[Help] | How to insert registry entries on creation of new user ?

[Halfwalker]

How would one add a group of registry entries into HKCU whenever a new user is created ?

The app I'm stuck with is RocketDock. Very nice, fast dock, but it keeps settings in HKCU ... I've already got the registry tree set up and installing correctly during system install, but that goes in for Administrator. The first thing people do is create a new user, but when RocketDock starts up, it notices that there is no tree in the new HKCU, so it creates a default set. Yuck.

I want a way to put something into Default User that contains a .reg file to be merged when a new user is created.

Any ideas ?

Thanks -

D.

[cluberti]

If you put the same registry entries that are inserted into HKCU for the app into HKU\.DEFAULT\ (in the same relative locations), these will get added to new users on the system automatically during profile creation. You can also do this by loading the hive from ntuser.dat in the C:\documents and settings\default user\ folder and inserting them into that hive.

Edited November 30, 2005 by cluberti

[Halfwalker]

Excellent ! Thanks so much.

D.

Hrm - didn't work. I added the same set of entries under HKU\.Default\Software then created a new user. Nope - new user didn't seem to pick it up, so RocketDock just created it's own tree in the new HKCU\Software ...

Edited December 1, 2005 by Halfwalker

[Vadikan]

You just need to modify the default user profile. All users created thereafter will have the new settings http://www.simplify-i-t.com/guides/guide1.htm

[nmX.Memnoch]

If you put the same registry entries that are inserted into HKCU for the app into HKU\.DEFAULT\ (in the same relative locations), these will get added to new users on the system automatically during profile creation.

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\ is the hive for the logon screen settings. As was mentioned, you have to load the NTUSER.DAT hive from %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings\Default User\ to modify the default profile.

You could also load these settings from CMDLINES.TXT during an Unattended Install. There are no users created at this time so any HKCU settings are loaded into the Default User profile, which is then inherited by all users that logon to the workstation.

Another option would be to add a batch/cmd file to the Default User profile Startup (on the Start Menu). The last command in the batch/cmd would be to delete itself from the Startup. For example:

REGEDIT /S %SYSTEMDRIVE%\RocketDoc_HKCU_Settings.reg
DEL "%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Startup\RocketDoc_Settings.cmd"

[Halfwalker]

nmX.Memnoch -

Thanks - that did the trick. I put a regedit load into cmdline.txt - worked fine.

D.