prathapml

--BREAKING NEWS-- I have made a workaround, and am testing it. Shall type it up in this space if it is more reliable. But let me say, it is very ugly to use at best. Thanks for everybody's help (everybody A.K.A. alanoll at this point on this thread), please keep on the quest to find a way out of this mess of WMP first-run. @Alanoll: any progress on the gpedit thing yet? BTW, how do you apply administrative policies related to WMP/IE/etc. unattendedly?

Nopes! It works when you just apply the above from the explorer shell. But if you have "WMaccess=off" and "WMPOCM=off" and then apply the above reg in T-12 (cmdlines) or GUIrunonce, it does not help - the first-run insists on being seen. I also have the above entries in "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences" - but still, no effect is taken after a re-install. Maybe running wmplayer for the first-time, after having it as a disabled component, will refresh the above keys (and thus make this pre-reg process useless)? But, if that is the case, how is the other settings not affected (the other prefs do take effect)? But I don't think all the difficulty above is needed. GPedit.msc has a property to switch-off the first-run for all users. Now, if only someone could clean-install windows, then monitor the registry while the gpedit setting is applied...... @Alanoll :wink: You have vmware and regmon, isn't it? :hint: :hint: EDIT: Looks like the values have to be applied when the explorer shell is running. Since T-12 and GUIrunonce, both don't have explorer loaded when processing the above values, they don't work. I was able to disable WMP access in setup as described above, then reboot on first-login, then login again, double-click wmp9.reg (to apply it), and after this wmplayer ran without first-run for that user. So it looks like only gpedit can be the saviour, can anyone help this poor soul out here....... ?

Hey there, thanks Alanoll. It worked! This was what was required: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences] "AcceptedPrivacyStatement"=dword:00000001 "FirstRun"=dword:00000000 Now, don't even think of asking me why it did not work previously (though I had that same key already present) - 'coz I myself am in the process of finding the reason. Since I have a nice, big, fat <wmp9.reg> of 14 KB of desired (cleaned) settings, maybe I had multiples of the above values; which were inverse of each other..... Maybe something to do with the fact that the above values work only on SP2 RC2 (which I upgraded to only today). Since it is very close to the RTM build, maybe MS has opened out these hooks for use - remember the same tweaks did not work for me on builds 2055/2096.

HAIL TO THE KEEL, ME HEARTIES! -RedBeard (the high seas robber). So many page views and so few responses! We need more opinions/ideas here dudes, so keep the posts coming.

Yup, that's what I was thinking (prolly "AcceptedPrivacyStatement" as well).But then, those values are present in my existing tweaks to be applied - lem'me see for sure..... Have you just hurriedly exported the keys (above) from the registry, or is it an exact .reg form of your INF keys? In any case, I'll try out on this one, and come back and post if it worked or not. LOLYup, INF method needs some sympathy......

Well, no problems on that count. It's pretty obvious in that list as to which ones _cannot_ be related to fixing this S***. So I am left with just having a few keys to bother about. Ya, sure - and could you please post the necessary tweak (same as above) in .reg form?Please, please, please, please, please, please.......................................... IN THE MEANTIME: hey dudes, keep the suggestions coming (of which I don't see too many over here, :you stingies: )

Hi all, Did anyone yet find out how to disable wmp9 first run? 'Coz it is getting a bit sick here on SP2 - re-install windows everyday and (sarcastic) *ENJOY*ing (/sarcastic) seeing that SICK,SICK,SICK first-run configuration screen about as many times too. The irritating thing is that I have to uncheck all the file-types every time, for I use some other player as my default - and I don't want WMP to hijack the file associations. On SP1 there were registry settings available to disable WMP9's first-run, so it should only be a matter of time before a workaround is found. Besides, gold/SP1 versions of XP had WMP8 by default and did not throw first-run bull-S*** in your face. So logically, WMP9 being pre-installed in SP2 by default, should not have this piece of crap - or it should atleast have a way to gracefully disable/bypass it. Is there a registry tweak for this? Or a .INI file somewhere? Or..... Please, 'coz I'm desperate.

@mazin changes to be incorporated Your first post has a few errors.Do have a look at the quoted corrected post, and update it. Once you finish editing the first post to how the corrected one says, do PM me (so that I can edit my own pointing-out-the-error post to blank). If you are too tired out to figure out what needs fixing, this is what was wrong: IsFirstInst=0 NeedReg=0That's how it should have been. Just killing the installer after a pre-defined time may turn out bad (on slower machines) as you already say. Also, REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Nullsoft\Winamp /v regkey /t REG_SZ /d xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx /f will not work, because winamp does not store your actual key - it just puts a validation hash in the registry (like WinXP's WPA). The only way to have winamp pro registration pre-enabled is to export that key after entering your key. As for whether the correction is needed, let me say it is a *MUST*. I should know, for I was the one who evolved this idea in the first place...... Winamp 5 Pro I hope you don't flame me, thinking of this as a fight to see who's superior. I'm just pointing this out, because without the corrections, the purpose of echoing winamp.ini is not served.

