Windows 8.1: Disable first logon animation

Raphael Perez published a reg key to disable the animation. It can be distributed as an SCCM package during OSD:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
“EnableFirstLogonAnimation”=dword:00000000

The command line that Raphael used was a follows …

regedit.exe /S Disable_First_Run_Animation.reg

Full article

Windows 8: Start Control Panel Applets from command line

Anoop Nair published a nice list of .cpl files you can use to start Control Panel applets from command line in his blog.

 

Syntax: control /name <Name Of the Applet>

 

Applets:

Applet	Explanation
Control smscfgrc	Command Line Shortcut to launch Configuration Manager SCCM Control Panel Applet
Control SMSRAP	Command Line Shortcut to Launch Configuration Manager SCCM Run Advertised Programs (RAP) Canonical names of SCCM RAP
Control SMSPDM	Command Line Shortcut to launch Configuration Manager SCCM Program Download Manager (PDM)
AppWiz.cpl	Command Line  Shortcut for launching Add Remove Programs – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features
BthProps.cpl	Command Line Shortcut for launching Bluetooth Devices – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Devices and Printers\Bluetooth Devices
CollAb.cpl	Command Line Shortcut to change your profile picture via People Near Me (Only for Windows 7 and below)
DESK.cpl	Command Line Shortcut to change Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Display\Screen Resolution
FireWall.cpl	Command Line Shortcut to change Windows FireWall settings – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Firewall
FlashPlayerCPLApp.cpl	Command Line  Shortcut to Flash Player Settings Manager – It’s not working from Command prompt for me
HdwWiz.cpl	Command Line Shortcut for launching Device Manager
Igfxcpl.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel
Inetcpl.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch internet properties
Intl.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch Regional Setting – Region and Language Setting – Location, Keyboards etc..
Irprops.CPL	Command Line  Shortcut to launch Infrared Port Properties
Joy.cpl	Shortcut to launch Game Controllers – Joystick Properties
Main.cpl	Command Line Shortcut to launch Mouse properties
MLCFG32.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to Launch Mail Setup – Outlook – It won’t work from command prompt as this CPL file is located at program files folder
mmsys.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch Sound properties
ncpa.CPL	Command Line Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Network Connections – Shortcut to Network connections
powercfg.CPL	Command Line Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options – Shortcut to launch Power Plan Configuration
RTSnMg64.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch Realtek Audio Manager…. RTSnMg64.CPL‘ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
S32LUCP2.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to Launch Symantec Live Update Configuration – it won’t get launched from from Default command prompt… ERROR message ‘S32LUCP2.cpl’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
sapi.CPL	Command Line Shortcut to launch Speech Properties  – it won’t get launched from from Default command prompt ERROR message ‘sapi.cpl’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
sysdm.CPL	Shortcut to launch System Properties
TabletPC.cpl	Shortcut to launch Tablet PC -Pen, Touch, Handwriting and Flicks configurations
Telephon.CPL	Shortcut to launch Location Information and telephone configuration in OLD times
TimeDate.cpl	Shortcut to launch Time and Date, Additional Clocks, Internet Time Configurations
Wscui.cpl	Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Action Center – Shortcut to launch Action Center
control /name Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption	Shortcut to the configuration of BIT Locker Encryption. Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\BitLocker Drive Encryption
control admintools	Shortcut to launch Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Administrative Tools
control /name Microsoft.AutoPlay	Shortcut to launch Auto Play – Choose what happens when you insert each type of media or device – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\AutoPlay
control /name Microsoft.ColorManagement	Shortcut to launch color Management
control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager	Shortcut to launch Credential Manager – This view and delete your logon information. – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Credential Manager
control /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms	Shortcut to Launch Default program – Choose the default programs which is used by Windows – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs
control printers	Shortcut to launch printers – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Devices and Printers
control schedtasks	Shortcut to launch Task Scheduler
control /name Microsoft.WindowsUpdate	Shortcut Launch  Windows Update – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Update
control userpasswords	Shortcut to launch User Account management – Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts

in this post he also listed available snap-ins for MMC.

azman.MSC – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Authorization Manager
certlm.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Certificates Manager for Local Computer or Machine
certmgr.MSC – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Certificates Manager for Local User
comexp .msc-  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Component Services (DCOM console),Event Viewer and Services

compmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Computer Management
devmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Device Manager

diskmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Disk Management

eventvwr –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Event Viewer

fsmgmt – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Manage Share Folders,Sessions and Open Files Sessions
gpedit  – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch Local Computer (Machine) Policy
lusrmgr.msc –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Local Users and Groups

NAPCLCFG.MSC – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage NAP Client Configuration
perfmon.MSC – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Performance Monitor
printmanagement – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Print Management

rsop – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage  RSOP Resultant Set Of Policies
secpol – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Local Security Policy
services – Command Prompt Shortcut to or canonical name Launch and Manage local Services
taskschd – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Task Scheduler
tpm –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Management
virtmgmt.msc -Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Virtual Machines using Hyper-V manager.
WF – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
WmiMgmt – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) management.

adsiedit – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Active Directory Services Interfaces (ADSI) Editor

AdRmsAdmin.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Active Directory Right Management Services (AD RMS).

CluAdmin.msc –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Cluster Manager

dfsmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage DFS Management

domain.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Active Directory (AD) Domains and Trusts

dsa.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage AD users and computers

dssite.msc –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage AD Sites and Services

fsrm.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage  File Server Resource Manager

gpmc.msc –  Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Group Policy Management

gpme.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Group Policy Objects

gptedit.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Group Policy Starter GPO Editor

HCSCFG.MSC – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Health Registration Authority

nps.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Network Policy Server

pkiview.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Enterprise PKI

rrasmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Routing and Remote Access

tapimgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Telephony

wbadmin.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Windows Server Backup WBADMIN

WdsMgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Windows Deployment Services

winsmgmt.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage WINs

wlbadmin.msc – Command Prompt Shortcut or canonical name to Launch and Manage Local Backup Console Root 

Windows To Go: Notes from MMS 2013

I attended a session related to Windows To Go at MMS 2013.

 

Important points:

1. Use either KMS or AD-based volume activation for WTG, MAK can be set, but does not have any sense since machine will be reactivated every time when a new hardware is used and it can exhaust your MAKs

2. Add network (and if necessary USB)  drivers for all models WTG will be used on to be sure WTG will be able to get network.

3. Use AD offline domain join AND ask your users to use WTG on corpnet at least once (to be sure they have cached credentials).

4. Never use roaming profiles or folder redirections (with offline folders) for users who will use WTG – that may fill your USB stick very quickly. Workaround – configure a Primary Device for user in AD (A Windows 12 schema extension is necessary) and use GPO to use Roaming profiles and folder redirection on Primary Devices only.

Server 2012: Hyper-V on Gigabyte P67X-3DR

I am updating my home Lab to Server 2012. As a part of upgrade one of my Hyper-V hosts got the new OS. As soon as I enabled Hyper-V role it rebooted and sit forever showing me nice new windows logo (no logon screen).

 

I found resolution here. USB3 controller should be disabled in BIOS. Hopefully Gigabyte will fix it in later BIOS updates.

From this forum it looks like Windows 8 with Hyper-V role is affected too!

Tip: Server 2012/Windows 8–How to logoff

In Server 2012/Windows 8 Microsoft changed “traditional” logoff way… Now, to logoff go to the Start page, click on your user account picture and select "Sign out".