XPsp2 and WMP10 and default profiles

[Sir Timbit]

Hi there,

I just finished updating a school lab image to XPsp2 and have a couple of
questions about the default user and Windows Media Player 10.

I've always used the local administrator profile as my default user, so it's
configured the way I want it to be, and then I copy it over to the default
user profile. All well and good, but I've noticed that with SP2 and Windows
Media Player 10 installed, XP always creates a Windows Media Player icon on
the desktop. It even removes the one I placed in the All Users\Entertainment
folder. Worse, when you first run it, you get the annoying welcome and
configuration screen.

I had all this preconfigured in the administrator profile. I don't want the
Windows Media Player icon on the desktop and I don't want to have each user
having to configure it when they first run.

I've read elsewhere that there were changes in Sysprep for XPsp2 and that it
ignores the default user profile folder and uses the Administrator folder
instead, but that doesn't seem to apply here, as that is what I was using
anyway.

Does anyone know how to force the Windows Media Player settings in the
default profile to stick?

Thanks in advance,
Rick

 

[Tim Munro]

I know this doens't help at all, but I too have this same problem. A
solution would be most welcome.

 

[Tim Munro]

Well, I've figured out a way around this, so I thought I'd share it with
the group.

Before setting this up you will need to create a script (provided below)
to:
a) rename "Default User" (created from Administrator by sysrep) to
"DefUser.Org" (or what ever you like)
b) rename "DefUser" (see below) to "Default User"
c) delete DefUser.org <- optional step

This script needs to be referenced in the SysPrep.inf file, under
"[GuiRunOnce]"

Now you have the script, and it's reference:

- Proceed as normal for creating your "Default User"
- Just before you "reseal", RENAME (don't copy) "Default User" to some
other name. I use "DefUser"
- reseal and away you go.

Here's the ccript:

Sub FixDefaultUser()

Const Folder1 = "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User"
Const Folder2 = "C:\Documents and Settings\DefUser"
Const Folder3 = "C:\Documents and Settings\Default.Org"

Dim Fso

set Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FilesystemObject")

fso.MoveFolder Folder1, Folder3
if err.number <> 0 then
wscript.echo "Renaming Default User failed."
Wscript.quit(1)
end if

fso.MoveFolder Folder2, Folder1
if err.number <> 0 then
wscript.echo "Renaming DefUser to Default User failed."
wscript.quit(1)
else
wscript.echo "Default User successfully rebuilt!"
end if

set fso = nothing
err.clear

End Sub

And here's the Sysprep.inf stuff:

[GuiRunOnce]
; if the above script sub routine was placed in a file called finalize.vbs
then
; the appropriate entry would be:
"C:\Util\Finalize.vbs"

I hope this helps anyone suffering from these SP2 and WMP 10 changes

 

[Sir Timbit]

Thanks Tim,

I'll try this out next time I'm at that school's lab.

Meanwhile I found that the new ADMs supplied with sp2 include an option to
turn off the welcome screen/initial configuration page in WMP, so that's
what I'm using right now.

Rick

Well, I've figured out a way around this, so I thought I'd share it
with the group.

Before setting this up you will need to create a script (provided
below) to:
a) rename "Default User" (created from Administrator by sysrep) to
"DefUser.Org" (or what ever you like)
b) rename "DefUser" (see below) to "Default User"
c) delete DefUser.org <- optional step

This script needs to be referenced in the SysPrep.inf file, under
"[GuiRunOnce]"

Now you have the script, and it's reference:

- Proceed as normal for creating your "Default User"
- Just before you "reseal", RENAME (don't copy) "Default User" to some
other name. I use "DefUser"
- reseal and away you go.

Here's the ccript:

Sub FixDefaultUser()

Const Folder1 = "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User"
Const Folder2 = "C:\Documents and Settings\DefUser"
Const Folder3 = "C:\Documents and Settings\Default.Org"

Dim Fso

set Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FilesystemObject")

fso.MoveFolder Folder1, Folder3
if err.number <> 0 then
wscript.echo "Renaming Default User failed."
Wscript.quit(1)
end if

fso.MoveFolder Folder2, Folder1
if err.number <> 0 then
wscript.echo "Renaming DefUser to Default User failed."
wscript.quit(1)
else
wscript.echo "Default User successfully rebuilt!"
end if

set fso = nothing
err.clear

End Sub

And here's the Sysprep.inf stuff:

[GuiRunOnce]
; if the above script sub routine was placed in a file called finalize.vbs
then
; the appropriate entry would be:
"C:\Util\Finalize.vbs"

I hope this helps anyone suffering from these SP2 and WMP 10
changes

 

[Bill Stewart]

Meanwhile I found that the new ADMs supplied with sp2 include an
option to turn off the welcome screen/initial configuration page in
WMP, so that's what I'm using right now.

Hi,

Can you post where you found this information? I have been looking for
what you're talking about but haven't found it yet.

Thanks!

 

[Torgeir Bakken \(MVP\)]

Can you post where you found this information? I have been looking
for what you're talking about but haven't found it yet.

Hi

You can download the new WinXP SP2 adm files that includes wmplayer.adm
from here:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31057

The Wmplayer.adm section in PolicySettings.xls have a description of
the settings:

Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...c0-19b9-4acc-b5be-9b7dab13108e&displaylang=en

 

[Bill Stewart]

Hi Torgeir,

Thanks!

I have found that the only way to suppress the Windows Media Player
desktop icon after using sysprep on a slipstreamed XP SP2 installation
is to apply the following registry settings:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer]
"DesktopShortcut"="no"
"GroupPrivacyAcceptance"=dword:00000001

My best guess is that this is a bug in sysprep, because this icon gets
created dynamically for every new profile. This is undocumented and
really annoying.

 

[Sir Timbit]

The updated XPsp2 ADM files include a GPO to disable the creation of the
desktop icon, as well as the initial setup window.

 

[Matt Hyne]

You can download the new WinXP SP2 adm files that includes wmplayer.adm
from here:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31057

The Wmplayer.adm section in PolicySettings.xls have a description of
the settings:

Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...c0-19b9-4acc-b5be-9b7dab13108e&displaylang=en

Hi - can these new .adm policies be loaded into the GP editor in Windows
2000 Server ?

I would like to deploy these to Windows XP clients but when I
load the new admin files into gpedit on Windows 2000 Server I get errors
about the [Strings] messages being too long and will be truncated ?

Matt

 

[Torgeir Bakken \(MVP\)]

You can download the new WinXP SP2 adm files that includes wmplayer.adm
from here:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31057

Hi - can these new .adm policies be loaded into the GP editor in Windows
2000 Server ?

I would like to deploy these to Windows XP clients but when I load the
new admin files into gpedit on Windows 2000 Server I get errors about
the [Strings] messages being too long and will be truncated ?

Hi

A hotfix is available for this issue:

"The following entry in the [strings] section is too long and has
been truncated" error message when you try to modify or to view
GPOs in Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=842933