Either: 1. You need to install the drivers for some device (whose drivers weren't in the OS). --OR-- 2. Go into Control Panel, and check that everything is set to normal ('coz, by default sound/3D-acceleration/Power-settings are set to ultra-safe modes - which leads to the non-ACPI behaviour you describe).

If not in the main options dialog-panel of OE, maybe that setting is in your account's properties?

Tried searching ? TweakUI switches P.S. : The above mentioned powertoy is not 'new' - it was released around the time of SP1 for WinXP.

Hey! <you're actually right, LOL> Okay, okay....... let's put it this way: sooner or later a third person will vote for asia - and that will end up being the last. See the logic behind my reasoning?

Yes. IE, OE, and WMP can only be disabled. That is sufficient to take care of the security issues - if you don't ever again turn back towards these apps. If you want to completely un-bundle IE, OE, WMP, MovieMaker, etc. from windows, check out the tool 'nLite' on the MSFN forums.

Off the top of my head: Motherboard Monitor (stopped/closed) EVEREST Home Edition (formerly AIDA-32) There may be more utils too (not seen any command-line tools for this yet).

extract the .EXE to get an MSI executable. Use the switch "/QB". Or, don't bother to do all that (the below will save you some disk space too!). Install TweakUI, and then go into "C:\Windows\System32\" and copy away the "TweakUI.exe" file to "$OEM$\$$\system32\" folder on your uA CD. To get an icon in Control Panel for Tweak UI, put this in your Registry Tweaks (after doing the above): ;Show TweakUI at Control Panel [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D14ED2E1-C75B-443c-BD7C-FC03B2F08C17}] @="TweakUI XP" "InfoTip"="Starts the TweakUI program which, allows you to customize advanced options and Settings in Windows to your liking" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D14ED2E1-C75B-443c-BD7C-FC03B2F08C17}\DefaultIcon] @="%SystemRoot%\\\\System32\\\\tweakui.exe,0" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D14ED2E1-C75B-443c-BD7C-FC03B2F08C17}\Shell\Open\command] @="tweakui.exe" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{D14ED2E1-C75B-443c-BD7C-FC03B2F08C17}\ShellFolder] "Attributes"=dword:00000030 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ControlPanel\NameSpace\{D14ED2E1-C75B-443c-BD7C-FC03B2F08C17}] @="Tweak UI

Nothing.. BUt Do I ONLY need those Fix ? To tell *ONLY* as much as you need, and nothing more. That's what MBSA (MS Baseline security analyzer) exists for.

#continuing my previous post- Dude, forget about finding members _approximately_ in my region, I don't seem likely to even find people on my *CONTINENT* (considering that just 3 people staying in asia have voted) !!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO

That modification is fine - shouldn't cause any problems. As for modifying hives, it is risky/buggy; so I won't try to respond about that. I suppose line 39 and 40 and 41 of your winnt.sif is as below: [GuiRunOnce] ; List the programs that you want to lauch when the machine is logged into for the first timeWell, you could try removing that section. Maybe the [GuiRunOnce] section cannot be left blank. In the same way, try eliminating all unnecessary lines/sections from winnt.sif and test the setup after each modification. Do tell us where the problem turned out to be, and how you fixed it.

Install windows normally (without applying any of those hot-fixes). Then run the MBSA (MS Baseline security analyzer) to see what are the hotfixes you need to use: MBSA Then, use the windows catalog to download required patches (of course, don't re-download any hotfixes that you already have).

Bangalore, India, Asia - Born and raised/living right here. @HyDeNCiTy: Hey, I don't see much of people from this region around here - do you ?

Hey ppl, there seems to be a fair bit of complication on this thread. We know to solve it, dont we? - use the hacked file itself (never mind broken agreements, implicitly or by proxy, which can be important for some people). Forget about complicated/long-drawn-out processes, here's the simple way: <extract-directx dxsetup.exe hex-edit>

Do you have something like the below in your winnt.sif ? [Shell] CustomDefaultThemeFile="%systemroot%\Resources\Themes\Slate.theme" DefaultStartPanelOff=No DefaultThemesOff=No

That's right - that's where it goes. Remember, simply disabling IE alone is no help. OE uses (large chunks of) the same engine that IE does, and is an even bigger security hole than the browser. I'd say disable IE, and OE as well - there's enough numbers of alternatives available.

NO THANKS, TeT_TaT - BUT COULD YOU BE MORE HELPFUL ? Do not use large letters in your post - it is equivalent to shouting (read the MSFN rules). Also, try searching the forums before asking something. You do realize, don't you, that guides and user-sites exist to explore things in more detail? More importantly, remember that requesting help differs a bit from *DEMANDING* it. Paid help-desks exist for the latter task. The forums are a place where normal people such as you and me help each other - so being polite helps. Lastly, I don't think you can expect to carry out what you want to do without knowing a few technicalities. So first stick around on the forums, absorb the ideas floating around here, and then go ahead.

Yes, that seems right. The line 39 which is referred to, is that of winnt.sif Check if your winnt.sif is properly made (or if it has any unnecessary content). See what is present on line39 of your winnt.sif and post it here - or if you corrected it yourself, post the solution (what you did to solve your problem) here to benefit the everybody.