Multi-OEM/Retail Project {MRP} - Mk3

As it seems to only affect LTSC 2021 (for the time being at least) i will refrain from major XML, JSON and BIN code changes to not pin the explorer icon on the taskbar as it will affect all OS Versions because to just isolate LTSC 2021 and use modified XML etc file for just that OS/Version could cause more issues later on.

Will keep this in mind and if it starts to affect other w1x OS's i will just remove the pin explorer icon to taskbar parts in the respective XML, JSON and bin files.

 

Just working on v156 BT1

Regarding the MRP's Win1x Slim Startmenu/Taskbar option(s):-

Testing a LTSC/IoT flag to adjust the Taskbar's weird Explorer icon issue so it no longer pins that icon when that Edition is installed...

I have had a couple of reports that on Win11 the Explorer icon will keep returning on the next reboot even if the user un-pins it... I have now adjusted the Win11 Taskbar to hopefully no longer show the explorer icon which i will test later too.

The above does not affect when the user has NOT selected those MRP Slim Start/Taskbar or when a user's own startmenulayout xml is used as the above option(s) will not be used and auto disabled in that situation.

Until my tests have been done and are happy with the results - in that they work! I will then upload the beta MRP for testers to try if they wish.

 

LTSC (2021) is just weird

Explorer icon was present then once MRP completed and refreshed the screen after policy updates it vanished. However it returned to the taskbar when i unpinned it and rebooted...

Will test more....

 

Ok have done a xml that is used on w10/11 in general which clears explorer etc from the taskbar so only the search icon bit is shown (if the option to hide it is not used).. However you may get that explorer fast fail error the first time the system is rebooted, but as mentioned before in MRP 155's change log it only seems to appear once and not seen again.

It seems that if you mess about with the taskbar section the explorer.exe shell not like it much but as it not affect the OS operation after that error appears once and dismissed the OS no longer moans about that. You can simply pin any icon you as you wish etc, the MRP option just clears all the icons off when you use that option.

As win11 is slightly different the Explorer icon may appear by default on the taskbar after a reboot anyway....

 

Win11 all went ok, no explorer icon on taskbar no fail error...

 

Uploaded MRP 156 BT1 for beta testers if they wish to test this updated Slim taskbar version.

I will be away from the forum for a few hours soon as taking car in to have a front coil spring replaced, last week the driver side one snapped while on a journey and was quite an experience i not want to repeat so that was replaced last friday. Today i am having the passenger side one done even though it has not broken i would rather be safe than in a ditch upside down...

 

Thanks @migascalp for testing ltsc too as i know you mentioned the blank explorer icon.

On my tests i left the search icon on the taskbar but just as the magnifying icon.

Did you get that explorer hard fail error? It may not happen as i think it depends on which other options is used I have a full set of options used but not all users would have same and have their own selections.

 

It seems random if you get the error or not.

One good thing, so far, it is not as fatal as it seems and just a one off show of the error.

I have only seen it once with a windows 11 install.

 

It seems messing about in this area of the registry can trigger that 'fast fail' explorer error:

[####\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband]

#### = HKCU or HKLM

WARNING!!: If you try the below registry tweaks make sure you back up that area first as you may end up with no explorer.exe process and you will have to open task manager and 'run' explorer.exe to get your desktop back!!

Original concept for a clean taskbar..

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband]
"Favorites"=hex:ff
"FavoritesChanges"=dword:00000010
"FavoritesVersion"=dword:00000003
"LayoutXMLLastModified"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

