Windows Handheld Mod

This mod temporarily replaces Windows Explorer with a launcher of your choosing, such as Steam Big Picture Mode or Playnite and plays a boot movie before launching.

Tutorials

• Steam Tutorial - Windows 10
• Steam Tutorial - Windows 11
• Playnite/Custom Launcher Tutorial

Installation

1. Download the appropriate startup script:

   • startup.bat for custom launchers
   • playnite_startup.bat for Playnite
   • steam_startup.bat for Steam

2. For boot video support:

   1. Install ffmpeg essentials
      • through winget, if you have it: winget install "FFmpeg (Essentials Build)"
      • manually by downloading https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/ffmpeg-release-essentials.zip and extracting ffmpeg-7.1-essentials_build\bin to your Videos folder (%UserProfile%\Videos)
   2. Download a boot movie (.webm format) from a site like steamdeckrepo
   3. Place the boot movie (renamed to boot.webm) in your Videos folder (%UserProfile%\Videos)

3. For multiple boot movies:

   1. Create a folder named bootvideos inside your Videos folder
   2. Place all boot movies in the bootvideos folder
   3. Download the random_boot_movie.bat script

4. Install the mod:

   1. Press Windows + R
   2. Type regedit and hit enter
   3. Select Yes in the prompt that shows up
   4. Press ctrl + L
   5. Paste the following: Computer\HKEY_Current_User\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\
   6. Go to Edit > New > String Value
   7. Type Shell
   8. Double click the new string value
   9. change the value data to
      • wscript "%UserProfile%\Videos\invisible_startup.vbs" (Antivirus won't like this, you will have to add an exception)
      • Or, set it to the full path of your chosen startup script (click on the script in File Explorer and press ctrl+shift+C to copy the path)

5. If using startup.bat, edit the script to set the path to your desired launcher and adjust the wait time

6. Restart your computer

Uninstallation

1. Follow steps 3.1 - 3.8 of the Installation
2. Change the value data to explorer.exe

Support

If you find this mod helpful, consider buying me a coffee

Disclaimer

Use this mod at your own risk. Always back up your system before making registry changes.