Using Startup Switches

To see how startup switches are used, let’s disable the splash screen that appears when Auto-CAD launches (in AutoCAD 2007, it’s a transparent green box). That splash screen not only slows you down, but it can be downright annoying after a while:
1. Create a shortcut for launching AutoCAD, if you don’t already have one on your desktop. Use Windows Explorer to locate C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2007\acad.exe (the file that launches AutoCAD), right-click, and choose Send To ➔ Desktop (create shortcut).
2. Get back to your desktop by minimizing everything (press Windows key+M, or tediously minimize the windows one at a time). Right-click the shortcut to acad.exe on the desktop, and choose Properties.
3. Place the cursor at the end of the text in the Target text box, and type /nologo. All
startup switches are added to the end of the target line and immediately follow a forwar slash. These options are passed to the executable when it starts up. Switch to the General tab, and rename the shortcut AutoCAD 2007. Click Apply, and close the dialog box.
4. Launch AutoCAD with the shortcut, and observe that the splash screen no longer appears.

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