New to ubuntu - Mounting Drive and autorun

Hi, I am new to Ubuntu and have a few questions. I am trying to get a program to run when the system boots up. I have added it to the startup apps but it still does not work. Also I have mounted drives on my desktop but each time i reboot they disappear and I need to put in the passwords again. Is this because I am not doing it in root or as a superuser?. Can anyone tell me how to fix my problems?

Cheers

This is not the place for technical questions, you’d be better off asking your question on the Forums or Ask Ubuntu