For Christian and JSOP - why Microsoft sucks today......
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So, I am working on a gambling application where we control the hardware and software, and are using .NET for the app and running under Windows 7. Naturally, I need to lock down the machines so that people can't go in and monkey around with stuff they aren't supposed to. Disabling safe mode in XP and earlier was as simple as deleting a registry key. Now in 7 and 2008, they have protected this registry key from modification by anyone including an administrator. This isn't so bad, except that Microsoft has provided NO way to disable safe mode at all. So, now I will have to do this by using a bootable linux distro CD and registry editor to modify this key.... Gotta love having to use Linux to modify a Windows OS!!!!
Does MS still offer windows embedded? AFAIK they used to allow far more mucking around they internals in win embedded because the OS was intended to only be used to run the software belonging to the device it was built in.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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It can be changed, just not with the OS that owns it...It's marginally better than not being able to disable safe mode in any way at all.
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Does MS still offer windows embedded? AFAIK they used to allow far more mucking around they internals in win embedded because the OS was intended to only be used to run the software belonging to the device it was built in.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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Mike Mullikin wrote:
what value is a registry key that cannot be changed?
This reminds me of a little trick that can make entries inaccessible to the Win32 API [edit](in earlier OS versions anyway)[edit]- check the bit on Hidden Registry Keys here[^]. Not sure how much this is used by the kernel, but I think the startup stuff does use the registry - might make sense to prevent access to some critical keys.
modified on Thursday, December 10, 2009 3:14 PM
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So, I am working on a gambling application where we control the hardware and software, and are using .NET for the app and running under Windows 7. Naturally, I need to lock down the machines so that people can't go in and monkey around with stuff they aren't supposed to. Disabling safe mode in XP and earlier was as simple as deleting a registry key. Now in 7 and 2008, they have protected this registry key from modification by anyone including an administrator. This isn't so bad, except that Microsoft has provided NO way to disable safe mode at all. So, now I will have to do this by using a bootable linux distro CD and registry editor to modify this key.... Gotta love having to use Linux to modify a Windows OS!!!!
Why can't you use XP then ? There's enough kiosk type software in this world that MS should provide a kiosk version, esp if they have hacked windows to stop a method that used to work, IMO.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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David Knechtges wrote:
- Battery life on these machines is better under 7 than XP - about 30 minutes better with the same settings
A portable gambling device? Are you guys dealing with real money?
David Knechtges wrote:
- The wireless drivers on the hardware we need to use are much less buggy in 7 than they are in XP
A wireless portable gambling device? :)
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning. --Isaac Asimov Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --Ralph Charell
Chris Austin wrote:
A wireless portable gambling device?
Sounds like a teenager learning to drive. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra]
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Chris Austin wrote:
A wireless portable gambling device?
Sounds like a teenager learning to drive. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra]
:laugh:
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning. --Isaac Asimov Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --Ralph Charell
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Backward compatibility - MS decided that this key cannot b changed anymroe by applications, but application might rely on that key being present. Now, if I can get to the stupid ivory tower asshole with no clue of reality whatsoever beyond the karaoke show he visits every thursday night who decided that it's ok for Windows Installer to refuse to function in Safe Mode.
Personally, I love the idea that Raymond spends his nights posting bad regexs to mailing lists under the pseudonym of Jane Smith. He'd be like a super hero, only more nerdy and less useful. [Trevel]
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | µLaunch - program launcher for server core and hyper-v server -
So, I am working on a gambling application where we control the hardware and software, and are using .NET for the app and running under Windows 7. Naturally, I need to lock down the machines so that people can't go in and monkey around with stuff they aren't supposed to. Disabling safe mode in XP and earlier was as simple as deleting a registry key. Now in 7 and 2008, they have protected this registry key from modification by anyone including an administrator. This isn't so bad, except that Microsoft has provided NO way to disable safe mode at all. So, now I will have to do this by using a bootable linux distro CD and registry editor to modify this key.... Gotta love having to use Linux to modify a Windows OS!!!!
Can't you password protect safe mode in Weven? Might be worth asking.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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David Knechtges wrote:
- Battery life on these machines is better under 7 than XP - about 30 minutes better with the same settings
A portable gambling device? Are you guys dealing with real money?
David Knechtges wrote:
- The wireless drivers on the hardware we need to use are much less buggy in 7 than they are in XP
A wireless portable gambling device? :)
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning. --Isaac Asimov Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --Ralph Charell
Yes, believe it or not a wireless gambling device.... And yes, we deal with real money..... It isn't as out there and hackable as you might think - there are several Vegas casinos now experimenting with wireless handheld gambling devices that the person can take with them whereever they want on the casino's property that would allow them to play slots, video poker, blackjack, etc. And - believe it or not, the majority of the gambling machines run the Windows OS as their OS, not Linux or a proprietary OS. Same thing with most ATMs now too.... So yes, they can be secured against hacking, it just takes a bit of work to do so.....