Software Deployment

I am packaging Windows Live Messenger 8.1. Vendor MSI and I’m creating MST.

As the machine will be shared, the specification is for Messenger not to autolaunch the first time a user logs on after install (obviously the user can then go to ‘Tools’ - ‘Options’ – ‘General’, and select ‘Automatically run Windows Live Messenger when I log on to Windows’ which will startup next time they log on).

The following registry key resides in the MSI:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\

Name: MsnMsgr
Value: “[MessengerDir]MsnMsgr.Exe” /Background

This key launches Messenger on windows loading.

To try and stop it from autoloading I have done the following to the MST:

Delted the registry key. The results from this is, after install, when user logs on, launches the app, it writes the key back, with the value of:

‘“[MessengerDir]MsnMsgr.Exe” /Background’.

I then tried leaving the registry key in the MST, but left the value blank. The results are the same. i.e. full value gets inserted when new user logs in and launches app.

I have read http://itninja.com/link/appdeploy->-package-knowledgebase->-msn-messenger, and in particular interest:

“The option to disable autorun in the group policy editor doesn't work with this version of messenger, instead I used the tip David Carlin gave at : http://blog.case.edu/djc6/2006/01/11/disable_msn_messenger_auto_run_via_group_policy

This one does work and will prevent messenger from auto loading. It's a feature I tried to incorporate in the package file, but messenger updates the registry value every time it is started effectively nullifying the package effect.”

D Carlin’s tip is to disable MSN Messenger Auto Run Via Group Policy.

Has anyone come up with a way to do this in an MST? It looks like it was possible with earlier version of Messenger…

Thanks.