Help with installation please

[mazin]

You MUST take some decisions, first.

To get yourself through, please read the following little introduction to shortcut

folders on Start Menu.

1- %AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs

A shortcut folder created here will be available to any user account.

Some apps put shortcuts here. Examples are QuickTime and WinZip.

So, if you want to move QuickTime shortcut folder to another location,

like 2-Multimedia for example, you add these lines to your cleanup.cmd:

MD "%AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\2-Multimedia"

move "%AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\QuickTime" "%AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\2-Multimedia\QuickTime"

2- %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs

A shortcut folder created here will be available to the user who

installed the application after he/she logged on using his/her user account.

So, if I log on to my computer as MAZIN and install Notepad++, a shortcut folder

for Notepad++ will be created in C:\Documents and Settings\MAZIN\Start Menu\Programs\Notepad++!

As you can guess, if MAXMUM (just another user) logs on to the same computer, Notepad++ shortcut

folder will not be available on his/her Start Menu.

Hence, no such directory exists: C:\Documents and Settings\MAXMUM\Start Menu\Programs\Notepad++!

Some apps put their shortcuts here. Examples are Notepad++ and Calendar Builder.

So, if you want to move Notepad++ shortcut folder to another location,

like 1-Applications for example, you add these lines to your cleanup.cmd:

MD %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications"

move "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Notepad++" "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications\Notepad++"

## Well, I find a shortcut folder for WinRAR in both Start Menus!!

## I install WinRAR from SVCPACK, however.

## I install WinZip from SVCPACK,too.

## But, there's only a shortcut folder for WinZip in one of the Start Menus, not both.

3- Default User\Start Menu\Programs

AFAIK, there's no variable for the Default User.

The Default User is the backup inherited by all computer users.

It's not a user account that's assigned to a computer user.

We can not log on to our computer using the Default User account.

Well, so what's the use of the Default User account in our situation?

At T-13 (where SVCPACK.INF is executed) and at T-12 (where cmdlines.txt is executed),

no user account has been logged on yet.

The Default User account works, here!

Since Calendar Builder (for example) creates a shortcut folder under %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs,

but not under %AllUsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs; then if I install it after I log on to

my account, its shortcut folder will be available to my account only.

In such a case, if another user logs on to the computer using their own account,

the shortcut folder will not be available to them.

To make the shortcut folder of Calendar Builder appear in the Start Menu of any user account,

I install Calendar Builder at T-13.

Since no user account has been logged on yet (at T-13), the shortcut folder of Calendar Builder

goes directly to C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Calendar Builder!

So, whenever a user account is created and logged on, they should see the shortcut

folder in their own Start Menu.

Well! You might say: "But I don't want the shortcut folder to be created in

C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Calendar Builder! I want it in

C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications\Calendar Builder, instead."

Simple! Add these lines to your batch file (executed at T-13, too!):

MD "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications"

move "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Calendar Builder" "%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications\Calendar Builder"

At T-13, %UserProfile% resolves to C:\Documents and Settings\Default User!

And new user accounts will inherit the same path to the shortcut folder.

So, when MAZIN logs on to the computer, he will see:

C:\Documents and Settings\MAZIN\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications\Calendar Builder.

And when MAXMUM logs on, he will see:

C:\Documents and Settings\MAXMUM\Start Menu\Programs\1-Applications\Calendar Builder.

And so on..!

4- Now, I see you're lost!

Well, I guess you are not!

Being highlighted enough (I hope), it's time to take your decision.

You've already taken your decision regarding the destination directories.

Next decision is to learn the source directories you want to move.

In other words, is the source directory located in %AllUsersProfile% or in %UserProfile%?

You can, then, decide what to type in your cleanup.cmd:

MD %AllUsersProfile%\..." or MD "%UserProfile%\..."

move "%AllUsersProfile%\..." "%AllUsersProfile%\..." or move "%UserProfile%\..." "%UserProfile%\..."!

HTH

[gyrene2083]

You truly are aMAZIN!!!!!!

I really am greatful. Being that this pc is my very own, the decision was easy!!! I just wanted to thank you for your patience, and your support. You could have just as easily, told me it can't be done, or mocked my ignorance, but you chose to take the time out, and educate a perfect stranger. It may seem like a small gesture to you, but it's a big one for me.

I hope that when I am finally done with my unattended cd, I hope that I can help someone as you've helped me. Thank you.

Oh and I'll keep you abreast to how things go.

Edited October 3, 2006 by gyrene2083