I am trying to make an application that acts like a desktop application for all the computers in our network. I have already got a windows forms app that works like I want it to, and I'm using the task scheduler to start it on login.

We would really like it if the process as well as the task is hidden from the task manager in order to avoid accidental deletion. Selecting "Hidden" in the task scheduler hides the task (good!) but the process is still visible (not good enough).

I tried using the option to run as "SYSTEM" or "LOCAL SERVICE" so that the user would get "access denied" when trying to delete or just wouldn't even view it by default. However, running as a service makes the process invisible on Vista and 7, and the point of my app is to display information interactively. (User can click, sort, etc).

Is there any other alternatives to either run the process as someone/something besides the logged in user and still have the logged on user be able to see and interact with it? (Therefore it would list as someone else's app?)

From what I've read on the internet, the only ways to actually hide something from the task manager seem hacky and/or difficult and rather involved. I don't really want to write a bunch of C or whatever only to maybe not have it work on Vista/7 anyway. Besides which, for a legitimate app with a legitimate use, I shouldn't have to go to those extremes... I see "Access Denied" all the time for system processes... why is it so hard for me to do the same?

So does anyone have any simple solutions? Is it easier than I think to just list something in the task manager as another user?

Thanks in advance for any replies.