Change Start Menu style via Registry?

[dtcostelloe]

Greetings ... I have been searching everywhere for an answer to this question ... Google and everything else keeps sending me to garbage that talks about everything EXCEPT what I'm trying to do ...

What I'm trying to do is simple. I am working on an install / Windows Setup CD. I need a clean desktop without anything on it (including the Start Menu) for a phase during my setup. So, I figured out that I can make everything work by switching WinXP into the Classic Start Menu mode via the registry. I just apply the registry patch before the first user login, and then WinXP doesn't automatically open the danged Start Menu when it boots up.

Now, what I need to do is find a way to tell XP through the registry that I want to use the New Style (XP Style) Start Menu the NEXT time the user logs on. It doesn't have to be persistent ... meaning it doesn't have to try to force the user to KEEP the XP Style setting ... I just want it set to that for the second time the user account is logged in. After the second login, if the user wants to use Classic mode or whatever, they can change it ... I just want the whole account going back to "Windows Default" settings after a planned reboot which will all happen the very FIRST time the account is logged into. Hopefully I'm making sense.

I can't find in the registry where the start menu style is "saved" in the registry to over-write it for the next logon.

So, anyone have any idea at all how I can do this????

Thanks in advance for any help!

PS: I'm looking for registry edits only ... I don't want to use any programs or software that I'll have to manipulate ... it wouldn't work for my purpose.

[beats]

This setting forces the Classic Start Menu.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Force Classic Start Menu
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSimpleStartMenu"=dword:00000001

And this one UNDO's the above setting. Put it in RunOnce for example.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;Undo Force Classic Start Menu
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSimpleStartMenu"=dword:00000000

[dtcostelloe]

Thanks a TON! I actually had the right settings all along ... which is probably why I couldn't find any "other" registry keys to change on the net. The reason my code wasn't working was because I was putting the setting under the wrong key. My code had [HKEY_CURRENT_USER ....] instead of [HKEY_LOCAL_MACINE ....]. For whatever reason, the code I was using under the HKCU key worked to change the Start Menu to the Classic Style on first login, but setting the NoSimpleStartMenu value to 0 under the HKCU key wouldn't change it back. Oh well ... it works under the HKLM key, and I guess it doesn't matter how or why it works - as long as it does!

Anyway, I've made the adjustments and the code is working. Thanks again for your help! I have another thread on here where I had asked for some advice with my unattended setup ... I believe I've answered my own questions for the most part, but I will post my entire process and stuff in that thread when I get done with the whole project. (Maybe someone else on here will find it useful.) I'll also post a link from here to there.

Regards,

Dave

[beats]

You're welcome .