Startup Links Not Removing

[mikku]

friends

i am facing a strange problem

i have installed few applications with my unattended xp

and i have subgrouped the All Programs menu

into:

Players

Internet Stuff

Windows Tools

but following links which are not either deleting or moving

Internet Explorer

Outlook Express

Windows Media Player

(Check the Image)

I have tried all the possible ways of deleting them

i have tried deleting them

i have tried changing their attribute to hidden so that they wont be shown in the all programs menu

Besides simple delete commands i have tried following things

attrib -A +H "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk"
attrib -A +H "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk"
attrib -A +H "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk"
DEL /AH "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk"
DEL /AH "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk"
DEL "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk"

attrib -A +H  "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk"
attrib -A +H "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk"
attrib -A +H "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk"
DEL /AH "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk"
DEL /AH "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk"
DEL /AH "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk"
DEL /Q "%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\*.*"

plz help me

tell me how to delete these 3 links from All Programs

[lilweirddude]

when are you trying to remove them?

because i think those are added after first login

like the ie and show desktop shortcuts are added to quick launch after first login

[mikku]

i have added above mentioned lines in cleanup.cmd and am executing the cleanup.cmd in Runonceex

[DPR]

No way to delete them at this point of the setup ...

IE, OE and Media Player shortcuts are created during the first login process with the help of the stub path entries inside the registry.

They can all be found under "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components".

You may delete the corresponding entries, but you should also keep in mind that this will skip some initializations of the mentioned apps. However - it's relatively safe to remove these entries.

Stub-path GUIDs ...

IE:

{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}

{26923b43-4d38-484f-9b9e-de460746276c}

OE:

{44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}

{7790769C-0471-11d2-AF11-00C04FA35D02}

{881dd1c5-3dcf-431b-b061-f3f88e8be88a}

MediaPlayer:

{22d6f312-b0f6-11d0-94ab-0080c74c7e95}

{6BF52A52-394A-11d3-B153-00C04F79FAA6}

[gunsmokingman]

Here A VBS Script That Should work

Cut And Paste Then Save As RemoveShortCuts.vbs

This Is Silent

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT
Dim Shell, AP, UP, SD
 AP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%AllUsersProfile%")
 UP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserProfile%")
 SD = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemDrive%")
    Set Shell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Explorer.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Explorer.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")

This Is With A Message Box And A 3 Second Time Out

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT
Dim Shell, AP, UP, SD
 AP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%AllUsersProfile%")
 UP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserProfile%")
 SD = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemDrive%")
    Set Shell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Explorer.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
    fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Explorer.lnk")
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
    fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
CreateObject("wscript.shell").popup "Completed Remove Shortcuts!", 3, "Remove Shortcuts", 0 + 64

Hope This Helps

[mikku]

@gunsmokingman

thanks for replying

but i would know

where i have to put these vbs script

i mean if i put in cleanup.cmd which is called from runonceex

then will it be ok

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Have your cleanup.cmd (Last entry of runonceEx) call the vb script directly.

[mikku]

you mean

RemoveShortCuts.vbs

but i have added

cscript //B //NoLogo %systemdriver%\install\RemoveShortCuts.vbs

in cleanup.cmd

isnt it ok

[gunsmokingman]

Either will work

1\

start /w wscript.exe %systemdriver%\install\RemoveShortCuts.vbs

2\

wscript.exe %systemdriver%\install\RemoveShortCuts.vbs

[Dahi]

You can also turn off those shortcuts in WINNT.SIF. See here for details.

[Components]
ieaccess = off
msnexplr = off
oeaccess = off
wmaccess = off

Keep a copy of the shortcuts somewhere and copy them to your All Programs folders during one of your batches.

[mikku]

@dahi

i think if i set

ieaccess = off

msnexplr = off

oeaccess = off

wmaccess = off

then these packages wont be installed

i want to know by turning them off as mentioned above

will disable their links to appear in all programs menu or it will completely set the packages to off state and wont install them

plz help

[mikku]

@gunsmokingman

u have written

Either will work
1\
start /w wscript.exe %systemdriver%\install\RemoveShortCuts.vbs

2\
wscript.exe %systemdriver%\install\RemoveShortCuts.vbs 


--------------------

Gunsmokingman

but i want to know is it %systemdriver% or %systemdrive%

[mikku]

@gunsmokingguy

the vbscript file (.vbs)

you have mentioned is not working

i have added the file to my cleanup.cmd executed from runonceex

but still the shortcuts are not removed

plz help

[gunsmokingman]

Sorry My Mistake Here A Re- Edit

Save As Remove Shortcuts

Silent No Message Box

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT
Dim Shell, AP, UP, SD
Set Shell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
AP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%AllUsersProfile%")
UP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserProfile%")
SD = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemDrive%")
   
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")

Message Box 3 Second Time Out

ON ERROR RESUME NEXT
Dim Shell, AP, UP, SD
Set Shell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
AP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%AllUsersProfile%")
UP = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserProfile%")
SD = Shell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%SystemDrive%")
   
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
   fso.DeleteFile( AP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk")
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk" )  
   fso.DeleteFile( UP & "\Start Menu\Programs\Outlook Express.lnk")
   CreateObject("wscript.shell").popup "Completed Removing Shortcuts",3,"Gsm Remove ShortCuts",0+64

[Vel Straty]

Maybe you can use the IF EXIST stuffs and make an error log like the following when testing out, but haven't tested it though.

SET DELFILE="%systemdrive%\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Start Menu\Programs\Internet Explorer.lnk"

IF EXIST %DELFILE% DEL %DELFILE%
IF NOT EXIST %DELFILE% ECHO %DELFILE% NOT_ERASED > %SYSTEMDRIVE%\ERRORSTUFF.TXT