Visual Effects (Finaly works)

[Rhino]

Sweet

Nice it's being done as we speak

[smc1979]

Done! I modified the first post. Of course msg me with any trouble. also I am still testing to make sure my self. But the bug I found is fixed so there shouldnt be any GUI problems with windows, and the /silent switch now hides the program.

I had the program set to run for 2 sec after it did its works to make sure it had time to finish, I had forgot to hide the form :-P silly me.

Anyways so far from the testing all works great.

Also MAKE SURE to read the bottom of the first post about how to run the app during install. Windows will overwrite the reg keys when the desktop is shown for the first time. So the app needs to be ran after that. not hard though.

[andrewpayne]

Nice app! Having downloaded an hour ago I added to my latest unattended. As I wanted this setting to be applied to the default user profile - I inserted in CMDLINES.TXT to run before first login.

As has now been pointed out - it doesn't work then! Obly after the first login just as explorer is loading up for the first time.

Has anyone/is there a way of applying Default Visual Effects to the default profile or is this just one area that WindowsXP proves to overule?

FYI - Under Performance Options on Right Click/My Computer I always uncheck all values down to 'shadows under mouse pointer, including this one and then check all the rest. The default behaviour appears to be greatly influenced by the Graphics Card/Memory and CPU of the machine (hence the variation)

[smc1979]

I am working on that problem right now of the settings not taking effect.

Basicly when I install it doesnt work, but I can run it afterwards and its fine.

From what I can tell explorer is overwriting it.

The reg keys are a pain in the butt and is where windows rules (in other words you cant delete or make new keys but you can change vaules)

So it is in a rather protected area of the registry.

I will find a way for the app to copy itself to a temp dir and run a again on a 2nd reboot and then delete itself, and see how that works.

I will post my new fix once I figuar it out :-)

[smc1979]

Ok I finaly got it to work, but it was trickey.

And if it has to be trickey then it really isnt very useful is it?

So I will change it tonight, I have to leave for a while right now.

But anyways how I got it to work was have you ever tried to use shutdown.exe after all the installs to reboot? If you have you know that is tricky to get it to run right from a automated install. How I do it is have a 2nd cmd file that is ran off the cd to install the software and run the shutdown (was the only way I could get shutdown to work) cause running it from the main cmd file didnt work.

Well by the time it is running the apps from the 2nd cmd file the destop is loaded while the things are installing.

Well basicly when I had the setup going to where shutdown would run right so did my app. Seems XP is picky as hell.

So basicly whats the point of my app if you have to break your arm to get it to work?

Well I plan on fixing that LOL.

Not sure yet but dont worry I need this as bad and as soon as you guys so excpect a fix most likley later tonight. its about noon my time.

Again guys thanks for using the app, and if you wnt anything done to it just ask me :-)

Same way I am with my CS Fire monitor off my website. I want to program the best, and its only the best when it does what people want.

So ask and it will be done. LOL

Take care.

[andrewpayne]

Thanks - its that old chestnut again I think: How to apply changes/edit the Default User settings.

The thing I love about CMDLINES.TXT is that the reg settings imported at that time (T-whatever) are applied to the Default User profile because the first login has not happened.

However - any changes attempted after the first reboot (autologin + time) make no changes at all to the default user profile - so you end up with a great Administrator (or other SINGLE) user profile and the minute someone else logs on and creates their profile - bang goes all the HKLU settings back to 'default' (set at CMDLINES.TXT time)

Hence why for my Unattended I make sure that all User settings are applied at that time only - as I want all profiles to be the same (initially of course! The users can then set their own preferences later and if they 'balls up' their profile I can delete it and then recreate it from the 'default')

Simple - but that's the way I like to keep things. et tu?

[smc1979]

I totally agree, but there’s a big problem for the visual effects and that.

All the settings for visual effects are under the main key of HKU. All the keys you find under HKLM and HKCU take there settings from HKU.

The problem is the key that they are all under like mine is "S-1-5-21-789336058-651377827-839522115-1003" well not be the same on a different XP. In fact every new install this key is different. So using a reg file simply wont work.

So what my program does is simply find the correct key for the computer and set the settings you want, which are in about 5 different places under that key.

I can not believe how hard Microsoft made it to change those.

How I found out what keys they are is after a fresh test install I set all the visual effects on (default)

I then used a program and took a snap shot of the reg. After that I did nothing esle but turn ALL the settings off, rebooted then took another snap shot and had it compare for changes. A lot was changed but I found every key for the visual effects. When I went to go try and change them on my machine and another test machine with a reg fiel the file wouldn’t import, when I looked at the key it was different and saw this would be a problem.

The only solution was to make a program for it.

I haven’t tried to run the program from the cmdlines yet, not sure if you can, but it you can then you might be able to change that for the default user (which would be best).

Right now I am working on the program and I will test running it from there.

Thanks for the idea to do that!

[andrewpayne]

Might prove difficult as I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is virtually impossible to set parameters on the shell (ie Explorer) before it has loaded for the first time.

As we know - this only occurs after the first reboot and the RunOnceEx.cmd has completed.

It appears (unfortunately) that this is a 'hard-coded' issue with XP

[smc1979]

Well it turns out it is impossible to have it set for deafault.

Every time you make a new account the main reg key under HKU changes and is different for each account.

So there is no way to set it as a default for when you create a new account. But at least the program has a slient command and simply can be ran for each new account made.

I wonder..... If I was to have the program set in the system32 dir during install, and every time a new account is created the program is ran with the /silent command thus having it set to a deafult it a sort of way.

So basicly I can have it added into the setup of XP and it satys part of the os in the system 32 dir. I mean it is only 78kb or something so it is small.

I can find where in the registry windows runs the commands for creating a user account.

What do any of you guys think about me looking into this?

[smc1979]

Wait!!! I may of found where it creates the new keys from. I may after all be able to have it set to default for all new user accounts. I am looking into this now.

I will let you know.

[RyanVM]

The point of writing HKCU registry entries at T-12 (cmdlines.txt/svcpack.inf) is so that they're written to the .Default user and the settings are then automatically given to every account as they're created. I personally apply my visual effects settings from cmdlines.txt and they work fine for all users.

[scorpy]

RyanVM - how? Mine doesn't work. I am running the HKLM I think. Do you have the reg entries?

[RyanVM]

Care to be more specific?

[smc1979]

Actualy HKCU has nothing to do with default user accounts that are made. HKCU is meant for the currently logged in user.

HKU\.DEFAULT is where you can set settings that will transerfered to all new accounts.

In my regtweak file I dont use ANy HKCU for all those i use HKU. then every account I make gets those settings.

[smc1979]

Good news guy I have a way that the visual effects can be set for all new accounts that are created.

Heres what I will have it do.

I will have the program installed into the system32 dir of windows where it will stay.

Under HKU I will put a runonce start key that will be transfered to all new accounts that are creadted. so when a new account logs in for the first time it will run the program and then remove itself from the runonce. thus when the user reboots the setting will take effect.

Bingo! there you go now we can have it set for all the users.

I will update the program and put a how to text file with it tonight after I test it.