[How To] Make Maxthon your default browser

[prathapml]

Many people have wanted to disable Internet Explorer, and use Maxthon instead, in its place. Here's how you can do it on a Windows XP unattended install. This is (hopefully) a complete HowTo for having Maxthon installed, configured and set as default browser - all of this silently, for Windows XP unattended.

Its not nearly as difficult as the number of steps below seem to suggest (carrying out all of the below will only take 5 minutes in total). If you don't want to make another post saying "doesn't work" following the below EXACTLY will help, lol. Here we go:

Credits: MCT for making the easy INF install.

Note that after your first install of Maxthon once, there's no need anymore to use the original installer in which it came.

Maxthon as default browser on Windows XP (SP1 or higher):

1. Check that the below is existing in your winnt.sif:

[Unattended]
    OemPreinstall=Yes

[Components]
     IEAccess=off

2. Since Maxthon is based off IE and will use its settings too, look-up this topic for IE configuration - IE6 pre-config.

3. Download and install Maxthon manually.

4. Configure it to how you like it (the settings, toolbars, get rid of the "donate" dialogs, etc.)

5. Just before you close it, remember to set this:

from menu:

"Options >> Maxthon Options >> General >> When Starting"

Enable "Check whether Maxthon is your default browser"

We need it since that is what will set the protocols to associate with Maxthon after asking you, upon first-run (you need to click "yes I want to make Maxthon my default browser" when you run it first time after Windows is setup).

6. Copy away Maxthon's installed folder (C:\Program Files\Maxthon) to elsewhere to have a safe copy.

7. Now put that folder onto your unattended CD - "\$OEM$\$Progs\Maxthon\" folder should now exist.

8. Explanation - The above way, during windows setup, you have it being copied automatically to "%ProgramFiles%\Maxthon"

9. Put the short-cut to Maxthon too - make a shortcut to it on the desktop, and put it as - "\$OEM$\$Docs\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Maxthon.lnk"

10. Now, the registry entries in next step. Copy and paste the below into notepad:

[VERSION]
Signature=$CHICAGO$

[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=maxthon

[maxthon]
; remember Maxthon setup folder
HKCU,"Software\Maxthon","Folder",0x00000000,"%16422%\Maxthon"


;Make Maxthon the default browser from Start Menu

;Set the Start Menu sticky apps
HKCU,"Software\Clients\StartMenuInternet",,,"Maxthon"

; Give details for the Internet Browser (as mentioned above)
HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\Maxthon","LocalizedString",0x00000000,"Maxthon Web Browser"
HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\Maxthon\shell\open\command",,,"%16422%\Maxthon\Maxthon.exe"
HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Maxthon.exe",,,"%16422%\Maxthon\Maxthon.exe"
HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Maxthon.exe","Path",0x00000000,"%16422%\Maxthon"

11. Save it as maxthon.inf

12. Now copy maxthon.inf to "\$OEM$\$Progs\Maxthon\" folder on your CD.

13. Add this line to any .CMD (batch-file) which you run at T-12 (through cmdlines.txt):

rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 128 %ProgramFiles%\Maxthon\maxthon.inf
(this block is to be taken as one line, the page might have given a line-break)

14. That's all. Make your CD and it should work. No IE, only Maxthon. Enjoy!

If there's any errors in the above, do post and tell. Hoping this helps....

Edited November 18, 2004 by prathapml

[prathapml]

Topic re-opened.

There was a small typo, and that was fixed.

Tested, and the above method works perfectly.

So now that this mini-howto is done, would be nice to see how many are using it.

[Rodent]

I used it,

and it rocks!

thanks

a side note for the n00b user (like me too):

you need to create a own .cmd (example: maxthon.cmd)

from which you call up the maxthon.inf

the well english spoken might already read that from prathapml's post,

me has not first, so i had to try.

at the end it worked, so thank you really much!!

rgds

alex

[MCT]

u dont HAVE too!, u can use your existing *.cmd file to call the rundll32 cmd

[creopard]

thanks for this how-to!

[creopard]

;Set the Start Menu sticky apps
HKCU,"Software\Clients\StartMenuInternet",,,"Maxthon"

"HKCU,"Software\Clients\StartMenuInternet" does not exist!

shouldn't it be HKLM?

[prathapml]

shouldn't it be HKLM?

No, it shouldn't.

Try applying the INF file, and the effects will be seen - HKLM is not the one.

[creopard]

Thx!

Btw, here's a German translation of this how-to:

http://www.kleo.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2286

[prathapml]

UPDATE:

There was a slight updation to the INF in the first-post.

[tha_vampyr]

is there a way of making this compatiable with runonceex.cmd creator?

would this be ok?

REG ADD %KEY%\001 /VE /D "Misc\Maxthon 1.1.120" /f
REG ADD %KEY%\001 /V 1 /D "rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 128 %ProgramFiles%\Maxthon\maxthon.inf" /f

[prathapml]

Yes, provided that all else in your RunOnceEX processes is working fine, the above seems fine.

[rikgale]

It works!

Thanx prathapml.

I'm now going to try tha_vampyr's idea run it from RunOnceEx.cmd and see what happens.

[RogueSpear]

I have to say that I had difficulties using the inf file method, so I came up with a reg file that works just fine from cmdlines.txt.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Maxthon

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\ftp\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\ftp\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\ftp\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\htmlfile\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\htmlfile\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\htmlfile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\HTTP\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\HTTP\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\HTTP\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\https\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\https\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\https\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\InternetShortcut\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\InternetShortcut\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\InternetShortcut\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\mhtmlfile\shell]
@="Maxthon"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\mhtmlfile\shell\Maxthon\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\mhtmlfile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet]
@="Maxthon.exe"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\Maxthon.exe]
"LocalizedString"="Maxthon Web Browser"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\Maxthon.exe\shell]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\StartMenuInternet\Maxthon.exe\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
"Maxthon"="??"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Maxthon]
"InstallCount"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Maxthon\Dync]
"Running"="0"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\MUICache]
"@explorer.exe,-7004"="Opens your Internet browser."
"@shell32.dll,-12704"="Internet P&roperties"
"@shell32.dll,-12705"="&Browse the Internet"
"C:\\Program Files\\Maxthon\\Maxthon.exe"="Maxthon Web Browser"