Incorporate .exe into bootup

It is possible to incorporate a .exe into system bootup which must be closed
as per the .exe's requirements in order to continue bootup?

At the moment, we open a small window via in-house built .exe which
stipulates company conditions - the user must click on a button to close
this window. However, the window can be closed via Ctrl-Alt-Del, or just
left open in the background - and bootup continues as normal.

Is there a way I can pause the startup until the user has closed the window
properly?
- OR -
Is there a third-party tool which does something like this?


Thanks,

Rum

What about just using group policies to specify a login banner, for
W2k/2003? For NT, it's a registry entry, IIRC. I'm presuming you use a
domain model, not a workgroup - correct me if I'm wrong.

What's the client OS? You can't do much on Win9x clients that they can't
bypass.

Beema wrote:
> It is possible to incorporate a .exe into system bootup which must be
> closed as per the .exe's requirements in order to continue bootup?
>
> At the moment, we open a small window via in-house built .exe which
> stipulates company conditions - the user must click on a button to
> close this window. However, the window can be closed via
> Ctrl-Alt-Del, or just left open in the background - and bootup
> continues as normal.
>
> Is there a way I can pause the startup until the user has closed the
> window properly?
> - OR -
> Is there a third-party tool which does something like this?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rum

The servers are W2K, the clients are XP.

We are using Active Directory, the batch file which does the drive mappings,
also includes a call to the .exe. Yes we use a Domain model.

Could you embellish a little on using group policies (I'm in IT but not a
network person, so am not totally
clued up on Network Admin, sorry!)



"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<(E-Mail Removed) ahoo.com> wrote in message
news:On%(E-Mail Removed)...
> What about just using group policies to specify a login banner, for
> W2k/2003? For NT, it's a registry entry, IIRC. I'm presuming you use a
> domain model, not a workgroup - correct me if I'm wrong.
>
> What's the client OS? You can't do much on Win9x clients that they can't
> bypass.
>
> Beema wrote:
> > It is possible to incorporate a .exe into system bootup which must be
> > closed as per the .exe's requirements in order to continue bootup?
> >
> > At the moment, we open a small window via in-house built .exe which
> > stipulates company conditions - the user must click on a button to
> > close this window. However, the window can be closed via
> > Ctrl-Alt-Del, or just left open in the background - and bootup
> > continues as normal.
> >
> > Is there a way I can pause the startup until the user has closed the
> > window properly?
> > - OR -
> > Is there a third-party tool which does something like this?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Rum
>
>
>

Beema wrote:
> The servers are W2K, the clients are XP.
>
> We are using Active Directory, the batch file which does the drive
> mappings, also includes a call to the .exe.

OK - you won't need that executable at all, really, if all you want is a
login banner. They'll be prompted to click OK before they even get to the
login screen - with your current setup, they don't get prompted til AFTER
they log in anyway, which isn't what you want.

> Yes we use a Domain model.
>
> Could you embellish a little on using group policies (I'm in IT but
> not a network person, so am not totally
> clued up on Network Admin, sorry!)

Policies are great, but are a pain to figure out. The GPMC can help you view
them (see below), but for your login banner, look in your default domain
policy - one easy way to get to this is to go to ADUC, right-click on your
domain, properties, group policy tab - edit.

Computer configuration | windows settings | security settings | local
policies | security options.

Properties of "Message Title for users attempting to log on" - enable, and
put in the message box title ("Company X Warning" or whatever you like)
Properties of "Message Text for users attempting to log on" - enable, put in
whatever you want. "I understand that by clicking OK I am promising to give
up my first-born child to the CEO and work without pay for the next twenty
years", etc.

Hope this helps. I often get confused by policies, too. :-)

For more info on GPMC (group policy management console), see
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en .
It's a very nice utility.

