Before I start, another post for something similar to this request for help is located at Running a process at the Windows 7 Welcome Screen, but the responses were not quite what I believe I am looking for, and the post is over a year old so I thought it best to start a new thread for my needs.
In Windows 7 Ultimate, I am trying to create a script or task scheduler event that will run a Windows "rundll32.exe" process with arguments at the logon, lock, and switch user screens (basically any screen that is waiting for user to log into the machine).
I have tried using the startup script controls in group policy editor as well as creating a task scheduler event, but so far I am unable to get the process to display on the logon screens.
The command line I am using does work while logged into any account at any user level via the "Run.." dialog as well as via CMD prompt, and is only creating a popup that already exists in the Windows OEM Environment.
The hardest part is this: My friend just bought a new laptop. The new laptop came with this specific feature already enabled, but I have no idea what is making it happen and do not have access to the computer to check out gpedit.msc and task scheduler for possible solutions.
There are two reasons why I need this info: 1) I want the feature to work on my own laptop, and 2) my friend would like help disabling it on his as he doesn't like it.
I have been all over Google, posted at Microsoft Answers, and also posted on the laptop manufacturer's user forums. I have found very few pages that refer to the same question as I have, but none have answers that work, and since I have seen and know that this is possible, I am compelled to continue looking.
The laptop that this is currently working on was purchased with a fresh install of Win 7 Ultimate and no manufacturer bloatware/additional software added, so we know that the feature was made to happen by whomever it was that installed the OS and configured it for sale. Therefore I am certain it is just a matter of the right task or script in Windows itself before I see the results I need and then know how to direct my friend to disable his via phone.
The specific call is "rundll32.exe van.dll,RunVAN". In task scheduler I have set this to run as "SYSTEM" and set the triggers for startup, workstation lock, and local disconnect. I have tried using full path to rundll32.exe as well as the bare command. In gpedit startup scripts I have tried full path and bare command. Neither of which for either case is making this popup show on the logon screens.
Any and all help and/or advice on this would be greatly appreciated by both myself and my friend.
dynamic display of images for the credential provider
Related
We have a windows service that gets installed and runs on users system in the background, but on some windows machine user get an error "A device or program has requested your attention" This is specific to Windows 7.
This is because when we are installing the .exe on the user machine using MSI(created with WIX), the installer job I believe runs on Session 0, and when any prompt appears the user is prompted that a program has requested attention and he gets switched to Session 0. Can we suppress messages for installer or exe running in Session 0.
Thanks.
To fix this you will have to determine what UI is shown if the user switches to Session 0, what shows it, and how to remove it.
Services run on Session 0. Before Windows Vista, they could interact with the desktop, so many did. Chances are your service is trying to show some UI. Upon detecting this, Windows is trying to help you out. Fix the service to avoid showing UI, and the message will go away.
It's plausible that this could also occur for a deferred custom action in the system context (as those are invoked by the Windows Installer service), but I've never run into this scenario. If so, the fix is the same: make that action not show any UI.
Michael's correct, but I want to expand on it a little.
The issue isn't primarily about session 0 or services. It is about anything that tries to show a UI that is not part of the interactive user's current session. The main problem is the shatter attack where (for example) something running with the system (or otherwise privileged) account shows UI to the (perhaps limited) interactive user. The window into the privileged process is a security hole. As a result, attempts by an install to run custom actions with the system account (deferred CAs) that show UI are an issue, as are services. Session 0 is really just part of the implementation that is intended to address the security issues.
So yes, address UI attempts from your services and from (primarily deferred) custom actions in the install.
I wanted to setup a computer with a variety of settings which I basicly have to do over and over and over again everytime a new user joins our company or changes the computer and I wanted to know if there was a possible way to configure those with a script like I already did with an information colletor script (batch file) and which now works perfectly fine thanks to this webside.
So since I know that here are some really awesome IT Guys with way more experience then me I would love to so something automatic as the next step to save loads of time by simply running a script to configure things like setting up the screensaver, InternetOptions, removing Apps/Softwarelinks in the Start Menu or perhaps even adding links to the bookmark list in firefox or chrome so the user can just start to work and I got loads of time for other important things.
For now it would already be a help to setup a script for Windows 7 but I think we will move more and more to windows 10 so would it be possible to write something to use on both systems without any big changes?
... configure things like setting up the screensaver, InternetOptions,
removing Apps/Softwarelinks in the Start Menu or perhaps even adding
links to the bookmark list in firefox or chrome so the user can just
start to work and I got loads of time for other important things.
Everything you ask about can be configured in a centralized fashion via Active Directory Group Policy. Check the Group Policy Survival Guide page to get started designing the policy for your organization and users.
Group Policy can be defined using PowerShell and via Group Policy Management Console which is GUI-based.
Note that the above will only work if you are in Active Directory domain. If you are not, you still can use Local Group Policy, but you will have to run a script on every user's computer. I am not sure whether there are native PowerShell cmdlets to manage Local Group Policy, but AFAIK you can do that via Windows Registry or using special tools.