Version that was used in MRP to be 'clean' but just leave the 'Explorer' icon there.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband]
"Favorites"=hex:00,a0,01,00,00,3a,00,1f,80,c8,27,34,1f,10,5c,10,42,aa,03,2e,e4,\
  52,87,d6,68,26,00,01,00,26,00,ef,be,12,00,00,00,df,9c,bf,b4,99,9a,d9,01,6d,\
  29,e9,d9,99,9a,d9,01,6d,29,e9,d9,99,9a,d9,01,14,00,56,00,31,00,00,00,00,00,\
  53,58,76,5b,11,00,54,61,73,6b,42,61,72,00,40,00,09,00,04,00,ef,be,c9,56,fd,\
  31,53,58,76,5b,2e,00,00,00,56,01,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,1c,ed,db,00,54,00,61,00,73,00,6b,00,42,00,61,00,72,00,00,\
  00,16,00,0e,01,32,00,97,01,00,00,87,4f,07,49,20,00,46,49,4c,45,45,58,7e,31,\
  2e,4c,4e,4b,00,00,7c,00,09,00,04,00,ef,be,53,58,76,5b,53,58,76,5b,2e,00,00,\
  00,ef,74,00,00,00,00,3e,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,52,00,00,00,00,00,58,9c,\
  44,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,20,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,\
  00,72,00,2e,00,6c,00,6e,00,6b,00,00,00,40,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
  33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,32,00,30,00,36,00,37,\
  00,00,00,1c,00,12,00,00,00,2b,00,ef,be,1a,ac,30,a7,26,63,da,01,1c,00,42,00,\
  00,00,1d,00,ef,be,02,00,4d,00,69,00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,\
  00,2e,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,2e,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,\
  6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,00,00,1c,00,22,00,00,00,1e,00,ef,be,02,00,55,\
  00,73,00,65,00,72,00,50,00,69,00,6e,00,6e,00,65,00,64,00,00,00,1c,00,00,00,\
  ff
"FavoritesChanges"=dword:00000012
"FavoritesVersion"=dword:00000003
"LayoutXMLLastModified"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
"FavoritesResolve"=hex:3f,03,00,00,4c,00,00,00,01,14,02,00,00,00,00,00,c0,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,46,83,00,80,00,20,00,00,00,e4,4a,2e,a7,26,63,da,01,e4,4a,2e,\
  a7,26,63,da,01,a8,b6,c6,da,dd,ac,d5,01,97,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,a0,01,3a,00,1f,80,c8,27,34,1f,10,5c,10,\
  42,aa,03,2e,e4,52,87,d6,68,26,00,01,00,26,00,ef,be,12,00,00,00,df,9c,bf,b4,\
  99,9a,d9,01,6d,29,e9,d9,99,9a,d9,01,6d,29,e9,d9,99,9a,d9,01,14,00,56,00,31,\
  00,00,00,00,00,53,58,76,5b,11,00,54,61,73,6b,42,61,72,00,40,00,09,00,04,00,\
  ef,be,c9,56,fd,31,53,58,76,5b,2e,00,00,00,56,01,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,1c,ed,db,00,54,00,61,00,73,00,6b,00,42,00,\
  61,00,72,00,00,00,16,00,0e,01,32,00,97,01,00,00,87,4f,07,49,20,00,46,49,4c,\
  45,45,58,7e,31,2e,4c,4e,4b,00,00,7c,00,09,00,04,00,ef,be,53,58,76,5b,53,58,\
  76,5b,2e,00,00,00,ef,74,00,00,00,00,3e,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,52,00,00,\
  00,00,00,58,9c,44,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,20,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,\
  6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,6c,00,6e,00,6b,00,00,00,40,00,73,00,68,00,65,\
  00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,32,00,\
  30,00,36,00,37,00,00,00,1c,00,22,00,00,00,1e,00,ef,be,02,00,55,00,73,00,65,\
  00,72,00,50,00,69,00,6e,00,6e,00,65,00,64,00,00,00,1c,00,12,00,00,00,2b,00,\
  ef,be,1a,ac,30,a7,26,63,da,01,1c,00,42,00,00,00,1d,00,ef,be,02,00,4d,00,69,\
  00,63,00,72,00,6f,00,73,00,6f,00,66,00,74,00,2e,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,\
  6f,00,77,00,73,00,2e,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,00,\
  00,1c,00,00,00,a8,00,00,00,1c,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,1c,00,00,00,3b,00,00,00,\
  00,00,00,00,a7,00,00,00,1f,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,12,a2,d3,ea,10,00,00,00,57,\
  69,6e,64,6f,77,73,5f,31,30,5f,45,64,75,00,43,3a,5c,55,73,65,72,73,5c,4d,61,\
  78,5c,41,70,70,44,61,74,61,5c,52,6f,61,6d,69,6e,67,5c,4d,69,63,72,6f,73,6f,\
  66,74,5c,49,6e,74,65,72,6e,65,74,20,45,78,70,6c,6f,72,65,72,5c,51,75,69,63,\
  6b,20,4c,61,75,6e,63,68,5c,55,73,65,72,20,50,69,6e,6e,65,64,5c,54,61,73,6b,\
  42,61,72,5c,46,69,6c,65,20,45,78,70,6c,6f,72,65,72,2e,6c,6e,6b,00,00,60,00,\
  00,00,03,00,00,a0,58,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,64,65,73,6b,74,6f,70,2d,76,6f,31,\
  6f,64,65,38,00,f2,56,51,33,d3,21,5a,49,96,01,d6,b1,e5,e3,a6,1f,e5,c9,8b,95,\
  f6,ce,ee,11,a0,e8,58,11,22,c8,4b,07,f2,56,51,33,d3,21,5a,49,96,01,d6,b1,e5,\
  e3,a6,1f,e5,c9,8b,95,f6,ce,ee,11,a0,e8,58,11,22,c8,4b,07,45,00,00,00,09,00,\
  00,a0,39,00,00,00,31,53,50,53,b1,16,6d,44,ad,8d,70,48,a7,48,40,2e,a4,3d,78,\
  8c,1d,00,00,00,68,00,00,00,00,48,00,00,00,56,96,b3,9e,01,a2,46,40,88,c8,a7,\
  2b,06,03,b9,18,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

MRP 156+ now no longer uses the registry to set the Taskbar method as above, although the code is still in but not called. Using XML method for the time being.

Another odd thing was some OS's use 'File Explorer.lnk" other use 'explorer.exe' for the 'pinning' convention which on LTSC 2021 it should of been the 'File Explorer.lnk' method which may be why the icon was white and non useable until removed and re-pinned.

M$ is never consistent - apart from changing things for changes sake.

 

MRP does back up that Taskband registry area before any changes, but it was 'empty' as it seems the taskbar is set up right at the end of an install and just before the desktop appears for the first time so MRP had completed and tidied up by that time hence why nothing in the registry backup part.

 

MRP 156 BT2 uploaded for beta testers

No explorer fail error -- hopefully that been fixed. I tested 6 w10 installs.

 

Im working on that situation, as at present you can only use 1 xml as it combined. So you can only have start menu or taskbar changes because you cant run one xml then the other as it causes defaults for the other.

I am testing a updated registry version that works manually and no explorer crash as before.

 

I will update the code so it will separate the start menu and taskbar parts once this new registry method works without any issues via a install.

Have partly modified code already this morning in preparation but its not in operation yet until further testing has been done.

 

The only downside with this updated registry method is that all pinned icons are removed including store, mail etc, its a all or nothing way as i cant work out the binary data which controls individual items.

 

The update all or nothing registry method works on w10, not tried it on w11 yet manually but will do when i get home later today.

Unless m$ have radically changed things im hoping it will work the same.