Make Registry Values Apply to All Users

SylenThunder · Jan 12, 2023

Testing a rollout of Windows 11 Enterprise and have a few things that I want to customize.

The first is removing widgets, search, chat, and task switch from the taskbar. The second is re-instating the classic right-click menu.
Now for the most part, these settings are configured in HKCU. The problem is that it only applies to the current logged in user.

I know that we could use GPO as an alternative, but we will have a mixed environment, and are attempting to keep GPO changes to a minimum as most of our users are remote. It would be far easier to just drop registry changes into the imaging process.

I attempted setting them in HKLM, but only had mixed success. Any assistance with this is appreciated.

SIW2 · Jan 12, 2023

did you try adding the changes to the default hive ?

garlin · Jan 12, 2023

Later versions of W11 have a bad habit of selectively ignoring inherited HKCU keys, from the Default user hive. For example, user locale and desktop preferences. You would have to apply them after the user is provisioned.

If the system is single-user, create a RunOnce task to apply your regedits. For a multi-user PC, maybe a Default user start folder script which applies changes and deletes itself.

SylenThunder · Jan 13, 2023

garlin said:
Later versions of W11 have a bad habit of selectively ignoring inherited HKCU keys, from the Default user hive. For example, user locale and desktop preferences. You would have to apply them after the user is provisioned.

If the system is single-user, create a RunOnce task to apply your regedits. For a multi-user PC, maybe a Default user start folder script which applies changes and deletes itself.

Yes, this is correct. That was my first stop after HKLM didn't work. Default user hive did not sync any of the edits to the user account.

The run once task could work except that we are logging in 2-3 accounts during the set up process, so it would be up to the last agent working on the hardware deploy to manually put the file in place. Also would not work for multiple users as we do have a couple of those.

Again, we could set a GPO for it. This has two negatives though. First is that GPO's are not always applied properly when user is remote. Second is that setting a lot of them tend to slow down the login process considerably, and do not remain synced very well. GPO is also more of a permanent thing, and I would like for the users to have the ability to enable the features later if they want them. I just don't want them to be loaded by default. Was kind of hoping there might be something we could configure in the ISO or a better way to make the registry changes stick without resorting to 3rd-party software.

garlin · Jan 13, 2023

Like my previous idea, copy a script to folder "C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup", so every first logon runs the customization. This avoids the GPO hassle, and takes care of both remote and later added users.

Default User's Startup folder Windows 8.1 vs Windows 10

SylenThunder · Jan 19, 2023

garlin said:
Like my previous idea, copy a script to folder "C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup", so every first logon runs the customization. This avoids the GPO hassle, and takes care of both remote and later added users.

Default User's Startup folder Windows 8.1 vs Windows 10

Yes, this absolutely looks like the best option. Curious though, how to make the file delete itself. Just run delete at the end? I would think that if it was "in use" that wouldn't work.

garlin · Jan 19, 2023

How a batch file can delete itself and exit the command prompt?

SylenThunder · Feb 1, 2023

Seems like it's been forever. Still need to test, but this is what I've got put together so far.

Going to try setting this PowerShell script in the default user startup.

Powershell:

REG LOAD HKLM\Default C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT
 
# Removes Task View from the Taskbar
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "ShowTaskViewButton" -Value "0" -PropertyType Dword
 
# Removes Widgets from the Taskbar
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "TaskbarDa" -Value "0" -PropertyType Dword
 
# Removes Chat from the Taskbar
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "TaskbarMn" -Value "0" -PropertyType Dword
 
# Default StartMenu alignment 0=Left
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "TaskbarAl" -Value "0" -PropertyType Dword
 
# Removes search from the Taskbar
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" -Name "SearchboxTaskbarMode" -Value "0" -PropertyType Dword

# Restore classic right-click menu
New-itemproperty "HKLM:\Default\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" -Name "@" -Value ""
 
REG UNLOAD HKLM\Default

del "%~f0" & exit

Not entirely sure that the right-click menu at the end will work. The key for it looks like this...

Code:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32]
@=""

LesFerch · Feb 1, 2023

Avoid touching HKLM. Where you have absolutely no choice, hit HKLM in the build process before the user logs in. On first logon your script should only be touching HKCU. It keeps things simple and reliable, does not require elevated privileges, allows for rolling back to the default settings in HKLM, and is less affected by Windows updates and/or repairs that may roll back those HKLM changes.

