Registry "Run on Logon" value is running the wrong app

Question

I have an app that I want to set to run on logon, C:\AutoTests\Auto-Test Executor (Client).exe. The C:\AutoTests directory also contains a file called Auto-Test Executor.exe.

I have gone into the registry, and set a value in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, "ClientTestExecutor" = "C:\AutoTests\Auto-Test Executor (Client)".

When I log on, the computer automatically runs Auto-Test Executor.exe. I have no idea what's going on, its filename comparison seems to be extremely screwy. Do I have any recourse other than changing the filenames to not be so similar?

I have Windows Server 2008 R2.

Answer 1

You need to specify the full pathname to the executable (including the file extension) and surround the whole thing in quotes. In other words, your value named ClientTestExecutor should contain the data:

"C:\AutoTests\Auto-Test Executor (Client).exe"

Per this SuperUser answer, if you're setting this data through RegEdit, you do not need to escape any of the characters. However, if you're setting the data with a .reg file, the \ and " characters need to be escaped as shown here:

"ClientTestExecutor"="\"C:\\AutoTests\\Auto-Test Executor (Client).exe\""