How to run a program to start automatically?

[stayouttadabunker]

I have an idea I want to use on a slot which is more of a
computer configuration problem than anything else.

I don't have a slot award glass for a certain game I cannot mention
but I would like to display some pictures of the
award payouts and others on an LCD screen.

I won a cheap HP laptop (loaded with a basic XP Home Edition) on
fleabay which I will be using to power up
an 19" Dell Widescreen LCD display panel which will be placed in the
location on the slot machine where the award glass usually goes.
The LCD screen & laptop is powered by the machine's extra 115VAC outlet and
turns on when the machine's power switch is also turned on.
The LCD is plugged into the extra screen port of the laptop.
I also have the external speaker port running into the slot speaker wires.

The pictures I have of the award glass payouts are of a .jpg & .gif files and
are downloaded to the laptop into a program called "Microsoft Power Point Presentation".
Basically it's a slide show program which can be configured to
display pictures or short video clips at times I have options to preset their display run length.
In other words, the award payout pictures will run for about a minute
while others just pop up for like 10-15 seconds.
I can also run short animation .gif files as well.
The possibilities are pretty much endless as to what I can display on the widescreen monitor
and can be run in an endless loop.

However, this is also where the problem lies...there are no options in the Power Point program
that I can see which would allow me to run the pictures automatically
when the laptop computer is powered up.
I don't want to connect a wireless keyboard & mouse to start
the slideshow program to run the pictures every time I turn on the machine's power.

Is there any way I can perhaps add a line of command to the start up folder into
the System Configuration Utility column in the laptop - to run the slideshow?
Or am I looking at this wrong?

Any help on this would be fantastic!

[reho33]

Mark,
      Add the PP file to your startup group, you need to save the file as a slideshow format. then add it to the startup group in Windows and then it should run automatically on windows start.

[stayouttadabunker]

okay, good info...is it just a copy & paste the PP file into the start up folder?
Nothing else? It can't be THAT easy!   
Here's a snapshot of the start up folder...
I don't know how to add a PP file into it though...
Click on it to enlarge>>>

[reho33]

No, don't use msconfig.
You need to save your pp as a slideshow.
when you have your file open in PP do File-->Save As--> then give it a name like test1.pps (save it as a powerpoint slide show hence the pps).

Now, place that file in the startup group like this , when you do Save As, pick the place to save in this path  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
The next time Windows starts, the slideshow will be full screen and start automatically!

Hope that helps ya.

[stayouttadabunker]

I tried your suggestions last night and it works exactly the way I want it to!

[reho33]

Can I get a Kmen?

[stayouttadabunker]

I'll give you one each day I'm online!!!!