Validate WMP 11

[pwds]

I've seen a lot of threads about this on the internet but no satesfactory solutions. Is there a way to validate WMP 11 (deployed via WSUS) so that when students are loading material from our VLE/network drives that it doesn't request (and fail) validation.

 

I'm not keen on presenting "validate now" dialogue boxes to users who have a tendancy towards panic and "It's broken" rather than reading the message to start with, but the permissions we've set on the computers prevent this and rule out even this poor workaround.

 

I know I can deploy WMP 10 with their enterprise deployment tools, but am not keen to do this with WMP 11 already on the machines, and AFAIK there is no MSI silent install option for WMP 11.

 

1) Is there a way to validate existing installs of WMP 11 centrally?

 

2) Is there a way to re-install it silently over the top via GPO which will validate as part of the install?

 

3) Is there a way to remove it centrally and then roll out WMP 10 (revoking permission for WMP 11 via WSUS) via the supported Enterprise Deployment route? What are the security implications of this?

[Jon_boy1984]

I'm not sure about the validating part but I know when I created our MSI for WMP11 I had to use the Deployment kit for 10, and it created the MSI (It said it was version 10, but a quick edit with orca changed that! ) It deploys fine. I think I remember having to rename the WMP11 EXE to something else. I'll have a quick google later and see if I can find out anything about validation, but I'ce got a feeling its set per user, so it wouldn't be something easily done (unless anyone else know otherwise).

 

Hope this helps in some way.

[Jon_boy1984]

I think I followed the guide here:

 

AppDeploy > Package Knowledgebase > Windows Media Player

 

Theres a bit inthe Note section about the Validation part, and how to get around it. Its always a useful site when creating MSIs/Silent installs.

 

I tested it but I had to REM out part of the batch file checked the file name, because even though I'd changed it like it stated in one of the notes, it still could find it.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Jon_boy1984

[pwds]

With thanks to Jon I seem to have been able to resolve this with the below script-

 

const HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001

Dim objReg
Dim strComputer

strComputer = "."

Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & _
strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")

strKeyPath = "Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences"
dwValue = 1
 
objReg.SetDWORDValue HKEY_CURRENT_USER, strKeyPath, "AcceptedPrivacyStatement", dwValue

Set objReg = Nothing

 

Usual disclaimer that, whilst I believe this script will not cause any harm, I cannot be held responsible if it does.