Make post-Setup mods apply to all users for a couple of different tweaks (Lock Screen, Win11 systray icons)

[ZorkLVM]

Currently I'm having to do some registry modifications during post-setup, which applies only to the currently logged-in user. In a perfect world, I could add these to my wim so all users would have these changes by default.

1. Default Lock Screen

I want to use the super-secret hidden 6th lock screen image Microsoft gives us in %SYSTEMROOT%\Web\Screen and still allow the user to change their Lock Screen image (i.e. no group policies).

I found a way to change the default used by modifying this key (just rearrange the letters, default is ZYXWVU):

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SystemProtectedUserData\S-1-5-21-0000000000-1001\AnyoneRead\LockScreen]
@="UZYXWV"

You can see the problem is the user's SID; this key is created dynamically.

Anyone know where this default "ZYXWVU" is stored? Probably impossible to change.

2. Always show all systray icons on Win11

If there was some way to add the following to all newly created keys inside, I could have my "Always show all icons in the systray" back on Win11

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\NotifyIconSettings\SomeSystrayIconKey]
"IsPromoted"=dword:1

Again, probably impossible to change.

 

[garlin]

I want to use the super-secret hidden 6th lock screen image Microsoft gives us in %SYSTEMROOT%\Web\Screen and still allow the user to change their Lock Screen image (i.e. no group policies).

IMO, a single-color background file hardly qualifies as a "super-secret hidden 6th lock screen image".

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization]
"LockScreenImage"="C:\\Windows\\Web\\Screen\\img105.jpg"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP]
"LockScreenImageStatus"=dword:00000001
"LockScreenImagePath"="C:\\Windows\\Web\\Screen\\img105.jpg"
"LockScreenImageUrl"="C:\\Windows\\Web\\Screen\\img105.jpg"

2. Always show all systray icons on Win11

There is no current fix to restore W11's missing "Always show all icons and notifications". You can install ExplorerPatcher or a similar mod tool.

 

[garlin]

You can run this PS script as Administrator:

foreach ($GUID in (Get-ChildItem -Path 'HKCU:\Control Panel\NotifyIconSettings' -Name)) {
    $ChildPath = "HKCU:\Control Panel\NotifyIconSettings\$($GUID)"
    $Exec = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $ChildPath -Name ExecutablePath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).ExecutablePath

    foreach ($App in $AppList) {
        Set-ItemProperty -Path $ChildPath -Name IsPromoted -Value 1
    }
}

1. Create an elevated scheduled task that runs with Admin rights.

schtasks /create /sc ONCE /tn ShowAllNotificationIcons /tr "powershell -nop -ep bypass -f script.ps1" /rl HIGHEST /st 00:00 /f

2. Create a batch file in "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp" that runs the task.

schtask /run /tn ShowAllNotificationIcons