Hello everyone.

Ive been scouring the internet for resource on programming the windows tasklist/taskbar but have found nothing of use. Specifically im trying to remove a program from the taskbar and tasklist, effectively making it a background process.

I've looked in the winSDK and among various other resources but found nothing of use. If you have any information that could help please reply. Thanks in advance.

I suspect that you're trying to write something malicious here, so I'll be cryptic and say but one thing: "services"

There's your hint. Demonstrate that your project is not malevolent, and more information may be forthcoming. It may.

Ok to calm your fears of "malicous intent" I plan to write a general backup utility with macro support, I don't necessarily need to hide it from the task list, but most importantly from the taskBAR<<. It will remain in the background processing sheduled tasks such as backing up the registry or compressing key directories into backup files... Stuff of that sort.

The program will be of a server form running out of view and configured through IPC. Heh funny.. you can consider this program a service. Makes sense. But I assure you my intents are honest. If you can provide more precise information I will be extremely glad. Thanks in advance

I believe he meant installing the program as a system service. Programs like IIS and Apache32 run as services on Windows, and therefore run reguardless of who is logged on or whether it is open on the task bar or not (it is not visible there unless you make it so).

Yup. That also means that it is invisible to everything except things that look at services.

However, if the only thing needed is to remove it from the task bar, I think that simply not opening any windows (or hiding all of your windows) should suffice.

More detail would require knowledge of the programming language to be used.

I know some programs start minimized to an icon if that's all you want to do, but I only know that for java (and I'm not sure on that).

I hate services, in XP I disabled over half of them without any negative consequences and my system's never run better

Ok i found out exactly how to do it.. it's an undocumented function called RegisterServiceProcess() which removes it from the task list.. this function resides in Kernel32.dll

Anyone have a clue what other side-effects it has?

http://lantools.narod.ru/hidden.html the url for a more detailed explanation