A systems administrator is tasked with ensuring a custom legacy application, which is not a native Windows service, starts automatically on a standalone Windows Server. The application must launch immediately after the operating system boots, with elevated privileges, and before any user logs in. Which of the following provides the most direct and appropriate solution?
Use the Local Group Policy Editor to assign a user logon script that executes the application.
Create a new service for the executable using services.msc and set its startup type to 'Automatic'.
Place a PowerShell script to launch the application into the All Users Startup folder (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp).
Configure a Scheduled Task to run the application's executable, using 'At system startup' as the trigger and specifying 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' as the user account.
The correct solution is to use the Task Scheduler. A task configured to trigger 'At system startup' will run during the boot process, independent of any user logging in. Running the task as the 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' account ensures it has the necessary high-level privileges to perform its functions. A logon script or a script in the Startup folder would only execute after a user logs in, which does not meet the requirements. A standard executable cannot be directly converted into a service using the services.msc console; this requires a service wrapper or for the application to be specifically coded with service APIs.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is the 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' account, and why is it used in this context?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
How does using 'At system startup' in Task Scheduler differ from using user logon scripts?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
Why can't a standard executable be directly converted into a service using `services.msc`?