VS 2008 Make A Shell Replacement For The Windows Default Shell
Aug 1, 2009
I'm going to attempt to make a shell replacement for the Windows default shell: explorer.exe. I'm not sure if its possible using Vb.Net, but I can't seem why not. My end goal is to use a custom made shell for a Windows Preinstallation Environment instead of the default command prompt. I plan to use a 3rd party program to compile the program with the .NET Framework. Otherwise, it wouldn't work because Windows PE does not support the .NET Framework.
im working on a replacement shell for windows xp, question is i made a little scripting langrges and i want the user to open this script up just like windows opens exe files, and how do i put icons on the foum and make new files and add files to that foum.
I'm trying to use the Shell to have my application call an external application but its not working...I don't understand why. I get the following error: 'System.windows.shell' is a namespace and cannot be used as an expression!
Heres my code....any ideas what I'm doing wrong. Its got to be a simple...stupid error.
Private Sub mnuUpgrade_Click(ByVal Ctrl As Microsoft.Expression.Web.Interop.Legacy.CommandBarButton, ByRef CancelDefault As Boolean) Handles mnuUpgrade.Click
First of, sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, I'm knew here and it looked like the right place lol.
Ok on with my problem. I am writing a replacement shell (for windows 7, if that makes a diffrence) in VS proffesional 2010 (in vb.net obviously lol) and i've hit a road block. I cant work out how to create the ystem tray for storing notify icons in. I'm totaly lost.
I have an application I wrote that replaces Windows Explorer as a shell for Kiosk purposes. The application maintains two configuration files: one that is used and maintained for application purpose (app.config) and another that is stored in another directory so it doesn't get overwritten when the GUI attempts to update from a repository. When the application is ran in a normal environment it works perfectly. However when it is used during start-up or when switching users, the application can't seem to load the information in the other directory.
From the manager class Private Shared rootCP As String Friend Shared Sub loadConfig() Dim dir As New IO.DirectoryInfo(Environment.CurrentDirectory) [Code] .....
Another function later attempts to retrieve the data from the rootCP string but can only access it if the application was started after system start-up.
I am having an issue with a .net application launching another application using Shell On Windows 7 the app will not launch at all. I am assuming UAC is preventing this?
I want to run my application on Windows Desktop when click my Shell Item in right Menu, for example any antivirus application add a menu for Scan item on the right menu of Windows and you can click right button on a file and scan the file via Antivirus Application how can i do this ?
i think i have to add a value on the Registry(HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryShell)
I know this has been asked many times before, but since google is flooded with advertising upon this subject i thought i might try here. the problem is pretty much, how the ____ do i add an item to windows explorer context menus. I specifically want to target .xls file "Excel" Files. I understand that i can make an item by creating a key and sub Key in * registry. but besides that i am lost.
I'm trying to make a per-user shell for a Vista box to simplify use of a particular system for my users. I have no problem making a program that I want to use and I am familiar with the process of editin the registry to make my program the users shell but I've run into a snag.
Whenever a user with the custom shell logs on, there is a delay just after they enter their password where the system will sit at "Preparing Desktop" for about 30 seconds. I know for a fact that the user desktop is already made and this shouldn't be taking that long.
I've poked around on the web and see various places saying that winlogon is waiting for the shell to flag a "shell ready" flag of some sort but I am unfamiliar with any such flag.
Anyone know of such a fix for the long login time or anything about a shell ready flag?
Ok basically i am making a game (personal/share with others for free)The idea of the game is its 1998 and you have windows 95 and you have to someone obtain windows 98. then slowely new operating systems are released... 2000, xp, vista, 7 and you have to continue to upgrade.
The game in played in a simualted real environment of the windows operating system. The idea is that you have access to the real programs that came with windows 95... (or whatever operating system you have ingame) and you have access to my fake webbrowser which has a bunch of fake websites (offline) in the game. You can either try to illegally download the operating system (viruses can infect you like this (fake ones)) or you can buy it off microsoft but to get money you need to do hacking jobs....
Anyway thought i should give you some back story to what i am actually making. (This project is more a test project since i am only 15 and have only really just started using visual basic for a few months.)
OK now i have so far got it looking almost completely like windows 95 and functioning like it to...
Hey just for the record... here are some nice pictures of it running
First of all heres what it looks like when you are doing selecting which program to open with the start menu:
This next picture is of notepad in my program:
Ok now this picture shows perfectly the active window has become inactive when rightclicking (or normal clicking) the desktop
Next picture shows the display properties windows... not that fasinating yet since i have not finished it and it does not accually do anything yet... its just for looks right now and scrolling through the theme names.
Now this is another tab from the properties window (the screensaver tab) you can't do much here apart from looking at the names of the screensavers)
Ok heres another pic from another tab in display properties... (this shows how you can pic a color to change the background in the display window (clicking apply makes your background of the destop in the fake os accually change)
Ok this image in the same window as the previous one shows how you can select to change different things colors (i only got active titlebar and desktop changing right now...)
This image shows the active titlebar color change...
This screenshot shows the settings tab of the properties window
This screenshot shows windows help (main purpose here is just to show the colour change has taken effect)
Ok last of all this just shows that the maximize button works
I CAN ONLY HAVE ONE PROGRAM OPEN AT ONCE basically this is because i have a panel called program and in that a another few panels such as the active window titlebar...
Now i basically have it so that the programs are all in the pannel programand when you "open" a program all the other panels in this window are closed and the one you "open" is docked... and the label (programsname) is chnged to the name of the program.
Here is a picture of the visual editor if you don't get me...
