Kumar,
Well, the answer to your question is totally dependent on what resources you've got for this project. How much time your planning on
implementing it, how good the Win32 (or .Net) skills of your dev, what level of system lockdown you are looking for at user level,
etc.
The best approach would probably be developing a custom shell. There you'd have almost all control around everything that's is going
on in the post-cloned image. You an implement a hidden key-stroke to launch an admin only GUI and do the required device
maintenance.
If you plan on heavily use on IE, your shell can really be a WebBrowser[2] object wrapper so that you can provide users with full IE
capabilities and the same time have full control over the frame UI.
From footprint and dependency standpoint the shell may better be written in somewhat middle level languages like C/C++, Delphi
(object pascal), or etc.
If the shell app footprint and performance is not a great concern of yours you can definitely do more rapid development using .Net
languages, again Delphi with some heavy libraries, or etc.
If developing your own shell doesn't really look pretty to you and doesn't fit in to the timeframes you've got for the project, you
can always go ahead with either IE or Explorer Shell approach. There you'd definitely have multiple user accounts support but will
have to develop some hooks in the system to provide a custom UI for things like switching from user to admin mode (unless the XP way
of switching users is acceptable to you - Win+L with Fast User Switching service up). Also, you'd definitely want to lock down your
system to meet the device requirements. With IE and Explorer Shells it has been done many times so you'd definitely get a help here
in this NG or on the Web if you are facing particular issues.
Also, take a close look at the Kiosk Template. This may look like what you can start with.
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Regards,
KM
Hi KM,
Thank you for the time you have given to answer my query.
I wonder what need to be done if I need more than only a different log-in
interface. Like say in airports, we have internet browsers. a normal user
would see only some application or say ie only on boot-on. He can just browse
internet or say use the application. Where as if the administrator could
bring a log-on pop-up using some key combination. After that he would see a
normal Windows explorer with start menu etc. I am looking for some thing very
much the same sought.
Rgds
Kumar
KM said:
And just to add to that a couple more tricks that will allow you to hide more Windows screens:
/bootlogo switch of boot.ini
[HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\syste-m],"DisableStatusMessages"=dword:0
Autologon (in case you are going to go with Winlogon)
The best way would probably be Minlogon but then you have to analazy whether your app can work in Minlogon environment.
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Regards,
KM
Sean Liming (eMVP) said:
Sounds like you are looking for a GINA replacement and a custom application as the shell.
To create a custom shell:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...XPE_DUALBOOTDual-BootingTipsForXPEmbedded.asp
Customizing the Gina:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/05/SecurityBriefs/
http://www.frontmotion.com/
Regards,
Sean Liming
www.sjjmicro.com /
www.seanliming.com
XP Embedded Book Author - XP Embedded Advanced, XP Embedded Supplemental Toolkit
XP Training Class Nov 28-30 -
http://www.sjjmicro.com/Training.html
Not sure how this effects licensing but do you simply need to use something like
http://www.stardock.com/products/bootskin/
and
http://www.stardock.com/products/logonstudio/ ?
There are many of these sorts of tools on techniques if you google them.
Regards,
Stuart
Hi,
I am new to embedded XP programming and I have a task to develop a stand
alone style application. The details are as follows:
1) on boot-up our application have to start running and we shall not see any
Windows style window.
2) on typing a typical key like say: ctl+shift+del, a log-in pop appears and
on logging in a complete Windows-XP OS shall appear.
My understanding is the application we develop should act like a new shell
and run on boot-up with-out givng the XP flavour yet. I wonder what is the
best way and how to get the Windows XP shell once logged in!
Thank you in advance.
