Windows user interface tweaks

Some fragmented windows-related notes (mostly admin stuff)

TODO: Cleanup

Kiosk-style notes

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Disabling various system utilities

For example, if you want windows to complain whenever someone tries to run

the command prompt (cmd) is used: "The command prompt has been disabled by your administrator" when you try to run

the task manager (e.g. Ctrl+Alt+Del on XP): "Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator"

the registry editor (regedit): "Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator"

(Malware may do some of these things, to try to make it harder for you to kill it)

Via the registry

These settings are in the registry. Larger sites (and people who like explanations more than numbers) may prefer the policy editor.

As such, you can use the policy editor to fix this (except in versions of windows that MS removed that tool, such as XP Home).

Registry sections (See Registry editing) where various related policies may be stored (different ones in different locations):

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\System
 
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

...so you probably want to search for the actual key that's keeping you.

The keys (names vary somewhat between versions of windows) have names like:

DisableCMD
DisableRegistryTools
DisableTaskMgr
NoControlPanel 
NoTrayContextMenu

These tend to be DWORD entries that you want to be 0 instead of anything else.

For a longer reference with all sorts of specific tweaks (down to things like disabling the 'Background' tab in the Display settings), see the description of a virus or spyware that does this.

Further restrictions

Keyboard filtering

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Policy editing

It is often easiest to use the policy editor (run gpedit.msc via the dialog) since it's both friendlier and more organized than trying to find the registry entries they imply. It's also handy if your registry editing is disabled in the first place.

Most of the interface lockdown is in two places:

User Config\Admin Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar allows you to strip down the start menu items and task bar behaviour, including:
- remove links to control panel, network settings, printers, windows update, Run, Search, Help, Favorites, various My somethings
- remove personal start menu entries and/or 'All users' entries
- disable access shut down, enable logoff item
- start menu user's name
- taskbar right-clicking and/or properties menu
- taskbar balloon tips
- taskbar locking
- toolbar lockdown
- system tray hiding
- remove 'frequent program' list
- not keeping a document history

User Config\Admin Templates\System, such as:
- Prevent access to registry Editing Tools
- Prevent access to the command propt
- Custom user interface (see below)
- Ctrl+Alt+Del Options
  - Remove Task Manager
  - Remove Lock Computer
  - Remove Change Password
  - Remove Logoff

The Ctrl+Alt+Del Options are WinNT/Win2K-centric, referring to the dialog you get when you press Ctrl-Alt-Del. They may be remapped a bit; in XP, 'Remove Task Manager' refers to pressing ctrl-alt-del to get the task manager.

'Custom user interface'

The Custom user interface option allows you to tell windows to not run the default, explorer.exe, and instead run something else. (This also kills features that come from explorer, such as shortcuts like windows-R.)

You could, for example, run internet in its kiosk mode ("iexplore -k" meaning fullscreen, and the menu is disabled).

Firefox has similar functionality in plugins, for example r-kiosk. Note that with firefox, you probably want to disable the tab/session restore feature, and instead unconditionally go to the configured start page. (Go to about:config, find browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash, set it to false)

Software restriction

Other tweaks

Considerations:

you may want to disable the screensaver

you may want to set up remote desktop, for remote administration.

you may want to disable Active Desktop, IE's 'set as background', and such (not airtight?(verify))

you may want to make program kills harsher program at shutdown, to avoid a scheduled/remote shutdown hanging. Set HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks to 1 (REG_SZ type)

When firefox and/or the OS was shut down somewhat harshly you may get the session recovery question. You may want to disable that so that you'll always start at agive

You may want to disable the session recovery in firefox (and just start at a given homepage), to avoid having to answer a question when a machine was shut down somewhat harshly.

To disable running arbitrary things is actually hard.

Global key shorcuts

Basic windows-wide shortcuts:

Everyday:

⊞ Wine: Open new explorer window

⊞ Winl: Lock screen (goes to login window, leaves your session intact)

Avoiding the mouse:

ShiftF10 - imitate right mouse click
F4 - Go to Explorer's address bar
F2 - Rename item

⊞ Wind: 'show desktop', much like:
⊞ Winm: Minimize all windows
⊞ WinShiftm: Restore windows hidden by last Win-m

Since windows 7:

⊞ Winuparrow - maximize
⊞ Windownarrow - minimize
⊞ Winleftarrow, ⊞ Winrightarrow cycles through: dock left, dock right, don't dock. Is aware of multiple monitors.

Since windows 10(verify):

It seems Win + most letters have some function now, from cortana to dictation to emoji panel, desktop peek, some network functions - see e.g. [2]
⊞ Win. or ⊞ Win; - emoji picker

For admins:

⊞ WinBreak (as in the Pause/Break key) shows System Properties

⊞ WinX - quick link meny for various admin/config things

CtrlShiftEsc - open Task Manager

...more immediate than going via Ctrl-Alt-Del

For keyboards without windows/menu keys:

CtrlEsc: Windows key
ShiftF10: Menu key