WMP codec tweak won't work :(

[Professor Frink]

I am applying the following during cmdlines.txt:

;-----Disable WMP automatic codec downloads-----
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences]
"UpgradeCodecPrompt"=dword:00000000

But when it's all done and I open up WMP, the "download codecs automatically" box is checked. Am I doing something wrong?

FWIW -- I am not installing WMP 9. I am just leaving it with the one that comes with XP.

[Aaron]

Have you made sure that WMP8 updates are applied before importing the registry tweak?

[Professor Frink]

I have most of my hotfixes running through svcpack.inf, and the tweaks running through cmdlines.txt. But, as per the suggestion here:

Hotfixes For Windows XP Professional SP1

I can't install the WMP hotfix 817787 during svcpack.inf. So I run it during my post-install bat file (the one that installs all the programs).

This tweak needs to be done during cmdlines.txt, though (because it is the HKCU variety). Is 817787 messing me up somehow?

[Aaron]

This tweak needs to be done during cmdlines.txt, though (because it is the HKCU variety).  Is 817787 messing me up somehow?

Possibly. I will have to check the update.inf file in the hotfix to see what registry changes its trying to make.

[Professor Frink]

Interesting....... I decided to do another install -- I kept everything the same except I didn't install 817787. Yet the codec download box was still checked!

Now I'm stumped. Does this happen to anyone else? I really want to avoid having my users get any download prompts.

[Aaron]

Have you tried HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE rather than HKEY_USERS? It may work.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences

[Professor Frink]

Using regshot, I found one key that changes when I uncheck the codec box:

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-343818398-920026266-1060284298-500\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences]
"UpgradeCodecPrompt"=hex:00

But isn't that a unique key that will be different every time? I think so, since it didn't work when I applied it during my next install.

[Aaron]

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-343818398-920026266-1060284298-500\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences]
"UpgradeCodecPrompt"=hex:00

But isn't that a unique key that will be different every time?  I think so, since it didn't work when I applied it during my next install.

Looking at my copy of the registry, it appears to be different just after the S-1-5-21 bit.

[Professor Frink]

Is there some way to make that type of reg tweak work? I thought I read that somewhere, but I forget.

[Professor Frink]

*bump*

Is there any way to incorporate a reg tweak involving the "[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-********]" area?