XPeSP2 alternate shell

[Juzek72]

Hello,

Have you ever used Internet Explorer as a XPe shell? I have tried, but have
problem with running any program placed in Run registry key. Doesn't matter
if I put there a notepad, it simply does not start with user logon. Other
problem is about closing last IE window. As IE is not a real shell
application, after closing IE user gets just empty desktop. Any ideas?

Greetings,
Juzek

 

[Franz Leu]

I use IE as shell in one project.
Closing the last IE window automatically opens a new one with the default
site.
If this does not happen something must be wrong with your shell
configuration.
Look here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/xpehelp/html/xeconshell.asp
The active windows shell always restarts itself.

I have some background processes started by the run key ... no problem here
as well.

I can't be of any help regarding your other issue .. I am not using user
logon.

Franz

 

[Juzek72]

I have a thin client with preinstalled XPe and trying to change the shell.

I have only changed registry key to specify alternate shell:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"Shell"="%ProgramFiles%\\Internet Explorer\\IExplore.exe"

XP starts with this shell, but as I said, I can close it and nothing
happens.

According to website you cite, it looks I need to prepare my alternate shell
with other tool, is it right? Or maybe there is any more friendly way to do
this?

Juzek

 

[Mike Warren]

I have a thin client with preinstalled XPe and trying to change the
shell.
I have only changed registry key to specify alternate shell:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"Shell"="%ProgramFiles%\\Internet Explorer\\IExplore.exe"

XP starts with this shell, but as I said, I can close it and nothing
happens.

According to website you cite, it looks I need to prepare my
alternate shell with other tool, is it right? Or maybe there is any
more friendly way to do this?

The key for setting the shell is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Shell=<Path to program>
REG_SZ

And to make it automatically restart set:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
AutoRestartShell=1
REG_DWORD

-Mike

 

[Juzek72]

The Shell key works perfect, but AutoRestartShell works only with
Explorer.exe, strange anyway

Juzek

I have a thin client with preinstalled XPe and trying to change the
shell.
I have only changed registry key to specify alternate shell:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"Shell"="%ProgramFiles%\\Internet Explorer\\IExplore.exe"

XP starts with this shell, but as I said, I can close it and nothing
happens.

According to website you cite, it looks I need to prepare my
alternate shell with other tool, is it right? Or maybe there is any
more friendly way to do this?

The key for setting the shell is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Shell=<Path to program>
REG_SZ

And to make it automatically restart set:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
AutoRestartShell=1
REG_DWORD

-Mike

 

[Mike Warren]

The Shell key works perfect, but AutoRestartShell works only with
Explorer.exe, strange anyway

That's strange. It definitely worked with a shell of mine once.
I had to set it to 0 to stop my shell from restarting when I didn't
want it to.

-Mike

 

[Juzek72]

Maybe I am doing something wrong.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
AutoRestartShell is set to 1 by default.

All I do is setting HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Shell to "c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe.

Is it possible to "register" somehow iexplore as a shell application. Maybe
system simply doesnt know that IE can be restarted? No ideas

Juzek