Replace registry_key with reg.exe

[dhoer]

While Chef's registry_key is great for configuring a current user that the chef-client is running as, it falls down when it comes to configuring default settings for new users and configuring existing users. To do that, you need to update the appropriate user's hive file ntuser.dat.

The Windows way is to use regedt32.exe application and "load hive" menu option to load the file into a registry key and then edit that key, then unload the hive again. But if you want to do it from a script or command line, you need the reg.exe command line utility.

Step 1 - Load User Registry Hive
reg.exe load HKCU\{username} c:\users\{username}\ntuser.dat

Step 2 - Make a normal .reg file and import it
reg.exe import "update.reg"

Step 3 - Commit and Unload User Registry Hive
reg.exe unload HKCU\{username}

This approach can be wrapped in a LWRP that would take a .reg.erb template file.

windows_reg 'config_ie_for_selenium' do
  source 'selenium.reg.erb'
  cookbook 'ie'
  users ['selenium']
  variables(
    local_home: node['ie]['zone']['local_home']
    ...
  )
end

[mhemesath]

+1 This would be useful. Currently my selenium user is not my chef user so I need to set some of these settings manually.

[mhemesath]

+1 This would be useful. Currently my selenium user is not my chef user so I need to set some of these settings manually.

[dhoer]

This might be a better approach https://sherwoodbase.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/how-to-add-hkcu-keys-and-values-for-all-the-users-with-chef/

[dhoer]

This might be a better approach https://sherwoodbase.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/how-to-add-hkcu-keys-and-values-for-all-the-users-with-chef/

[dhoer]

http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/appdeploy-articles-activesetup

[dhoer]

http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/appdeploy-articles-activesetup