I use this to launch a stock tracking program. You'll get the DOS window briefly. This is in the Perl Cookbook, but it's missing one line in the book so their example doesn't work.

From the Perl Cookbook:

# loader - starts Perl scripts without the annoying DOS window
use strict;
use Win32;
use Win32::Process;

# Create the process object.

Win32::Process::Create($Win32::Process::Create::ProcessObj,
    'C:/perl/bin/perl.exe',            # Whereabouts of Perl
    'perl <your program here>',         #
    0,                                  # Don't inherit.
    DETACHED_PROCESS,                   #
    ".") or                             # current dir.
die print_error();

sub print_error() {
    return Win32::FormatMessage( Win32::GetLastError() );
    }  
    

$Win32::Process::Create::ProcessObj -> Resume();
[download]