Help! - Unattended Install - Specific Icon Placement

[twig123]

I am building a Unattended XP disk and would like to be able to have the 5 main icons in a specific placement on the desktop, how can I do this so that after my install finishes, it already has the icons in the Custom order?

I would like them like pictured in my attached file:

(assuming that my VERY poor illistration is 800x600.... lol)

...so, how can I get my fresh install of windows to have that exact layout without having to enable the icons and arrange them manually (or having a tweak to enable... but still all that I see will not allow you to custom arrange like in the pic).

Please, If you have any ideas let me know.

Thanks,

Dave

[oniphone]

ô.ö

Well now you got me curious. Where does windows store icon placement? I'm assuming it's part of the registry. Remind me of an application to compare the registry before and after a change.

Then this is what I'm going to do:

1. Install Windows
   
2. Take snapshot of registry
   
3. Move icons
   
4. Take second snapshot of registry
   
5. reboot
   
6. Take third snapshot of registry
   
7. Move icons again
   
8. reboot
   
9. take fourth snapshot of registry
   

Hopefully the comparison of the registry will reveal icon placement.

[twig123]

you can try something like 'Active Registry Monitor'... it might be what you need to do the above testing.

~Dave

[Synapse]

with Regshot i found this:

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-**********-**********-*********-****\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop\ItemPos1024x768(1)

the part in asteriks (*) is random, but be note its the one without the "_Classes" at the end.. the key at the end "ItemPos1024x768(1)" is because i run my desktop at 1024x768

if you wish to play around with this, run a registry monitor program, i prefer regshot, and take a shot, then move an icon and right click the desktop and hit refresh, then do the second shot.

the refresh must be done for the registry to save the position thus giving you the binary code.

hope this helps