I am writing an automation the deployes several machines and installs several programs on them.
One of the steps a user would do manually is logging off and on to a windows computer as part of an installation process.
Can someone please point me to relevant links so i can understand how to simulate a logging in process into windows without a gui?
I mean i need to make the machine think someone logged in to it and i am using only powershell.
launching mstsc does not do the trick because i cant overcome the request for certificate (I need an automatic process but i did not find a way to silence the certificate warning)
I searched for a couple of days and could not find what I was looking for.
Thank you for your help!
It's just an idea. Perhaps you can first make the image of the machines with automatic logon , install the software and finally remove the automatic logon ?
This link has details about Automatic Logon
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231
I'm writing a server running as a Windows service that by request invokes Firefox to generate a pdf snapshot of a webpage.
I know it is a bad idea to run a GUI program in service mode, but the server nature of my program restricts from running it in the user mode. Running a user-level 'proxy' also is not an option, since there might be no interactive user logged-in on the machine with the server running.
In my experiments Firefox successfully produced pdf when the service was running under a user account that was already logged-in. Obviously it didn't work in other cases: for Local System and user accounts that weren't logged-in. Under LocalSystem with 'Allow service to interact with desktop' option enabled I could see the Firefox started that reports that it's unable to find a printer.
Since it wouldn't be practical to require an opened user session for the pdf server to run, is there any workaround for this except running the whole thing from a virtual machine?
UPDATE: I figured that the problem wasn't really with account permissions, but with an invisible modal dialog that FF was waiting on while running in the service mode.
However it's still unable to create a pdf when FF is running under the LocalSystem account. FF says it can't find a printer and I'm wondering if this is a permission that could be somehow enabled?
You might want to try a different approach where you'd include some .NET PDF library (PDFsharp is a good, open source, choice) in your project and than use that in conjuction with WebBrowser control you'd also include in your project to render the PDF.
Don't forget to use STAThread attribute if you try this.
I've been through a similar conundrum with the MS Word running unattended. What you need to do is to login as the user you set up to be used to run firefox process and go through the process of setting up printers.
It is possible that just logging in as that user will be enough - there is some stuff performed during the first logon.
I apologize I was not clear enough - I mean you have to logon interactively using that account, configure the default printer, logout, and then run your service
Can you run the program as a Scheduled Task instead? The task can be assigned to a given user account which should work around the service limitations.
A couple of year ago I had a related issue: Shared Network Printer on pseudo-device starting up Ghostscript for PS->PCL translation and printing to real printer. The print-spooler service ran as Local System and the pseudo-device driver hat troubles executing Ghostscript from the service-mode. I was able to solve the problem by copying a couple of registry keys from the HKCU-hive to HKLM.
I would greatly appreciate some help on this one! It may be a tricky one. :)
Problem
I have an VB6 application which is set up as scheduled task. It starts every time, but when executing CreateObject() it fails if a user is not logged on to computer.
I am looking for information on what could cause this. My primary suspicion is that some Windows API fails.
Key points
Behaviour confirmed on Windows 2000, 2003, 2008 and Vista.
The application executes as user X at scheduled time, executed by Windows Task Scheduler.
It executes every time. Application does start!
If user X is logged on via RDP it runs perfectly. (Note that user doesn't need to be connected, only logged on)
If user X is not logged on to computer the application fails.
Failure point
Application fails when using CreateObject() to instantiate a DCOM object which is also part of the application.
The DCOM objects declare .dll-references at startup (globally/on top of .bas-file) and run a small startup function. Failure must be during startup, possibly in one of the .dll-declarations.
Thoughts
After some Googling my initial suspicion was directed at MAPI. From what I could see MAPI required user to be logged on. The application has MAPI references. But even with all MAPI references removed it still does not work.
What is the difference if an user is logged on? Registry mapping? Environment? Explorer.exe is running.
Isn't the user logged on when application executes as the user?
What info would help?
A definitive answer would be truly great.
Any information regarding any VB6 feature/Windows API that could act differently depending on whether user is logged on or not would definitively help.
Similar experiences may lead me in the right direction.
Tips on debugging this.
The VB application possibly needs to get hold on to running services that are only running when a user is logged on.
What is the "Identity" setting of the DCOM component.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Com\comexp.msc
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Com\comexp.msc
Component Services
My Computer
DCOM Config
The DCOM Object, right click properties
Identity tab
Set it to "This User" and set a user with the required permissions, and then run the app as your self to see if the DCOM component can still work, then try again from the scheduler.
We never found out what caused this.
Instead I made a RDP client which I put in Scheduled Tasks. It logged on a user which had the required app in startup. After some time the RDP client forcefully logged out the user (to prevent runaway apps hanging the system).
Not the perfect solution, but a solution nevertheless.
has your VB6 forms?
because when you run scheduled, it run "as a service", so it can't have forms, or if it have forms an enviroment where to show them.
I don't remember what I have used, but exists generic "run as a service" converter exe to run windowed VB6 projects.
Also perhaps you can easy convert your code to run as a VBScript, and schedule it.