As you can see there are weird little things in program1 (forget program 2 that is a thing i was trying to do ages ago with my old crappy shell)
these weird things are my programs which get docked to the size of the program panel when you click to open a program...
This method works well but only if you have one program at a time.
A solution i thought of was to copy and paste the shell (program panel) and then just put each program in a seperate shell... this would work... but then i can't open 2 of the same program e.g. have 4 notepads running at same time. I am also having heaps of trouble with the taskbar (there in a button on the task-bar which changes text when the programs name changes)
Anyway i am going to post my full program here (code and all) just download if from this rapid share link. EDIT: the file was 5 meg and now is 3 meg so that should be easier to download RapidShare: 1-CLICK Web hosting - Easy Filehosting and then run the solution file or whatever
Please show me some code that will get me be able to run infinite windows of same type and different type...
Do whatever you have to do (just make sure you make sure it works on your side before resending the project back to me.)
I've tried this with several different files and verified the path, spelling and capitalization (I've also copied the path right out of the Start & Run text box), yet I can't get Shell to execute or open any file, does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions about this?[code]
I'm developing a shell (think LiteStep or SharpE) for Windows using Visual Basic .NET, and I have reached the point where I will need to get into theming other windows that doesn't run inside the shell itself.Modifications I will need to do is to change their title bars - probably using some kind of API call - to match the design I've integrated into the shell itself, if that is even possible. Having Aero on windows running in a shell that doesn't even look like Aero at all isn't very pretty.) Is there a chance I might be able to do this, or will I have to use a 3rd party application and/or develop my own little programming language for shell-specific applications (which would be a pain)?
TortoiseSVN and Dropbox both have Windows shell extensions that make file icons within Windows Explorer show a small icon beside the main one, showing the file's status - has it been synced, etc How can I make my application show icons beside files like that using the Windows API? Or is there some file attribute to do that?
Ok i cant seem to trace why this happens, i have a button which simply opens a folder (from a list of folders shown in a listbox) in windows, using this Dim folder12 As String = ListBox1.SelectedValueCall Shell("explorer.exe " & folder12, vbNormalFocus)The problem is it keeps working then failing, ive managed to trace it down to the size of the folder thats making it fail, it works fine if the selected folders size is sub 300mb, but anything above and it fails ad opens the 'my documents' folder instead.
Quote: Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click Process.Start("mybatchfile.bat") End Sub
its working if they are on the same folder,i want to do is make the batch file as a resource file so that i can run it even not in the batchs folder?
I want to send messages withing a windows 7 LAN using VB.NET code. The problem is that the msg.exe executes commands in admin mode only. Here is the code. Shell("cmd.exe /k runas /user:farook-pcadministrator msg.exe") 'Here i'm prompted for a password. Shell("cmd.exe /k msg.exe", 1) I use the /k switch to see what's going on in the shell. /c is the silent switch. I do not wish to use runas neither do I wish to change privilages in msg.exe
I have an update app, which can be updated itself by another update app (so, the second app is an updater of the main updater). Both apps must have administrator permissions because of writing in the Program Files folder. Is it possible that when the main updater is running (under administrator rights) it can use Shell() to let the second updater run with administrator rights without a UAC confirm dialog popping up again?
I want to be able to run any command by typing into a textbox.For example if I wanted to get info from "ipconfig".I want to be able to type "ipconfig" into the textbox and for it to then display the infomation into a richtextbox.I have been searching the internet but so far can not find a solution
Code: Shell("ipconfig", AppWinStyle.Hide)
How do I now display the infomation from the console into a richtextbox?
I want to use Shell function in Vb.Net.Thing is that i have 5 checkboxes. on checking each checkbox i want to execute batch file which fires some commands in database.but while checking all 5 checkboxes all batch file gets executed and then it gives me error.I want to run only one batch file at a time.
The app i am working on is for creating theme for the iPod touch... It has to deal with LOTS of images (100's potentially) There will be the set of default images, and then the user created replacement images. I started loading all the defaults into a resx file... thinking then I could just pull them out. now that I started setting the default, this sucks! lol the app will do this, on load it will set all the images (variables) to the resx images then when a theme is loaded, it will replace the default with the user image (if the user img exists) otherwise, the default stays. Then the "screen" is drawn to show the user. so, here is just the images to build the wallpaper, dock, and status bar...
I wrote a backup utility that synchronizes a list of folders. Errors appear in a list. In the list I can right-click to retry, exclude the folder next time, or open the folder in explorer to examine.When I shell to explorer I get an AccessViolationException. Form1 opens Form4 with Form4. ShowDialog(), and that's where the error occurs. The error does not occur within Form4 where the shell function is called. memory must be getting trashed somehow.I've used two methods, Shell and System.Diagnostics.Process.Start. Each produces similar results. Shell waits awhile before causing the error, but Process.Start causes the error immediately.This is VB.Net 2010 using framework 4, though I did resolve a shell problem once before with VBA by writing out a VBScript file then shelling to the VBScript file.
I wrote a backup utility that synchronizes a list of folders. Errors appear in a list. In the list I can right-click to retry, exclude the folder next time, or open the folder in explorer to examine.
When I shell to explorer I get an AccessViolationException. Form1 opens Form4 with Form4.ShowDialog(), and that's where the error occurs. The error does not occur within Form4 where the shell function is called. Memory must be getting trashed somehow.I've used two methods, Shell and System.Diagnostics.Process.Start. Each produces similar results. Shell waits awhile before causing the error, but Process.Start causes the error immediately.
This is VB.Net 2010 using framework 4, though I did resolve a shell problem once before with VBA by writing out a VBScript file then shelling to the VBScript file. I don't think the process being started is isolated enough. It's sharing memory or something else.
