Kiosk Mode on Windows 8.1 - How do I open IE in Metro Mode automatically

[Davit2005]

Trying to set this up on some 8.1 Windows Surface devices.

 

Can get all the auto login and open IE automatically via Shell registration hack which opens IE instead of explorer but for some reason the keyboard will not come up when address bar clicked into.

 

Is there anyway I can open up Metro Mode automaticaly at a specific web page.

 

Would rather do this all via GPO if possible because we just want to be able to rebuild the devices, drop them into the correct OU and not have to do any further config.

 

Thanks.

[Davit2005]

Can anyone test whether on a tablet Windows 10 the IE Desktop version pops up the keyboard when you do search or address bar.

 

Google does but IE doesn't on Windows 8.1, what a MS

[fairm010]

Do you have a keyboard attached?

 

IE on our surfaces does not respond to address bar input via touchscreen when a keyboard is connected (the clip on type)

[Davit2005]

If I unclip the physical keyboard the pop up keyboard still does not activate, going to see waht happens if I actually boot up the tablet with the keyboard detached.

 

Funny that in Google Chrome it works perfectly. The only problem with Chrome is we cannot seem to lock the application so it cannot be closed.

 

Kiosk mode would be fine but as these Surface Pro's are going to be Intenet Cafe devices i.e. not locked to a single web page it renders navigation between sites a bit difficult.

 

As a colleague just pointed out, Internet Explorer is just a tool to download other browsers

 

Nope, Starting up Surface with Keyboard detached not a blind bit of difference

Edited June 24, 2015 by Davit2005

[Davit2005]

We'll below is what I found on the internet, I did not create the script.

 

Simply created a Scheduled Task to run the powershell script below at Logon for all users via GPO.

 

The idea to been have everything setup automatically via GPO so all that is needed is to drop machines into the correct OU and boom it works.

 

 

$code = @"

using System;

using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

namespace Win8 {

 

[ComImport, Guid("2e941141-7f97-4756-ba1d-9decde894a3d"), InterfaceType(ComInterfaceType.InterfaceIsIUnknown)]

interface IApplicationActivationManager

{

IntPtr ActivateApplication([in] String appUserModelId, [in] String arguments, [in] UInt32 options, [Out] out UInt32 processId);

}

 

[ComImport, Guid("45BA127D-10A8-46EA-8AB7-56EA9078943C")]//Application Activation Manager

public class ApplicationActivationManager : IApplicationActivationManager

{

[MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.InternalCall, MethodCodeType = MethodCodeType.Runtime)/*, PreserveSig*/]

public extern IntPtr ActivateApplication([in] String appUserModelId, [in] String arguments, [in] UInt32 options, [Out] out UInt32 processId);

 

}

 

}

"@

 

add-type -TypeDefinition $code

$appman = new-object Win8.ApplicationActivationManager

 

$appman.ActivateApplication("DefaultBrowser_NOPUBLISHERID!Microsoft.InternetExplorer.Default",$null,0,[ref]0)