Software Deployment

you can use Run / Runonce key.

When you use RUN key, make sure to check whatever settings the EXE puts on machine after some delay and delete RUN key if the settings are created successfully on the machine to avoid running of EXE again while logging next time.

When you use RUN key, make sure to check whatever settings the EXE puts on machine after some delay and delete RUN key if the settings are created successfully on the machine to avoid running of EXE again while logging next time.Er...using the RunOnce key avoids all of that overhead.

Also, the advice to delete the Run key is what we might call "sub-optimal". What you meant, I'm sure, is "delete the value you added to the RUN key."

Correct. Thanks VBScab.
I used RunOnce and it worked fine when I tried with Admin user.
Will it also work if non-admin user logs in to the machine after reboot?

If you put it in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive, yes.

RunOnce entries under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce will not execute for Restricted Users (AKA "Standard Users" in Vista/Win7). This is by design of the security model. Limited Users do not have write permissions to HKLM\SOFTWARE by default and so can't write/delete changes. Therefore, they have no way to clear a RunOnce item after it has executed. Microsoft's solution was to simply forbid them from running.

There are various ways to solve your problem, but the best practice would be to try to accomplish whatever this run-after-reboot executable is doing without rebooting at all, if possible. This is the philosophy for SetupCaptures as well as virtualized apps, where running things after a reboot is usually not an option.

Depending on your situation, you might have to address in the current session whatever is expected to be completed by the reboot so that you can complete the configuration in the current session and circumvent the reboot.

(Pretend the above has better grammar.)