Starting hidden Cygwin apps

For example the X server is nice to have started without an extra annoying console window.

Before you do anything else, make sure you have your cygwin bin directory in you Windows system PATH. Cygwing programs expects certain .dll files to be found, which are stored in there.

Download the great little utility hstart

Copy your C:\cygwin\Cygwin.bat to another bat file (C:\cygwin\Cygwin_hidden.bat). Alter it as follows.

@echo off

C:
chdir C:\cygwin\bin

C:\your_personal_bin_bath\hstart.exe /NOWINDOW "bash --login -i %1"

..or since the hstart utility is small and self-contained, just slip it into the C:\WINDOWS\system32 directory and replace the last line with this:

hstart.exe /NOWINDOW "bash --login -i %1"

Please note the quotes. Now change the Cygwin link you want to start hidden (X-Cygwin for example) to point to the new bat file instead.

If you want to start X-Cygwin completly hidden (i.e. even without the xterm), edit the file /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc and replace the line

#exec xterm -e /usr/bin/bash -l
exec xclock -geometry 100x130+1700+0

(You seem to need at least one X application to prevent the X server from terminating).

Tune your start app with standard X command line options.

If you drag X-Cygwin link to your autostart, you'll end up having X running in the background and combined with the hints in the previous post you have something almost Linux like ;)