How Can C# and WMI Automate Application Startup and Shutdown Based on USB Drive Insertion and Removal?

Automating Application Behavior with USB Drive Insertion/Removal: A C# and WMI Solution

Need to automatically start and stop an application when a USB drive is inserted or removed? This guide demonstrates how to achieve this using C# and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Detecting USB Drive Changes

Several methods exist for detecting USB drive events in C#, including using WndProc to intercept Windows messages. However, WMI offers a simpler and more robust approach, especially within a service context.

WMI Implementation: A Practical Example

The following code snippet illustrates how to use WMI to monitor USB drive insertion events:

<code class="language-csharp">using System.Management;

// Create a WMI event watcher
ManagementEventWatcher watcher = new ManagementEventWatcher();

// Define the WQL query to monitor volume change events (EventType 2 indicates insertion)
WqlEventQuery query = new WqlEventQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_VolumeChangeEvent WHERE EventType = 2");

// Assign the event handler
watcher.EventArrived += watcher_EventArrived;

// Set the query for the watcher
watcher.Query = query;

// Start the watcher
watcher.Start();

// Wait for the next event (this can be adapted for continuous monitoring)
watcher.WaitForNextEvent();


private void watcher_EventArrived(object sender, EventArrivedEventArgs e)
{
    // Handle USB drive insertion event here
}</code>

The watcher_EventArrived method will be triggered when a USB drive is inserted. Similar logic, modifying the EventType in the query (EventType 3 represents removal), can be used to detect USB drive removal.

Summary

This combination of C# and WMI provides a reliable and efficient method for creating a Windows service that automatically responds to USB drive insertion and removal. This capability is highly valuable for various application scenarios requiring dynamic behavior based on USB drive presence.

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