The SMS_AutoStartSoftware class is a client Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) class, in Configuration Manager, that enumerates software that starts automatically with, or immediately after, the operating system.

The following syntax is simplified from Managed Object Format (MOF) code and includes all inherited properties.

Class SMS_AutoStartSoftware 
{
	String BinFileVersion;
	String BinProductVersion;
	String Description;
	String FileName;
	String FilePropertiesHash;
	String FilePropertiesHashEx;
	String FileVersion;
	String Location;
	String Product;
	String ProductVersion;
	String Publisher;
	String StartupType;
	String StartupValue;
};

Methods

The SMS_AutoStartSoftware class does not define any methods.

Properties

BinFileVersion

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneReserved. For internal use.
BinProductVersion

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneReserved. For internal use.
Description

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneFile description to be presented to users, for example, "Keyboard driver for AT-style keyboards" or "Microsoft Word for Windows".
FileName

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneName of the file, including the extension but excluding the path, for example, "Notepad.exe".
FilePropertiesHash

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: [key]A unique 128-bit signature that is derived from a combination of the Product, Description, ProductVersion, Publisher, and FileName properties of the file.
FilePropertiesHashEx

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneA unique 128-bit signature that is derived from a combination of the Product, Description, ProductVersion, Publisher, FileName, FileVersion, BinProductVersion, and BinFileVersion properties of the file.
FileVersion

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe version of the file, for example, "3.00A" or "5.00.RC2".
Location

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe path where the autostart file was discovered. This path is relative to the value of the StartupType property. For example, it can be "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" when the StartupType property is set to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE".
Product

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe name of the product with which the file is distributed, for example, "Microsoft Windows".
ProductVersion

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe version of the product with which the file is distributed, for example, "3.00A" or "5.00.RC2".
Publisher

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe company that produced the file, for example, "Microsoft Corporation" or "Standard Microsystems Corporation, Inc.".
StartupType

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe point from which the software is automatically launched. Possible values are:
  • Registry:Current User

  • Registry:Local Machine

  • Win.ini

  • All Users Startup Folder

  • User Profile Startup Folder

StartupValue

Data type: StringAccess type: Read-onlyQualifiers: NoneThe application command string that is associated with the shortcut.

Remarks

Much system-dependent software is loaded separately from the system due to the nature of the application. Most software requires the operating system to be running before being loaded. Along with many applications intended for useful purposes, such as sound driver, mouse driver, and other interfaces, items such as malware and viruses tend to place themselves within the same load areas. You can enumerate these applications to monitor the health of some of their security policies and procedures.

There are eight areas in the registry where applications can be run at the startup of the operating system. Enumeration of the following keys provides a list of applications and their associated paths from which header information can be retrieved:

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\run

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\load

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

The SMS_AutoStartSoftware class enumerates all items in the %systemdir%\Win.ini file, to identify older applications in addition to malicious software that might use this nontraditional method of activation. This class enumerates applications in the following file entries:

  • win.ini [windows] run=

  • win.ini [windows] load=

The SMS_AutoStartSoftware class enumerates the contents of the Startup folder in the Start menu to provide the path to the binaries from which header information can be retrieved. If the binary is Rundll32.exe or Rundll64.exe, then the class retrieves the header information from the DLL file that is the first command line parameter for execution of Rundll32.exe.

For example:

  Copy Code
RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup

In this case, the class gathers the header information from NVCpl.dll, instead of Rundll32.exe.

Note
If the header data for the executable file is null for the company, product, or version field, then the file name in uppercase is substituted for the field.

Requirements

Runtime Requirements

Development Requirements

See Also