OpenVPN Service, with GUI

[duckz]

Hello,

I am trying to achieve the following on Windows 7 (x64);
- Connect to my VPN provider, at boot, before a user has logged onto the computer.
- Once the user has logged onto the computer, I would like the GUI to display in the notification area, and display connection stats eg; Connected since, Assigned IP.

I have sourced lots of different material and tried several different methods to achieve what I would like, but to no avail as yet.

I should stat that OpenVPN is connecting exactly how I want it to, to my provider. I have it set so it doesn't ask for my credentials, and I have the server that I wish to connect to selected. The issue I'm having is with the autorun/service and wanting the GUI to run and interact also.

What I have tried;
- Simply configuring the OpenVPN service from manual to automatic. This gave me the desired result, but does not start the GUI. Furthermore, if I manually start the GUI once logged in, it shows the icon is green, but does not display any connection stats.
- I have set up AutoExNT.exe as a service, and had it run openvpn-gui.exe. This has also given me the desired result and connected to my VPN provider before the user has logged on, but the problem I have with this method, as that once the user has logged on, the Windows Task Manager has openvpn-gui.exe listed, but the icon is not in the notification area. Furthermore, if I try and start the GUI again manually, it says it is already running.

An easy method would be to simply place a shortcut to openvpn-gui.exe in the Start Menu's Startup folder and use the Parameters --connect server.ovpn --silent_connection 1 but this would only connect to my VPN service once the user has logged onto the computer, and not during boot and before the user has logged onto the computer.

If anyone has any other ideas, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Traffic]

I am trying to achieve the following on Windows 7 (x64);
- Connect to my VPN provider, at boot, before a user has logged onto the computer.
- Once the user has logged onto the computer, I would like the GUI to display in the notification area, and display connection stats

That is not how OpenVPN GUI works.

The service will start the VPN .. If you then run the GUI it will try and fail to start the same VPN ..