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Start Screen is getting in the way


Tripredacus

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Here be (probably) another complaint about the Start Screen (read Metro UI thing) is that it is in the way! I am now working on getting driver and application automation working properly in Windows 8 and have run into some problems. Since you can't boot to the Desktop, you can't see anything going on there. So, where my previous scripts would show a progress bar, or "please wait" animation in Windows 7, they do not "work" in Windows 8 because the Start Screen is there. I've already had to make changes since MsgBoxes break the Desktop... had to remove those... That is OK! BUT.

Problem #1: How to get a progress or some thing to appear on the Start Screen during an installation operation? Maybe even change the UI color temporarily? Any ideas how to do this? Reason it is a problem: The installation period and the after reboot (install done) has the same appearance. Interrupting the operations during the installation period could cause something to fail.

Problem #2: Anything that can't be automated, such as the Unsigned Driver dialog, won't appear or cause Start Screen to lose focus. You never see it and it appears to time out. I tested this with Synaptics TouchPad software which doesn't seem to install.

In my case, I can't get rid of the Start Screen prior to launching the apps is because I run things primarily in Audit Mode. So sysprep.exe is running on the desktop.

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  • 1 month later...

Trip,

For the scenario you describe, where the Start Screen is interfering with scripts during the customization of the reference image, there is a method provided within Audit Mode to allow the system to bypass the Start Screen to facilitate the script automation. This is done by using Sysprep to launch AuditShD.exe which is found under C:\Windows\System32\OOBE\ via your Answer File. Details on how to add this to your answer file can be found in the Audit Mode Overview for Windows 8 on TechNet under Automatically Display the Windows 8 Desktop.

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I will take a look at that and see if I can use it. I have already done a work-around where I change the background color of the Start Screen to red while the installer is working, and then change it to green when it is done. And anything that requires user interaction has to be done manually for now. :thumbup

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