)

 

Edit: Cheers for the link, Hum. I had thought about that, but I was hoping for some sort of overall setting, that dictates this behaviour to all apps, old and new.

 

Just trying to automate some repetitive tasks. I hear computers are good at that sort of thing :laugh:

[Max Norris]

Could always have a script that does it for you, say AutoHotKey or whatever, have that run on startup, maybe have it wait a few moments and then have it go through every window and minimize it.  That way you won't have to modify your normal launchers, they'll still open normally.

http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/commands/WinMinimizeAll.htm

 

As an alternative, copy/paste this into a VBScript file, call it MinimizeAll.vbs (or whatever)

dim objShell
set objShell = CreateObject("shell.application")
WScript.Sleep 10000
objShell.MinimizeAll
set objShell = nothing

Have that run on login and it'll minimize every open window after 10 seconds.. adjust that delay as you see fit.

[FiB3R]

Awesome! I'll try those out later. The VBScript seems to be the easiest way to go.

 

Thank you :D

[FiB3R]

Yep, that worked a treat. Thanks again.

[FiB3R]

.

Now that I have a larger / higher res screen, the size of the windows that this thing Windows creates is way too big.

Is there anything I can add to the script to adjust the size of explorer windows? I have searched for a while, but haven't been able to find exactly what I need.

[Max Norris]

Now that I have a larger / higher res screen, the size of the windows that this thing Windows creates is way too big.

If you're launching it via wscript (the Windows script host) it won't create any windows at all, not even an icon on the tray or taskbar, only clue it's running is seeing wscript.exe in a task manager. If you're using cscript (the console version), that one will create a console as it's a console program, so use the other one.. depends how your associations are set up and all that.

If you're launching it via a shortcut to the script itself, modify it to something along the lines of:

wscript "\Path\To\The\Script.vbs"

and that'll do away with the console window, obviously fill in the proper path to the script.

[FiB3R]

If you're launching it via wscript (the Windows script host) it won't create any windows at all, not even an icon on the tray or taskbar, only clue it's running is seeing wscript.exe in a task manager. If you're using cscript (the console version), that one will create a console as it's a console program, so use the other one.. depends how your associations are set up and all that.

If you're launching it via a shortcut to the script itself, modify it to something along the lines of:

wscript "\Path\To\The\Script.vbs"

and that'll do away with the console window, obviously fill in the proper path to the script.

 

Yep, I have no idea what you are talking about. lol :blush:

 

I've just put the .vbs you created/found for me, into the start up folder as suggested, and it's great, absolutely love it.

 

The problem is, when it cascades the open Explorer windows, before minimising them, they become huge, due to my new higher resolution display. (I think)

 

So I want a way to give them a fixed size, before they get minimised.

[Max Norris]

The problem is, when it cascades the open windows, before minimising them, they become huge, due to my new higher resolution display . (I think)

Hrm it shouldn't be doing anything except minimizing, especially not cascading. All it's doing is creating a reference to the shell itself, waiting, and then executing the "minimize all" API command. It's working as expected here (Win7), not sure what to tell you.

Well, another option to toss as you. Get a copy of NirCmd (it's a stupidly handy freebie) and do a shortcut along the lines of:

nircmd cmdwait 10000 sendkeypress rwin+d

That'll wait 10 seconds (in milliseconds) and then send the Win+D keystroke, which tells every window to minimize. Look over their documentation, there's a lot of handy little tricks that tool does if you're into automation. (There's rwin and lwin for right and left buttons.. some programs care, Explorer does not.) Set the shortcut to launch minimized, or use whatever 'start hidden' tool you choose to have nothing show up at all, it's a console program so it'll make a window for that by default. There's also commands to minimize specific windows if you don't want everything to minimize, it's in the docs.

[sc302 Veteran]

technically win+d just brings the view to the desktop...win+m minimizes. If you have you you have your windows visual options on high, you will see your windows minimizing to the task bar with win+m where win+d blinks them out of view to show the desktop. win+d in many cases is the preferred method, however sometimes when you open a new window it may bring the other windows into view.