[wpkg-users] Wpkg client

[K.E.Jones at bton.ac.uk]

Hi again,

 Although not strictly on-topic I ran across a few bit on the Vista
security stuff that might be useful to mention here.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: wpkg-users-bounces at lists.wpkg.org [mailto:wpkg-users-
> bounces at lists.wpkg.org] On Behalf Of Tomasz Chmielewski
> Sent: 08 January 2009 10:59
> To: Vladimir Psenicka
> Cc: wpkg
> Subject: Re: [wpkg-users] Wpkg client
> 
> Vladimir Psenicka schrieb:
> > Hi
> >
> > I have some questions about wpkg client 1.2.1
> >
> > 1. is there any option to display what is wpkg client doing
> > (instaling/upgrading package 1, etc) in logon messages when system
> boot up?
> 
> In versions 1.3.x.
> 
> 
> > 2. in windows Vista there are no logon messages from wpkg client,
> why?
> 
> Because "security improvements" in Vista disallow it.
> Unless someone knows workarounds for that.
> 
  Absolutely correct and damn annoying too!

 I did hunt around a while back to see if there was a way round it.
As far as I can tell, there are two potential solutions that work "with"
or "outside" the security.

 1) In theory, signing code and having attributes set in the code
manifest
can allow a service "some" access to the secure desktop. These seemed
useful.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms742884.aspx
http://www.kwakkelflap.com/blog/2007/04/howto-interactive-service-in-win
dows.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms683502.aspx

It might be possible to put something together from that but I wouldn't
want to be the one to try :-)

 2) Although it's ugly there's a Group Policy setting that makes scripts
run visibly on Vista. You get a black DOS box when WPKG.JS launches but
anything it does is visible (including any processes it launches).
I haven't tested yet to see if you can override that or get rid of the
DOS box but it might be worth a shot.

I have a prototype running now that produces a GUI from a COM object
rather than use the client's one. It's a bit more awkward to setup and
adds .NET dependencies but pretty cool ;-)

 I'll tidy it up and bug it as an enhancement. If it's not useful
at least it has some interesting JScript code that I adapted from some
rather cool design pattern examples from the web :-)

  Back soon!

Keefy

PS: This is a throwaway comment but I guess if "push comes to shove"
WPKG.JS
could be ported to Jscript.NET and become compiled code instead... The
.NET
dependency wouldn't be ideal but the access to the .NET framework could
give it a GUI of it's own and add a lot of really useful routines.

 I actually wouldn't mind having a go at that myself... hrmmm... 

> 
> --
> Tomasz Chmielewski
> http://wpkg.org
>
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