Two really annoying features in MSN Messenger 7.5 that I always manually disable after install is the MSN Tabs at the left side of contacts list, and the MSN Today popup.

Now the reg keys to set the apropriate settings to me is shown below and are unique keys to each user. Is there a way to thorugh batch query this string and apply the settings I want?

The registry keys:

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-1085031214-1682526488-1343024091-1003\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\PerPassportSettings\851604443]
"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00
"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001

Here is how you can set SID as a variable. (Creds to Yzöwl)

@echo off&setlocal enableextensions
for /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList" /s^|findstr "S-1-5-"') do (
  for /f "tokens=1,3 delims=	" %%b in ('reg query "%%~a" /v "ProfileImagePath"') do (
    if errorlevel 0 (
      echo/%%~c|find "%userprofile%">nul
      if errorlevel 0 set UserSID=%%a
    )
  )
)
if not defined UserSID echo/ SID not found&&endlocal&goto :eof
set UserKey=HKU\%UserSID:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\=%
Echo %UserKey% is set to %%UserKey%%
endlocal&goto :eof

...Microsoft\MSNMessenger\PerPassportSettings\851604443]

not only the SID but ...

The portion highlighted in RED is unique to the passport/email address used.

shark

this is my reg file for msn

;Removes Sign up with Passport Wizard when trying to sign in MSN Messenger

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Passport]

"RegistrationCompleted"=dword:00000001

;MSN Messenger: Disables - Auto Busy & Away & Disables the annoying MSN Today On Logon

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]

"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001

"DirectIM"=hex:01,00,00,00

"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

"ShowCurrentSong"=dword:00000001

;MSN Messenger: Disables - Auto Busy & Away & Disables the annoying MSN Today On Logon

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]

"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001

"DirectIM"=hex:01,00,00,00

"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

"ShowCurrentSong"=dword:00000001

;MSN Messenger: Disables - Auto Busy & Away & Disables the annoying MSN Today On Logon

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]

"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001

"DirectIM"=hex:01,00,00,00

"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

"ShowCurrentSong"=dword:00000001

;MSN Messenger: Disables - Auto Busy & Away & Disables the annoying MSN Today On Logon

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]

"EnableBusyDetect"=dword:00000000

"EnableIdleDetect"=dword:00000000

"AppSettings"=hex:02,06,02,00

"DSBkgndMode"=hex:01,00,00,00

;----- disable balloon - Add your passport to XP messenger

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MessengerService]

"PassportBalloon"=hex:0a,00,00,00

@Shark007:

Yes, thats the problem. The code i posted made by Yzöwl will find SID and set a variable for it, so that is no problem. But if I understand it correctly the numbers you quoted in red are made after your login the first time?

@mickmack:

Thank you for your imput, but not what topic says im looking for Im just after a way (if any?) to modify the PerPassport Settings.

Burp, so are these perpassport numbers created after first login? anyone know? Is they are I guess there is no way of doing what i'd like.

yes, the numbered key is created after creating an account.

But ...

If the uA cd you're creating is for you alone, and the passport doesnt change

the numbered key assigned to the passport is consistant also.

shark

Just an idea:

We know how to find the SID thanks to BoardBabe.

Could we do the same for the passport number?

Could we write a bat file to scan the registry really quickly and do a search for certain tag names that we know are unique and will only show up where those tweaks are found and then we have the address.

]Bonkers[

Edited August 27, 200520 yr by ]Bonkers[

That was my inital thought also... But as the number will not be in the registry as it is not created before you actually run MSN messenger one first time, and login with your passport account.

BoardBabe: Have you ever used the mess.be patch? Do you think that it would be possible to patch the msn.exe file and remove it that way. I don't like a lot of the features in msn (a bunch of the buttons for instance) so what I do is patch msnmsgr.exe and overwrite after an install. We might be able to remove tabs that way.

]Bonkers[

Yes, I do replace the MSN Messenger exe with a patched mess.be exe after install. I have not yet found a patch that removes the tabs for MSN Messenger 7.5.

You could (I'd imagine quite easily):

- Install MSN mess 7.5 normally - options not relevent as its only temporary

- Use the mess.be patcher to patch the messenger exe - msnmsgr.exe

- Either:

a] use a msi package editor/creator to add this patched exe into the package and your done...

OR

b] use any of the many ways to copy and replace the silently install msn messenger exe with your patched ver

Note:

I dont know however if the mess.be patcher changes the registry and/or other files than just the msnmsgs.exe file - so you would need to find a way of importing these after the normal silent install

[sorry if this is a bit confusing - i've had a few drinks lol]

The unmodified auto-install I have on my site [see the sig ]

Regards and HTH

Nath.

it_ybd: We are already doing this. We want to remove the tabs, but this option is not one that the mess.be patch offers.

]Bonkers[

yep - sorry about that. I must have started writing my post before boardbabe had posted lol

Its a tough one...

looking here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger\PerPassportSettings

I have a list of numbered keys - and (obviously) only one with my passport settings.

Just saying because I find it odd why theres a list of numbers when I've only entered one passport lol

How about exporting the above key branch as a reg file and importing that after the MSN mess app installs? Would that work?

Of course, this is only good for your particular passport sign in and until you log into windows - i.e. first autologin perhaps - you might have to wait until then before you import this reg file - as there wouldnt be a current user previously (in theory lol)

Its 6am so forgive the lack of proper wording here - I'm a tad tired

What do ya think guys 'n' girls?

Cheers

Nath

Edited August 28, 200520 yr by it_ybd

the regtweak i wrote disables tabs for any account

;MSN Messenger: Disables - Auto Busy & Away & Disables the annoying MSN Today On Logon

[HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]

"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001

"DirectIM"=hex:01,00,00,00

"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

"ShowCurrentSong"=dword:00000001

Is this reg tweak passport specific? If so, can I just use the other ones?

For example:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]
"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001
"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MSNMessenger]
"DisableTabs"=dword:00000001
"DisableMSNToday"=hex:01,00,00,00

That is what I am going to try, but just curious if anyone has tried this. If not, I will let you all know when I actually test it in my UA DVD.

]Bonkers[