Update HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry

Hello:



I have to push a reg update out and am looking for ideas on the best approach. We have Altiris, so I can use that, but should I make a VBS for this or should I just use the .reg file? What about a bat file with the reg command?



Below is my .reg file, which I can convert to VBS or a reg command. This update is specific to the currently logged on user and only needs to be run once.



; Based on instructions from http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;319206

; This reg file will add the Closest GC value to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider

; The value will force Outlook to identify and use the closest GC for its GAL.

; To Use: Run this reg file while logged on as the end user (since the value is specific to the current user's registry).



[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider]

"Closest GC"=dword:00000001


Thank you.
--
Regards,
Mel K, MCSA: M

"Mel K" <M@K.com> wrote in message
news:OBLxyjmGJHA.3928@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
Hello:

I have to push a reg update out and am looking for ideas on the best
approach. We have Altiris, so I can use that, but should I make a VBS for
this or should I just use the .reg file? What about a bat file with the reg
command?

===> the answer that will suit you best is likely the one that follows most
closely your current practice. If your logon scripts are all .vbs then .vbs
might be best: if batch, then batch.

Below is my .reg file, which I can convert to VBS or a reg command. This
update is specific to the currently logged on user and only needs to be run
once.

===> "currently logged on user": so you are not so much "pushing this out"
as making some arrangement for the user to "pull it in". A logon script runs
in the security context of the user. Do your users have the privs to make
this registry change?

/Al

; Based on instructions from
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;319206
; This reg file will add the Closest GC value to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
; The value will force Outlook to identify and use the closest GC for its
GAL.
; To Use: Run this reg file while logged on as the end user (since the value
is specific to the current user's registry).

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider]
"Closest GC"=dword:00000001

Thank you.
--
Regards,
Mel K, MCSA: M

I have to test this out, but I thought that regular users by default have
permission to their own HKCU key, otherwise they wouldn't be able to save
changes to their profile. If I push this out via Altiris, it should have an
option to run within the context of the user, so it should be able to access
HKCU. I could put it in the logon script also, but then I always need to
check to see if the value is there and if not add it, so that will take
extra time. Thanks.

--
Regards,
Mel K, MCSA: M
"Al Dunbar" <AlanDrub@hotmail.com.nospaam> wrote in message
news:OxBsb9tGJHA.2236@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>
> "Mel K" <M@K.com> wrote in message
> news:OBLxyjmGJHA.3928@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Hello:
>
> I have to push a reg update out and am looking for ideas on the best
> approach. We have Altiris, so I can use that, but should I make a VBS for
> this or should I just use the .reg file? What about a bat file with the
> reg command?
>
> ===> the answer that will suit you best is likely the one that follows
> most closely your current practice. If your logon scripts are all .vbs
> then .vbs might be best: if batch, then batch.
>
> Below is my .reg file, which I can convert to VBS or a reg command. This
> update is specific to the currently logged on user and only needs to be
> run once.
>
> ===> "currently logged on user": so you are not so much "pushing this out"
> as making some arrangement for the user to "pull it in". A logon script
> runs in the security context of the user. Do your users have the privs to
> make this registry change?
>
> /Al
>
> ; Based on instructions from
> http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;319206
> ; This reg file will add the Closest GC value to
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider
> ; The value will force Outlook to identify and use the closest GC for its
> GAL.
> ; To Use: Run this reg file while logged on as the end user (since the
> value is specific to the current user's registry).
>
> [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\Exchange Provider]
> "Closest GC"=dword:00000001
>
> Thank you.
> --
> Regards,
> Mel K, MCSA: M
>

[dmvtech]

We just went through a similar problem at my company. We needed to add a .reg to users HKCU so they could have custom views for an app. Our GP doesn't allow them to update their HKCU. We found a couple ways to do it.

1. In regedit go to HKEY_Users and select File, load hive. Point to that users ntuser.dat in Docs and settings and load the hive. Give the key a name (i named it HKCU_Temp) Edit the registry setting to point to the loaded hive When you run the .reg it will update the users HKCU and you will see the change in the loaded hive. Unload the hive and when they log on they will have that key. You can also do this from CMD with the reg.exe commands.

2. We then automated it with a script. You can add computer names to a text file and the script will look in Docs and Settings and edit the ntuser.dat for all users on that machine including Default Users (so every new user will have the correct entry). If a ntuser.dat is in use it will report the error and move on.


REM *********************************************************
REM * %%p is PC Name *
REM * %%v is the User Profile *
REM *********************************************************
REM
REM *********************************************************
REM * yourbat.bat > "C:\outputfile.rpt.txt" *
REM *********************************************************

@echo off
REM *********************************************************************
REM * Target PCs are identified in "C:\pcfile.txt" *
REM *********************************************************************
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%p in ('TYPE "C:\pcfile.txt"') do (
(ECHO %%p >> "C:\outpufile.txt"
)
REM *********************************************************************
REM * User Profiles are identified in "\\%%p\C$\Documents and Settings" *
REM *********************************************************************
(for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%v in ('dir /ad /b "\\%%p\C$\Documents and Settings"') do (
(@ECHO **************
(@ECHO Current PC: %%p
(@ECHO %%v
(@ECHO **************
REM *********************************************************************
REM * The remote PC registry hive is loaded, and then the HKey Current *
REM * User is modified in the NTUSER.DAT that is found in each users *
REM * profile in C:\Documents and Settings\Profile\NTUSER.DAT *
REM * *
REM * Then the remote PCs hive is unloaded. This process is then *
REM * repeated for each profile. The "for" loop is then completes. *
REM *********************************************************************
(REG LOAD HKU\HKCU_temp "\\%%p\C$\Documents and Settings\%%v\NTUSER.DAT"
(regedit /S "C:\yourregistryfile.reg
(REG UNLOAD HKU\HKCU_temp
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
(@ECHO ******************************************
(@ECHO ******************************************
)
)
)
)
)


REM *** END ***



Just change where it says yourbat.bat, outputfile.txt, pcfile.txt, and yourregistryfile.reg to reflect the names of your files.



Hope this helps