How to automatically dial-up on system startup

open up your dial up connection properties.

Click on security TAB
Check 'connect automatically'
Hit OK

Reboot



Alex

Hi

So your ISP exec is in the start up folder, click save, to save your password and user name when you log onto your ISP, doing that and a combo of the abobve post and the satrt up folder thing hopefully will give you want you want.

H

Otherwise, add the link to the ISP shortcut under Run entry in the registry:
Start/Run/Regedit
Navigate to HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Right-click in the right-side pane.
Click New/String Value
Type in the name as the name of your ISP
Double-click that entry after you save it and point the data value to your shortcut.

If its an exe then you can use SRVANY to make it a system service, although I'm not sure if its recommended doing this.

You could also have a batch file pointing to it and put it in the startup scripts in gpedit.msc
Computer Config > Windows Settings > Scripts > Startup

None of these answers work. There is no connect automatically on any security tab in dial-up properties and i want the dial up to start up on machine start up NOT on user logon so the start up folder idea is out. The registry key idea might work but how do I enter the dial up shortcut - its name is not enough. In fact no file open dialogs can even see it. I will try the group policy editor but I think it needs to execute a script file and not a shortcut.

I do not believe this will work with XP.  I've tried via scheduled tasks and the registry (above), but the limitation is that the modem is not 'live' until you log in (it connects as soon as I log on).
With older version of NT, you could change properties of your hardware to alter the time it would become available (system, boot, etc) - but I don't find this customization with XP.
Your best option to get this scenario working is to create a shortcut of your ISP DUN connection.  Save it in a common folder and place it under Documents and Settings under the appropriate user account and have that user account log in automatically.
Even with my shortcut set up under local machine startup, it took a little bit for the connection to register.
If you still want to try these options for yourself, I'm included instructions for both (scheduled tasks and regedit):

To do this via scheduled tasks:
You'll have to save a shortcut to your DUN connection.  (Start/Settings/Network Connections - click and drag the appropriate connection to your desktop and click Create Shortcut here when you release the right-mouse button).
You'll have to move the link (.lnk) file to a common area, like \windows\system32.
Once done, you can use Scheduled Tasks to locate this link file and set it to go when your computer starts.  You'll want to modify the properties of this connection to confirm that it's set up to connect automatically.  Open up your network connections and right-click the appropriate ISP icon.  Go to Options tab, and deselect "Prompt for name", "Include Windows logon domain", and "Prompt for phone number".  Click OK to close

Via Registry:
Create the shortcut as listed in the previous example.
Open the registry:
Start/Run/Regedit
Navigate to HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Right-click in the right-side pane.
Click New/String Value
Type in the name as the name of your ISP
Double-click that entry after you save it and point the data value to your shortcut ("C:\Windows\System32\MyISP.lnk")

unfortunately i do not want to have a default user log in automatically as people will constantly have to log out to use their account. Currently I am thinking - what if i started a process at system start up that needed internet access, wouldn't it automatically run the dial up?

teknokrat:
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Ok, I think its clear that no one has solved this problem and that it probably does not have  a solution because of windows' limitations. However i think sirbounty provided the best overall explanation of the problem and many generaly useful workarounds so I am awarding him the 'bounty'

thank you all