Jan 162011
 

I build all of my Core images in Virtual Machine environments.  There are many benefits of doing this, which I’ll leave for another article.  However, some cons exist; such as the ability to change settings only related to portable computers in the core image prior to capture.  Due to this limitation, I need to set this setting Post-Image.  Unfortunately, Windows XP’s “powercfg.exe” built-in utility does not have this setting available.  I found a great 3rd party, which works flawlessly and runs silent.

image

URL: https://panaconsulting.egnyte.com/h-s/20111107/6dc07a5da5c74062
Includes: “Disable Standby.exe” AND “Enable Standby.exe”

Due to the Advanced setting being tied to each User account,  the application must be run by the End User to apply the setting.  To force this action, I added a call to the application in the “Default User”’s StartUp Folder.  See files used below:

EnableStandbySetup.bat

copy “%~dp0Enable Standby.exe” “%TEMP%\Enable Standby.exe”
copy “%~dp0EnableStandby.bat” “C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\EnableStandby.bat”
start /w “Enable Standby” “%TEMP%\Enable Standby.exe”

EnableStandby.bat

start /w “Enable Standby on Lid Close” “%TEMP%\Enable Standby.exe”
del “%~dp0EnableStandby.bat” /q

Note: “Enable Standby.exe” can be replaced with “Disable Standby.exe” to perform that desired.

Share
Jan 092011
 

—–UPDATED LINK—————–

The process of setting the theme for all users outside of group policy is still tedious in Windows 7.  The method I came up with is not the cleanest, but it is supported by Microsoft and easy to implement.

Procedure:

1. Build .ThemePack file on test machine via the “Personalization” control panel applet.
* If Aero is desired, ensure test machine supports Aero.

image
1a. Set all desired settings, Background, Background Color, Sounds, and Screen Saver settings.
1b. Right-Click on new “Unsaved Theme” listed under “My Themes” and click on “Save Theme for saving”.  This will output the .themepack files.
* .Themepack files are self extracting files, which include all dependent files for theme to apply on new machines.
image
2. Rename Outputted .themepack file to “CustomTheme.themepack” and download zip archive below:
https://panaconsulting.box.com/s/7wdszgsweecn0d71jzi3
3. Extract archive and inject the new “CustomTheme.themepack” to the same directory.
4. Run “silent.bat” for visible run boxes, or “CallSilentBatch.vbs” for silent and hidden.

The script basically calls the “.themepack” file for any new user that logs into the system once and then closes the “Personalization” applet, which auto opens when .themepack files are initiated.

Share