Auto log off user after a program is closed

[DAckroyd]

turn off screensavers?

[SYNACK]

If you want to edit the reg after the change you can simple load up the user.dat reg file from the game users profile in regedit and change it from within the administrator account.

[link470]

If you want to edit the reg after the change you can simple load up the user.dat reg file from the game users profile in regedit and change it from within the administrator account.

Awesome. Never done that attempt before, I'll give that a shot, thanks!

And ya I ended up disabling the screensaver on that account or setting the value to 1 in regedit if I want to do maintenance. So at the moment it's 1, then I'll hide it again later when the consoles actually ready.

Thanks guys! I'll let you know how it goes. Next steps are to install the games, make sure the logging on and logging off work seamlessly with the game start and quit, and then test imaging.

[link470]

Hmm, I'd really like to use the User Shell idea, but I think VB may be what I have to go with.

I set the game as the user shell and the game doesn't run, and gives the error "could not initialize graphics system. make sure that your video card and driver are compatible with directdraw". As soon as I CTRL+ALT+DEL and run Explorer, select the game from the start menu, it launches fine. Must be dependant on something in explorer...unless I'm missing something.

Also, after that error, it doesn't log me back out. Maybe I have to quit the game properly to log out, but at the moment since I'm getting the error I have to CTRL+ALT+DEL and choose log out from the task manager Shut Down menu.

Any suggestions?

If not I'll try VB next. Thanks!

::EDIT::

Just tried with Starcraft, same thing. They both give errors related to being unable to change video settings when they're set as User Shell. As soon as you start up Explorer.exe and then launch the game, it works perfectly. Starcrafts specific error has lots of information on changing screen resolution etc. or updating DirectX, which isn't what we need of course. But it lists the specific error if that helps.

The error encountered while trying to switch video modes was:
Not implemented
vidinimo_PC.cpp line 160
SetDisplayMode

Sounds like it's calling for something required in explorer? No idea really. About to try VB. Let me know if you have any ideas for the user shell! That would be my preference if possible since it's near tamper proof for the average user. Thanks so much.

::EDIT::

VB error on line 3 char 1. Argument not optional: 'oShell.run' Code 800A01C1

[link470]

Hey guys! I haven't found anything else yet that would do a better job than what you all have suggested. Anything ideas on fixing the user shell error or the VB script, or any other ideas? I've still got 2 weeks.

Thanks!

[SYNACK]

What is the full VBS code that you are having issues with?

It looks like lots of the stuff is implemented through explorer now which was not the case back in win 98 which was the last time that I used this type of method. The other option would be to try a cut down shell replacement set to start the program, possibly one of there: [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_shell_replacement]Windows shell replacement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[link470]

What is the full VBS code that you are having issues with?

I was using the VB script mentioned earlier on the first page of this thread.

VBS would be:

set oShell=createobject("wscript.shell")
sCmd="C:\Games\Starcraft.exe"
oShell.run,,true 'true forces it to wait for process to finish
Set OpSystems = GetObject("winmgmts:{(Shutdown)}//./root/cimv2").ExecQuery("select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where Primary=true")

for each OpSys in OpSystems
	OpSys.Win32Shutdown 0
next

the WMI stuff to log off is a bit of overkill - you could just do:

sCmd="shutdown /l"
oShell.run sCmd

you then run this with "wscript <name of vbscriptfile>" (you want wscript otherwise a cscript window will lurk in the background)

So that's what I did, and this is the exact code I have that generates that error:

set oShell=createobject("wscript.shell")
sCmd="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II\EMPIRES2.EXE"
oShell.run,,true 'true forces it to wait for process to finish
Set OpSystems = GetObject("winmgmts:{(Shutdown)}//./root/cimv2").ExecQuery("select * from Win32_OperatingSystem where Primary=true")

for each OpSys in OpSystems
	OpSys.Win32Shutdown 0
next
sCmd="shutdown /l"
oShell.run sCmd

[SYNACK]

I was using the VB script mentioned earlier on the first page of this thread.


So that's what I did, and this is the exact code I have that generates that error:

Your missing a few bits in the code and have some extra, try this:

set oShell=createobject("wscript.shell")
sCmd="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II\EMPIRES2.EXE"
oShell.run sCmd,1,true 'true forces it to wait for process to finish
sCmd="shutdown /l"
oShell.run sCmd

[link470]

Your missing a few bits in the code and have some extra, try this:

set oShell=createobject("wscript.shell")
sCmd="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II\EMPIRES2.EXE"
oShell.run sCmd,1,true 'true forces it to wait for process to finish
sCmd="shutdown /l"
oShell.run sCmd

Hmm, I'm getting an error on Line 3 character 1, the system cannot find the specified file.

[SYNACK]

Are you sure that the file is there and that the user has read access to it? Try it with notepad just to make sure:

sCmd="notepad.EXE"

[link470]

Are you sure that the file is there and that the user has read access to it? Try it with notepad just to make sure:

sCmd="notepad.EXE"

Just tried that, and it worked perfectly, started notepad on login, and logged me out when I closed notepad. I tried the game path again, and it gave me the cannot find the file specified message again. So I copied the location directly from the code, between the " signs since it has spaces in it, and pasted it into start>run, and the game launched perfectly, so I know the file path is good. Could it be that it's not accepting spaces?

I tried something else too. I added the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age Of Empires etc folder to the system path, and tried just adding EMPIRES2.exe in the code to see if that was the issue. Doesn't work then either, system cannot find the file specified.

Thanks for your help!

[link470]

If you start the games through a batch file instead you could use the following:

 
start /wait "C:\Games\Starcraft.exe"
shutdown /l

Just tried this solution out of desperation. Still doesn't work. I end up getting a command prompt window that comes up with the first line, start /wait "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age Of Empires II\EMPIRES2.EXE" and then just sits there and another command prompt window pops up and starts the command at a wierd place that has nothing to do with the script. I close that window, and the original command window asks me if I want to terminate the process. If I say no, it shows shutdown /1, disappears, and doesn't logout. If I choose yes, it closes, and doesn't log out as well. Thanks anyway!

[DAckroyd]

[QUOTE=link470;319261] it shows shutdown /1, QUOTE]

Just to check is that 1 or L ?

[User3204]

Just tried this solution out of desperation. Still doesn't work. I end up getting a command prompt window that comes up with the first line, start /wait "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age Of Empires II\EMPIRES2.EXE" and then just sits there and another command prompt window pops up and starts the command at a wierd place that has nothing to do with the script. I close that window, and the original command window asks me if I want to terminate the process. If I say no, it shows shutdown /1, disappears, and doesn't logout. If I choose yes, it closes, and doesn't log out as well. Thanks anyway!

You need to do:

start /wait "Title" "C:\program folder\application.exe"

so

start /wait "StarCraft" "C:\Games\Starcraft.exe"

Otherwise it interprets the stuff between the "" as a title\name.

[link470]

it shows shutdown /1,

Just to check is that 1 or L ?

It's a one [1].

You need to do:

start /wait "Title" "C:\program folder\application.exe"

so

start /wait "StarCraft" "C:\Games\Starcraft.exe"

Otherwise it interprets the stuff between the "" as a title\name.

The event I was prepping these for is over so no pressure for time now [event went great! ended up just having the machines start Starcraft from the Startup folder, and luckily, they never wanted to quit Starcraft! They just played that all night then shut the machines down lol] but I'm keeping the machines and making modifications to them so I can use them again

I'll give that a shot, thanks!