Hi all - I'm trying to automate the process of disabling various junkware from running at boot on a number of public machines I manage. I need to write a .bat file to execute 2 reg files in order. The first is to blank various registry keys (eg, [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]) and similar, the second is to rebuild the keys clean, starting only the desired apps. The .reg files work fine on their own, when I execute them manually, and either will work with a batch file which calls only the one .reg file. I've tried the following batch file to execute both in sequence, but it doesnt work. Any ideas why not? Have I got the syntax wrong? @ECHO OFF regedit /s prog1.reg regedit /s prog2.reg cls Any suggestions appreciated! Wolfpeach

wolf- The above script worked for me...I don't know what the problem might be. If it persists, you may want to check out http://www.computing.net/programming/wwwboard/forum/8218.html for links to other methods of deleting registry entries automatically. -SN

================================================= Wolfpeach, The problem you are having may have to do with your current file associations in Windows. If the batch file is called from within Win98 then you can try to simply call the reg files by name without using regedit at all. ie: @ECHO OFF prog1.reg prog2.reg cls As long as the file associations have not been changed incorrectly then Windows should automatically call regedit for you and do the job. It may or may not work but it is a different way to try it out. Let us know, ok? borelli35

John's approach may also work...Although I'm not sure how file associations would stop the first script from working. But note that you give up the chance to use the /s switch, so windows will prompt you twice if you want to enter the information in the files into the registry. Either way, post back and let us know if anything worked. This is a common enough question that I'd like to have a "for sure" answer. -SN

OK. Got this cracked now. SN, many thanks for the suggestions & pointers re use of .inf files. I've now managed to execute automated registry clearances with a batch file using both the .reg and .inf methods. Having tried both, I think that using .reg files is the better solution, a) because the scripting is more intuitive, and b) because using .inf files requires you to know in advance exactly what junk you want to remove. Using 2 .reg files to first delete, then rebuild, keys with only the desired values only requires you to know what you *want*, rather than what you dont want, so is lower-maintainance. I was on the right track with using a .bat file to call 2 .reg files originally, but must have screwed up somewhere... PICNIC (problem-in-chair-not-in-computer) ;-) For the record, and benefit of any other newbie sysadmins trying this, here is a brief howto for the process that should work on a win98se machine: (***note***, I've only just figured this one out this morning using dummy registry keys and values, so not live tested yet!) 1) Identify what services you actually *want* to run at startup. Check start/run/msconfig/startup tab & reference with http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_r.htm or other resources on the web if unsure. 2) With a trial (ie, non mission-critical) machine, start/run/regedit & backup (export all) registry before doing anything else just in case! 3) Clean the registry so that only the services you want will run at startup. Look in: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, and also ...\RunOnce, ...\RunServices, ...\RunOnceEx, ...\RunServicesOnce and the same keys in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion etc. Carefully delete the unwanted values, then export the various cleaned keys as .reg files. 3) Open them all with notepad or wordpad (right-click/edit is easy). Compile into a single .reg file by copying & pasting values - here is an example from my machine (set up only to run norton AV + various system services at boot) : ###################################### REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] "ScanRegistry"="c:\\windows\\scanregw.exe /autorun" "TaskMonitor"="c:\\windows\\taskmon.exe" "SystemTray"="SysTray.Exe" "LoadPowerProfile"="Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme" "vptray"="c:\\Program Files\\Norton AntiVirus\\vptray.exe" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce] [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] "rtvscn95"="c:\\Program Files\\Norton AntiVirus\\rtvscn95.exe" "defwatch"="c:\\Program Files\\Norton AntiVirus\\defwatch.exe" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce] ############################### (note single return at end of file) Save this as a .reg file (with a .reg extension, save as 'all files'). This will be the file which rebuilds your registry after all the junk has been deleted. Name it 'rebuild.reg' or somesuch. 4) Open rebuild.reg in notepad again, and save it as 'clean.reg'. This will be the file which deletes the (dirty) registry keys. Delete all the the dword values, and add a "-" to the start of each line, so that it looks something like this: ######################################## REGEDIT4 [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce] ########################### Save. You now have 2 reg files, first clean.reg to delete the registry keys, and then rebuild.reg to remake them. Important to execute these in the right order! I'm not sure if it matters too much where you save them, but I put them in C:\windows, along with the batch file. 5) Open notepad again to write a batch file to execute them. ######################## regedit /s clean.reg regedit /s rebuild.reg cls ########################## Save file as "clean.bat" (save as "all files (*.*)") in the same place as the .reg files. 6) Automate the process by telling windows to execute the batch file on startup. Using windows explorer, right click and drag clean.bat to C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp and select 'create shortcut'. (I think that this may also be used with c:\windows\all users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup), which fewer users will know about & hence should be less prone to tampering. Note that not all programs which run at startup launch from the registry, some will also go from the 2 folders mentioned above, so perhaps a way to autoclean these is also needed? (more discussion of the earlier stages & background of this one here: http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/150123.html) All the best, wolfpeach

WolfPeach, Wow! Now there is a tutorial! Glad you got it worked out. SN, I was actually referring to 2 different possible conditions. The file association could have been a problem and if it was that latter option of not using regedit in the batch file would not have worked. The second condition was to try not using regedit but it was just to try something different, nothing more. borelli35

Sorry guys - I've just had it pointed out that the example above wont work, because windows executes progs in the startup folder right at the end of bootup, after all the malware has already started up. (and will reinsert itself in the registry at next bootup again?) see: http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/150123.html I've tried using autoexec.bat to call the .bat file to execute the .reg files earlier in the bootup sequence, but that is not working. (see link for details). Any ideas why not?