I'm currently packaging an application to run in compatibility mode. I easily found the location where the registry keys are created in the HKLM (for all users) or HKCU (for only the logged on user).
The problem is; which I really don't know if it's a problem, I can set the registry key in HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers. I create a REG_SZ with the name of the key being the path.
E.G.: C:\Program Files (x86)\MyApplicationDirectory\MyApp.exe
The value of this key is ~WIN7RTM
The problem is this, when I install the application and I create a registry key with this path. I can click on the shortcut properties and go into the Compatibility Tab and noticed it does not appear it's set to run in Compatibility Mode in Windows 7.
I know I created the correct registry key because I originally created the shortcut through the compatibility tab and clicked "Change Settings for All Users" and then set it to run in Windows 7 there. If I set compatibility mode within the shortcut, I can see it checked. (highlighted in yellow)
But if I try to set compatibility mode via the registry key and I go into the properties of the EXE or shortcut, the box is not checked.
If I set the registry key, how do I verify the application is running in compatibility mode?
Is there another way I can set the registry key and be sure it's running in compatibility mode?
Never mind folks. I did a stare and compare on the registry keys that is created. I did not add a space between the ~ and WIN7RTM. Once I added a white space, it worked fine.
Before: ~WIN7RTM (not correct)
After: ~ WIN7RTM (correct)
Overlooked it.
Related
How do I edit Group Policy Object "Prevent installation of removable devices" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753539(v=ws.10).aspx) in CMD?
I have a server (Windows Server 2008 R2) that is locked out as I am unable to use keyboard or mouse to as input devices when the windows login requires me to press ctrl+alt+delete. This Policy is the one causing this locked out situation as the old keyboard and mouse which I am trying to solve.
Current situation only allows me to use CMD to make changes to the system when I boot up with a bootable CD.
My server doesn't have PS2 port for the old type keyboard. Any other solution that can help me solve this locked out situation is also welcome :)
"Prevent installation of removable devices" is part of "Administrative Templates" and therefore corresponds to a Registry key.
To find out that registry key, I searched for "Prevent installation of removable devices" within C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\, found <string id="DeviceInstall_Removable_Deny">Prevent installation of removable devices</string> in C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US\DeviceInstallation.adml. Then I searched for DeviceInstall_Removable_Deny in C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\ and found it in C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\DeviceInstallation.admx. The registry key is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions
valueName: DenyRemovableDevices
enabled Value: decimal 1
disabled Value: decimal 0
If you change that value, it will be overridden when the group policy is applied the next time -- most likely at boot time.
According to http://learnthat.com/prevent-group-policy-from-applying-to-your-computer/ you can avoid this by denying write permissions to that specific registry key. (Note, I did not test this!)
To change the registry offline, you can boot from a windows install CD, press Shift+F10 simultaneously to open cmd, type regedit, select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key, click Menu File -> Load Hive..., navigate to your installations \Windows\System32\Config\ folder and select the file named SOFTWARE.
Chose any key name, that doesn't already exist (e.g. Offline_Software) and then change the registry under that key. (e.g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Offline_Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions)
When you're done, select your loaded Hive (e.g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Offline_Software) and click File -> Unload Hive...
To shutdown properly, just close all windows, including the setup window.
I came across this link : https://vmxp.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/stress-testing-an-esxi-host-with-windows-server-vms/
.Since I am not so good in powershell i turned the whole thing to a simple batch script:
:loop
start testlimit64 -d
timeout /t 15
taskkill /f /im "testlimit64.exe"
timeout /t 9
goto loop
Note that I got into SYSTEM ACCOUNT before doing that using PsExec. The system I am using is a VM under ESXi. But nothing is happening, even the vm is not crashing. My aim is to crash whole esxi server.
I have two VMs under the ESXi and I ran the above scripts in both of them.
Still no luck. Am I missing something?
Windows 2000 Feature Allows a Memory.dmp File to Be Generated with Keyboard
Q244139
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.
SUMMARY
Microsoft Windows 2000 includes a feature that enables you to have the system stop responding and generate a Memory.dmp file (if configured to do so). The "Stop" screen that generates contains the following parameters:
*** STOP: 0x000000E2 (0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000,0x00000000)
The end-user manually generated the crashdump.
MORE INFORMATION
WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
This feature is disabled by default. To enable this feature, you must edit the registry as indicated below and restart the computer. After restarting the computer, you can generate a system to stop responding by holding down the right CTRL key and pressing the SCROLL LOCK key twice. Pressing left CTRL key does not generate the system to stop responding.
Please note that the steps below will not work on Legacy Free computers, i.e., those that use a USB keyboard. For those, you must attach a debugger.
Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Locate the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value Name: CrashOnCtrlScroll
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1
Quit Registry Editor.
