Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

Questorfla — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:48:06 GMT

I left a post in the related technet forum. I have to deal with an old style "workgroup" network, no AD tools for deployment but looking for a way to automate creation of the office VPN (currently only Windows 7). It would be nice if it were scripted to ask the username and password to use for creating the VPN but other things such as the VPN name, IPV4/IPV6 settings and other specific modifications could be written inside it. As a final touch, it needs to create a shortcut on the user's desktop.

For the Grand Finale, it needs test the connection and if sucessful, map 3 network drives to the VPN connection.

THAT would make "My Life" a lot more "automagic" :) Thanks

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

Jamie — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:29:16 GMT

Invalid root in registry key "HKEY_USERS\Test\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper". (-2147024809 0x80070057

Is because the script cannot resolve sDefaultUserHive = """%USERPROFILE%\..\Default\NTUSER.DAT""" in a WinPE environment

Changing it to sDefaultUserHive = C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT""" Works not is not tidy.

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

pandion03 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:20:06 GMT

What about a way to adjust default settings when you're not preparing an image? The use for this in in Home environments etc when multiple users use the same PC. I have a way to do this in XP, but not yet for Vista or Win7. For XP, I create a Limited User account and customize all the desktop, TaskBar, Start Menu, video, screen saver, windows explorer settings etc. I use registry files (or do it manually) to configure all the IE settings (Zones, Tabs, Advanced Settings, Toolbars, Ad-Ons, Search Providers, etc). Then load this template user hive to import power settings (created with an Admin account and modified to match the name used when loading the hive for the template user) etc. that the Limited User can't make. I either disable or clear the recent programs/documents lists. Then copy this modified profile over the Default (as in Q319974 03/02/2005 Rev2). To fix the Desktop.ini/My Docs folder customization/naming issues, I ad a shortcut in Startup to a batch file that runs rundll32 mydocs,dll,PerUserInit, and then deletes the shortcut so it runs only at 1st logon (easier to manage than runonce registry key). This method addresses the mentioned problems (2a, 2c (Start Menu setting), 2d) for manually replacing the defalt profile mentioned in http://blogs.technet.com/deploymentguys/archive/2008/02/18/configuring-default-user-and-computer-settings-for-windows-image-deployment.aspx. For this use, 2b doesn't matter. I'm not sure if 2e and 2f are issues, but if the apps aren't opened with the template user profile they may not occur. I have not seen the 2e and 2f issues yet. It works well in XP with no issues that I've noticed. Any suggestions for Vista or Win7?

Is there errors in this script

JimKelly — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:38:45 GMT

Hi Richard,

I have added you script into my MDT 2008 deployment, but unfortunately, it producs some errors.

I found this on devx.com

Const HKEY_USERS = &H80000003

Const HKEY_PERFORMANCE_DATA = &H80000004

which is different from your settings.

Also, using your line:

did not run the script. The "..\..\" has to be removed.

Here is the output from zCFG-DefaultUser.log:

<![LOG[The task sequencer log is located at X:\windows\TEMP\SMSTSLog\SMSTS.LOG. For task sequence failures, please consult this log.]LOG]!><time="12:22:54.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[zCFG-DefaultUser: Actions Start - Updating Default Profile]LOG]!><time="12:22:54.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[zCFG-DefaultUser: Loading the Default User hive]LOG]!><time="12:22:54.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[zCFG-DefaultUser: Default User Hive Loaded to "HKEY_USERS\Test"]LOG]!><time="12:22:57.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[zCFG-DefaultUser: Starting Registry Changes... ]LOG]!><time="12:22:58.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[zCFG-DefaultUser: Setting Default User Wallpaper]LOG]!><time="12:22:58.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="1" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

<![LOG[ZTI ERROR - Unhandled error returned by zCFG-DefaultUser: Invalid root in registry key "HKEY_USERS\Test\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper". (-2147024809 0x80070057)]LOG]!><time="12:22:58.000+000" date="08-21-2008" component="zCFG-DefaultUser" context="" type="3" thread="" file="zCFG-DefaultUser">

Do you have an updated version of this script, as I am not a programmer and would not know where to start.

Thanks,

Jim

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

Jason — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:15:24 GMT

Richard,

what if the key itself doesn't exist. I'd like to make some changes in the Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced key, but it doesn't exist under the Default user profile.

Help! :)

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

John Quirk — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:18:35 GMT

This is an interesting approach, I've never been a fan of copying a modified profile over default as it's often reulted in unpredictable results for me... I also think that any manual modification to the image config is broadly bad practice, so tend to avoid that approach...

At the moment I don't use the registry hive modification detailed above, but tend to create a BuildSettings.msi which I install as an ActiveSetup entry. This has the advantage of (obviously) running once for every user that logs on and has the ability to modify registry values and where necessary add files, if you're familiar with MSI (or any other scripting language for that matter, SMSInstaller..!) this may be an approach worth looking into.

The BuildSettings.msi I'm using at the customer I'm with today sets the following (it's an XP ZTI job...):

Turns ClearType ON, Changes TEMP environment variables, mutes sound, turns on NumLock, create TNS Names ENV Variable and folder.

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

Jason — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:16:27 GMT

Cool. Well, if you used this in combination with sysprep, it would seem to give you everything you need. Wouldnt it?

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

DeploymentGuys — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:24:03 GMT

That's correct - as Michael mentioned in his post - This technique has the advantage that all changes to Default User are known and predictable. However, this technique also requires that all changes be reduced to “scriptable” items i.e. Registry or file system changes - no manual configuration can be applied.

re: Useful Script Number 5 - Adjusting the Default User Registry Hive

Jason — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:09:51 GMT

Richard,

So it seems like with this technique, you don't need to use sysprep to copy the settings. You can just do it by loading, changing the settings, and unloading the hive?

Jason