[question]2 Xp Modifications

[Weazle]

Hello All,

For our company, we are creating a Xp image that will be distributed on our future workstations.

It is almost ready, but I can't find 2 things that I want to see removed from the image.

1) In Windows Explorer under the menu Help --> Is this a legal copy of Windows?

2) Under Map Network Drive --> Sign on for online storage link

I don't want users to see or click those options.

I already checked the registry and a lot of dll's with resource hacker.

But it's like seeking a needle in a ..

Does anybody know how to remove those 2 options?

Thx

Weazle

[MCT]

1) to remove that, open resource hacker goto browselc.DL_ or .dll depending where u get it from & browse the menu tree, i believe the 1 u want is 263, but u will see it

ive seen this b4, but cant remember where, some1 will let u know tho

[Weazle]

Many thx for the fast answer MCT

I found it and will check it out

Hope someone will answer the 2nd question too

[Mikka]

open resource hacker goto browselc.DL_ or .dll depending where u get it from & browse the menu tree, i believe the 1 u want is 263

You're right concerning the file and the pattern's location. Did you try to remove the particular item?

I just gave it a try, as a result many other items (from File to ?) were gone and/or re-sorted.

(For instance, the only remaining item within Help is the Help and Support Center, Info has disappeared.)

What are the necessary steps to remove Is this a legal copy of Windows? exclusively?

EDIT:

That's weird, I noticed that this hack didn't entirely remove the M$ nag item.

It seems to do the trick (including the described consequences) for the tree view pane merely, clicking in the folder view pane, everything's unchanged.

What the heck!?

Edited March 25, 2006 by Mikka

[Andromeda43]

I don't understand some of the above posts...

A strict rule with XP is that you don't move the OS from one type of computer to another. It won't run when it sees a different MOBO or CPU for instance.

So, if you're going to clone an OS like XP, you have to have PC's that are exactly alike, at least in the mobo and cpu dept.

So, if you bought a dozen PC's that were all exactly alike, you could do all your set-up's on just one machine and then make a Ghost Image to a bootable DVD and then boot and restore it to all the others in just minutes.

That's 'sort of' what computer manufacturers do.

I've done that myself when building multiple PC's for a customer.

Good Luck,

Andromeda

[Mikka]

A strict rule with XP is that you don't move the OS from one type of computer to another.

Well, that ain't the point here! The original poster wants to know how he could prevent two annoying items from showing up.

Unfortunately, I don't have any news for him. Playing around with Resource Hacker, I found two possible places within browselc.dll for the first item:

1. Menu › 263 › 1031
   
2. Menu › 266 › 1031
   

(With the grey value being language specific.)

The item's definition is in line 92.

However, by removing that line, the explorer's menu will collapse.

Edited April 5, 2006 by Mikka

[stickzilla]

I don't understand some of the above posts...

A strict rule with XP is that you don't move the OS from one type of computer to another. It won't run when it sees a different MOBO or CPU for instance.

So, if you're going to clone an OS like XP, you have to have PC's that are exactly alike, at least in the mobo and cpu dept.

Not at all. We have an image that I play with that works for 866mhz up to new 3ghz HT machines, with many in betweens.

The key is to just take advantage of cmdlines.txt or alternative methods so that you can properly install the necessary chipset drivers during sysprep, as well as using the right commands in your sysprep.ini file to allow the image to load properly on both Uniprocessor and Multiproccesor machines.

[HyperHacker]

I'd like to get rid of these too. Maybe the menu getting messed up is caused by it expecting a certain number of items?

[HyperHacker]

OK, well that's weird. I changed the text of the "Is this copy legal" option, not removing anything, and it still killed the Tools menu. >_<

[edit] And now no amount of editing, even back to what it used to be, will restore it. Crap crap crap crap crap.

Well except for restoring the original file. >_>

[another edit] This happens if you change the menu at all, not even just the Help menu. You can see it show the description in the status bar for a second, but then it doesn't. There must be some sort of weird protection or bug here.

Edited April 9, 2006 by HyperHacker