Additional query words: blue screen force dump bluescreen crash memory.dmp
For USB keyboards a USB one was added in a later OS. This sets Left Ctrl + Space, Spece for both USB (kbdhid) and PS/2 (i8042) keyboards.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\crashdump]
"Dump1Keys"=dword:00000020
"Dump2Key"=dword:0000003D
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\crashdump]
"Dump1Keys"=dword:00000020
"Dump2Key"=dword:0000003D
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters]
"CrashOnCtrlScroll"=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Parameters]
"CrashOnCtrlScroll"=-
I'm constructing a batch file that will auto-configure Windows 7's regional settings for all users.
So far, I've successfully been able to set (mostly) all of the regional settings for the current user, but I need to be able to apply the same settings to all new users. You can do this via the GUI, by going into Region and Language > Administrative > Copy Settings and selecting both checkboxes. I would like to do this programmatically, though. Does anyone know of a registry key I can set or something that will do this?
Failing that, I'll settle for a way to programmatically open the Region and Language > Administrative > Copy Settings window. I've been able to successfully open the Region and Language > Administrative window with start rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL intl.cpl,,3, but I would like to eliminate one more step from the process, if possible.
Update
Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to mention how I'm applying these settings. I'm doing this by executing an exported .reg file, that contains the optimal settings, with regedit.exe /s "regional.reg"
How are you applying the settings now? Via the registry?
If you put the settings under HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT instead of (or in addition to) HKEY_CURRENT_USER, they should be used during profile creation.
I am researching ways to auto login to a windows server, so applications can be restarted on reboot if the server crashes. Do windows services load before or after a user logs in? Can a windows service be used to login to an account?
If not, is there any way to use some sort of login script to facilitate automatically loggin in?
For auto login. Here is one of them:
To use Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) to turn on automatic logon, follow these steps:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type Regedt32.exe, and then press ENTER.
Locate the following subkey in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Double-click the DefaultUserName entry, type your user name, and then click OK.
Double-click the DefaultPassword entry, type your password, and then click OK.NOTE: If the DefaultPassword value does not exist, it must be added. To add the value, follow these steps:
On the Edit menu, click New, and then point to String Value.
Type DefaultPassword, and then press ENTER.
Double-click DefaultPassword.
In the Edit String dialog, type your password and then click OK.
NOTE: If no DefaultPassword string is specified, Windows automatically changes the value of the AutoAdminLogon key from 1 (true) to 0 (false), disabling the AutoAdminLogon feature.
On the Edit menu, click New, and then point to String Value.
Type AutoAdminLogon, and then press ENTER.
Double-click AutoAdminLogon.
In the Edit String dialog box, type 1 and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.
Click Start, click Shutdown, and then type a reason in the Comment text box.
Click OK to turn off your computer.
Restart your computer. You can now log on automatically.
Taken from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324737
Services run regardless of whether a user logs on. If you need an application to run all the time, have you considered converting it to a service? Auto-logon is a security risk.
Windows Services do load before user logins. A Windows service cannot be used to login to an account, but you can specify the account to run the service under. You can setup automatic login in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. AutoAdminLogon, DefaultUserName, DefaultPassword, DefaultDomainName, and ForceAutoLogon are the keys you will need to set. They are all strings.
P.S. This is more a Server Fault \ Super User question.
Services start before login.
And rather than using a service to log into an account, why not just set the account to auto log in?
http://www.expta.com/2008/03/how-to-enable-autologon-in-windows.html.
*edit*Beaten to it*
I have tested it on:
WIN10 updated Jan-2016
WIN7 updated Jan-2016
And it works!
I use this .REG file:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"
"DefaultDomainName"="DOMAINNAME"
"DefaultUserName"="USERNAME"
"DefaultPassword"="PASSWORD"
Extracted from: http://www.sysadmit.com/2016/01/windows-configurar-autologin.html
Maybe systinternals/autologon.exe should be mentioned here.
It has a very simple gui and can also be used by command line only.
I guess it does the registry entry in the background.
I have been trying to add context based right click in windows explorer for a file of extension L5X. I have tried HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\l5xfile\Shell\convert\command and set the (Default) key value to the program I want to have open the file. (I want it to say "Convert" on the context menu) My first issue seems to be that in .NET (even when running elevated) I cannot change the Default key's value. My other issue is changing that Default key value doesn't do anything to the context menu. I would really prefer a no reboot required solution.
Also, I really need this to work on WinXP all the way up to Win7 (including Server 2003, 2008 and 2008R2). If I need to detect OS and do things differently for different OSes, I will but I'm really stuck here.
PS, I tried the solution found here with no luck.
You need administrator rights to write to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is a merged view of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes. If you want to install it for just the current user, write to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes
\l5xfile\Shell\convert\command might not be the correct path, when windows looks for context menu entries for a filetype, it first looks in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.EXT, then uses the default value it finds there: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\%defaultvaluefrom.EXT%\Shell\*
XP added a new key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations designed for non-primary actions where you don't care about the ProgId/Class (The l5xfile part)
MSDN documents all these registry paths and settings, see: File Types and Verbs and File Associations