SylenThunder · Feb 1, 2023

LesFerch said:
Avoid touching HKLM. Where you have absolutely no choice, hit HKLM in the build process before the user logs in. On first logon your script should only be touching HKCU. It keeps things simple and reliable, does not require elevated privileges, allows for rolling back to the default settings in HKLM, and is less affected by Windows updates and/or repairs that may roll back those HKLM changes.

Absolutely correct. That is something I apparently forgot to change. Thank you for noticing.

Damian · Feb 5, 2023

My advice is to use the NTLite software, it allows you to modify registry keys for all users.

mike42965 · Sep 5, 2023

SylenThunder said:
Testing a rollout of Windows 11 Enterprise and have a few things that I want to customize.

The first is removing widgets, search, chat, and task switch from the taskbar. The second is re-instating the classic right-click menu.
Now for the most part, these settings are configured in HKCU. The problem is that it only applies to the current logged in user.

I know that we could use GPO as an alternative, but we will have a mixed environment, and are attempting to keep GPO changes to a minimum as most of our users are remote. It would be far easier to just drop registry changes into the imaging process.

I attempted setting them in HKLM, but only had mixed success. Any assistance with this is appreciated.

For the default state of the search box/button on Windows 11 22H2, I found that there's an additional reg value in the default user registry file required for this to work.
Under HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search:
SearchboxTaskbarMode = 0/1/2/3 depending on your preference (This is known to work on Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows 11)
SearchboxTaskbarModeCache (Once I also set this to the same as above, the default setting works for new user profiles.)

Ghot · Sep 5, 2023

SylenThunder said:
Any assistance with this is appreciated.

I'm one of those people who occasionally use tools the wrong way, and feel no guilt when doing it.

One of the best things about ElevenForum is the tutorials. There's tutorials for ... everything.
Most of them have a registry option for doing... whatever, and a lot of those have the option of doing whatever for the current user or for all users.

Now here's where using tools the wrong way comes in.
Obviously we can open any reg patch in notepad and see what's IN there.
So when I'm curious or trying to do something out of the ordinary, I cheat. I look inside the existing reg patches in the tutorials.

On that note... here's a lot of the more commonly requested tutorials...

Windows 11 Tweaks - Leader Board.

These are tweaks I've seen asked for... many times. They are collected here for easy access. All of these and more can be found in the Eleven Forum Tutorials Classic context menus... https://www.elevenforum.com/t/disable-show-more-options-context-menu-in-windows-11.1589/ Change...

www.elevenforum.com

Moultrex · Apr 12, 2024

I just can not believe how Microsoft builds his OS.

I edit the C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT

If you login with a new account via RDP -> the settings are applied in HKCU
If you login with a new account sitting infront of the desktop computer -> the settings are NOT applied in HKCU

LesFerch · Apr 12, 2024

Moultrex said:
I just can not believe how Microsoft builds his OS.

I edit the C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT

If you login with a new account via RDP -> the settings are applied in HKCU
If you login with a new account sitting in front of the desktop computer -> the settings are NOT applied in HKCU

If you have updated C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT (i.e. load hive, change/add setting, unload hive) those settings must always apply to a new account. Maybe some other process is overwriting your changes.

Try something very simple, such as adding a folder to the user search path (HKEY_USERS\LoadedHive\Environment\Path).

Moultrex · Apr 12, 2024

I swear to God. I have tried it many times. When i login via RDP for the first time, the user profile is created and the registry edits i did to NTUSER.DAT file are applied to the HKCU registry.

If i do the same for the first time on a new account sitting infront of the computer, the NTUSER.DAT is not being applied. I'll try the folder thing you said and get back to you.

The Windows 11 is a clean installation. Only the NTUSER.DAT is modified from default profile.

Moultrex · Apr 12, 2024

Loaded Hive

New User Profile created when logged in via RDP

New User Profile created sitting infront of the PC

As you mentioned it works BUT i have set values for example at

LOADED_HIVE\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics -> MinAnimate = 0

When i do the same procedure from RDP the value is set as 0 BUT when i login infront of the PC the value is set as 1.

What is happening??!!

garlin · Apr 12, 2024

I heard this complaint many times, and seen it. Something in new user provisioning ignores or clobbers a wide range of hive settings that should be inherited from Default User. The behavior is very bad in later W10 releases, and all of W11. I've never understood the reasons.

The only guaranteed fix is to apply HKCU settings AFTER the first logon session.