Some people may not like it, but this is what I do:
private void StartBackgroundWork() {
if (Application.RenderWithVisualStyles)
progressBar.Style = ProgressBarStyle.Marquee;
else {
progressBar.Style = ProgressBarStyle.Continuous;
progressBar.Maximum = 100;
progressBar.Value = 0;
timer.Enabled = true;
}
backgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync();
}
private void timer_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e) {
if (progressBar.Value < progressBar.Maximum)
progressBar.Increment(5);
else
progressBar.Value = progressBar.Minimum;
}
The Marquee style requires VisualStyles to be enabled, but it continuously scrolls on its own without needing to be updated. I use that for database operations that don't report their progress.