>
>
>
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <(E-Mail Removed) ahoo.com> wrote in
> message news:On%(E-Mail Removed)...
>> What about just using group policies to specify a login banner, for
>> W2k/2003? For NT, it's a registry entry, IIRC. I'm presuming you use
>> a domain model, not a workgroup - correct me if I'm wrong.
>>
>> What's the client OS? You can't do much on Win9x clients that they
>> can't bypass.
>>
>> Beema wrote:
>>> It is possible to incorporate a .exe into system bootup which must
>>> be closed as per the .exe's requirements in order to continue
>>> bootup?
>>>
>>> At the moment, we open a small window via in-house built .exe which
>>> stipulates company conditions - the user must click on a button to
>>> close this window. However, the window can be closed via
>>> Ctrl-Alt-Del, or just left open in the background - and bootup
>>> continues as normal.
>>>
>>> Is there a way I can pause the startup until the user has closed the
>>> window properly?
>>> - OR -
>>> Is there a third-party tool which does something like this?
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Rum

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<(E-Mail Removed) ahoo.com> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Beema wrote:
> > The servers are W2K, the clients are XP.
> >
> > We are using Active Directory, the batch file which does the drive
> > mappings, also includes a call to the .exe.
>
> OK - you won't need that executable at all, really, if all you want is a
> login banner. They'll be prompted to click OK before they even get to the
> login screen - with your current setup, they don't get prompted til AFTER
> they log in anyway, which isn't what you want.
>

Spot on.


>
> Policies are great, but are a pain to figure out. The GPMC can help you
view
> them (see below), but for your login banner, look in your default domain
> policy - one easy way to get to this is to go to ADUC, right-click on your
> domain, properties, group policy tab - edit.
>
> Computer configuration | windows settings | security settings | local
> policies | security options.
>
> Properties of "Message Title for users attempting to log on" - enable, and
> put in the message box title ("Company X Warning" or whatever you like)
> Properties of "Message Text for users attempting to log on" - enable, put
in
> whatever you want. "I understand that by clicking OK I am promising to
give
> up my first-born child to the CEO and work without pay for the next twenty
> years", etc.
>


Unfortunately a significant number of Win98 machines lurk around. Initially
I said our clients are WinXP, but we are in transition at the moment, so
would have to accomodate for the 98 machines... So GPMC isn't an option for
us at the mo'

Are there 3rd party options ?


Thanks very much for you help.


> For more info on GPMC (group policy management console), see
>
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en .
> It's a very nice utility.

'tis in deed

Beema wrote:
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <(E-Mail Removed) ahoo.com> wrote in
> message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Beema wrote:
>>> The servers are W2K, the clients are XP.
>>>
>>> We are using Active Directory, the batch file which does the drive
>>> mappings, also includes a call to the .exe.
>>
>> OK - you won't need that executable at all, really, if all you want
>> is a login banner. They'll be prompted to click OK before they even
>> get to the login screen - with your current setup, they don't get
>> prompted til AFTER they log in anyway, which isn't what you want.
>>
>
> Spot on.
>
>
>>
>> Policies are great, but are a pain to figure out. The GPMC can help
>> you
> view
>> them (see below), but for your login banner, look in your default
>> domain policy - one easy way to get to this is to go to ADUC,
>> right-click on your domain, properties, group policy tab - edit.
>>
>> Computer configuration | windows settings | security settings | local
>> policies | security options.
>>
>> Properties of "Message Title for users attempting to log on" -
>> enable, and put in the message box title ("Company X Warning" or
>> whatever you like) Properties of "Message Text for users attempting
>> to log on" - enable, put
> in
>> whatever you want. "I understand that by clicking OK I am promising
>> to
> give
>> up my first-born child to the CEO and work without pay for the next
>> twenty years", etc.
>>
>
>
> Unfortunately a significant number of Win98 machines lurk around.

Ah - that won't work, then. Get rid of them as soon as you can! Best to have
all workstations as close to identical as possible, in hardware, OS, and
software load. I'm sure I'm preachin' to the choir here, but must mention
it.

You can't really do much at all with Win9x, and even if you enable the
policy settings anyway (which I'd do, as you do have XP clients) and still
use the executable for the 9x clients (different login script for those
users?) you can't stop them from doing what they're doing, which is
bypassing it.

You can't even really stop them from hitting esc at the login prompt to get
into Windows without logging into the domain (well, there are some ways to
force that, but they're fairly easy to circumvent). Users can even modify
network settings such as "log onto the domain" if they like. Ditch Win9x!

> Initially I said our clients are WinXP, but we are in transition at
> the moment, so would have to accomodate for the 98 machines... So
> GPMC isn't an option for us at the mo'
>
> Are there 3rd party options ?

Not that I know of, sorry.
>
>
> Thanks very much for you help.

Hope it *was* of some help.
>
>
>> For more info on GPMC (group policy management console), see
>>
>
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
> .
>> It's a very nice utility.
>
> 'tis in deed