Clean install solutions needed

[lurk&jerk]

Is there anyway to automate the following things during a Windows 8 clean install, either in the Autounattend.xml, a batch or registry file.

1) Preset drive letters for the various storage drives so that USB Mass Storage Devices aren't assigned randomly.

2) Eliminate unwanted/Unneeded scheduled Windows Tasks such as stopping WinSAT.exe from running and/or disabling the Windows Customer Experience Improvement checking program.

3) Eliminating the Windows 8 lock screen without drilling down through the Windows Group Policy Editor

4) Enable legacy F8 boot to safe mode option in Windows without running a batch file under an elevated command prompt.

I know most of these things were implemented/changed for security reasons but when running a PC in admin mode, they are a huge annoyance to fix/change. Thanks in advance.

[jaclaz]

4) Enable legacy F8 boot to safe mode option in Windows without running a batch file under an elevated command prompt.

Your reference to "Local Group Policy Editor" seems like unrelated.

Legacy boot should be a setting in \boot\BCD, the reference is here, look for "bootmenupolicy [ Legacy | Standard ]":

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/hardware/ff542202.aspx

Since the BCD is a Registry hive, it should be possible by comparing a "Standard" BCD against the same BCD once set to "Legacy" to implement the change via "registry file", though it has to be seen when it needs to be applied.

jaclaz

[lurk&jerk]

Can't apply the legacy setting through the registry but I'm testing a utility that executes an elevated command prompt. Looks interesting and works for applying the legacy boot menu through a batch file. Can't solve some of the other issues though

Edited March 17, 2014 by lurk&jerk

[lurk&jerk]

3 down, 1 no go. From the top:

1. @HALIKKUS http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/46105-Windows-8-1-Registry-Tweaks/page7

Can only re-store drives on the same PC; not a new one but helpful nonetheless for clean-reinstalls.

2. Can only do this manually as you apparently can't overwrite system tasks in Task Scheduler

3. Disable the lock screen by registry script (I forgot this was possible)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization] "NoLockScreen"=dword:00000001  

4. Download elevate.exe and use it in a batch file using this command to restore legacy boot menu.

@echo offelevate -c -w BCDEDIT /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes

[jaclaz]

Can't apply the legacy setting through the registry but I'm testing a utility that executes an elevated command prompt. Looks interesting and works for applying the legacy boot menu through a batch file. Can't solve some of the other issues though

Well, actually we can elevate to a much higher level as System or even as TrustedInstaller :

http://reboot.pro/topic/17501-runassystem-and-runfromtoken/

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/155910-taking-back-the-registry-from-trustedinstaller/

jaclaz

[lurk&jerk]

@The Finder. Nice finds (no pun intended). Except RunasSystem and Runastoken are listed as a

• File Size: 3.05MB download. Whereas elevate is a 11kb download and the actual file size is 5kb. But I'm sure RunAsSystem is way more flexible and powerful.

[jaclaz]

@The Finder. Nice finds (no pun intended). Except RunasSystem and Runastoken are listed as a

• File Size: 3.05MB download. Whereas elevate is a 11kb download and the actual file size is 5kb. But I'm sure RunAsSystem is way more flexible and powerful.

Sure, but - to be picky - the "elevate.exe" does not actually "elevate", it is a form of "Run As" (Administrator with UAC), and - to all practical effects - can be replaced by a few lines of script (thus saving much of the 5 Kb)

Something *like*:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2007.06.utilityspotlight.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/elevationpowertoys/archive/2010/06/20/creating-a-self-elevating-script.aspx

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-1855254/batch-file-elevates.html

http://www.cammckenzie.com/blog/index.php/2013/01/16/elevate-uac-admin-rights-for-a-batch-file/

Or, something that I would advise to anyone actually fiddling on Windows machines with command line and batches, get Nircmd:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html

NIRCMD.exe elevate command 

In other words, whilst the elevate.exe is a nice thingy to have not the stupid right click->Run As Administrator, it doesn't provide "extra" powers, while being System (or TrustedInstaller) does provide them.

jaclaz

Edited March 28, 2014 by jaclaz

[lurk&jerk]

Good points. I had forgot that nircmd had an elevate function.

[jaclaz]

Yep and, before I forget, a few words of warning, remember that Voltaire (long before Peter Parker's uncle Ben ) said:

With great power comes great responsibility

and - to be fair - the concept is also in Luke 12:48

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+12%3A48&version=KJV

Kids, don't play with System or TrustedInstaller at home!

jaclaz

Edited March 29, 2014 by jaclaz