Need help testing my script

[Phrosen]

Hi.
I didn't know where to put this thread. I felt this was the best place.

I have spent all day on creating a .bat script that replaces explorer.exe with my modified explorer.exe (only change is the Start Orb .bmp file.)
I would be very happy if someone could test it and see if it actually works.

I have tested it myself, it works. But since I manually changed my explorer.exe file before creating this script I am not sure how viable this script actually is.

All you need to do is to unzip the .rar file (attached to this post), and double-click on 'RunMe.bat', and tell me what happens.
The script should take care of the rest.

-There is also a readme.txt file for further instructions included.

Only for Windows 7.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Arc]

Hi.

All you need to do is to unzip the .rar file (attached to this post), and double-click on 'RunMe.bat', and tell me what happens.
The script should take care of the rest.

Downloaded and unrared. Ran runme.bat
Know what happened then ?
I got screwed, man
It said thet the operation is complete. Now you manually restart your computer. After manually restart, It's all black screen with the mouse pointer only.

Do have any fix for the issue?

 

[Prisoner]

Arc, did you make a backup? If so, then you can use it.. otherwise, you're down and under. Try running a repair from your install disc. Going to check the program now.

 

[Prisoner]

Oh wait.. I think I remember now. What you want to do is manually turn off the power to your system, so that it asks you to boot into safe mode when you restart. On that screen, there should be an option to use a command prompt (I think!) In the command prompt, type in "C:". Then type "copy C:\explorer_backup.exe C:\Windows"
Not guaranteed to work, but it should.

 

[Product FRED]

You forgot one very important thing: The explorer version must match the installation version. I'm assuming you provided a 64-bit version. Arc, are you on x64 or x86?

Anyways, to fix it, start in Safe Mode with Command Prompt and just type:

ren C:\explorer_backup.exe explorer.exe
copy /y C:\explorer_backup.exe C:\Windows\explorer.exe

The first command renames the backup to "explorer.exe", the second command tells it to overwrite the unwanted one. The /y tells it to overwrite without confirmation.

 

[Prisoner]

Oh yea, one last thing. You must make sure to rename the file from explorer_backup.exe to explorer.exe. If it won't let you, then delete the explorer.exe already in there (Use "del explorer.exe").

 

[Product FRED]

I got it covered Prisoner

 

[Kari]

A good example of the importance of backups. The three most impostant things in computing, especially testing, are:

1. Backup
2. Backup
3. Backup

Phrosen, download and install Windows Virtual PC and the free 90 day trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise. Install Seven Enterprise to a virtual machine, and make a copy of vhd.

You can then test as much as you want, and if something happens, you just delete the virtual machine, mount the copied vhd and carry on.

Lycka till!

Kari

 

[Product FRED]

Yes, you're lucky Phrosen put a backup mechanism into the script. Tell us how it goes Arc.

 

[Prisoner]

I got it covered Prisoner

Ah, just read your copy syntax.

 

[Product FRED]

The one thing I learned from this is how to have fun with VBS-generated popups

Also you might find this tiny little command line app useful: http://www.soft32.com/download_194850.html

Check this out:

 

[Phrosen]

Hi.

All you need to do is to unzip the .rar file (attached to this post), and double-click on 'RunMe.bat', and tell me what happens.
The script should take care of the rest.

Downloaded and unrared. Ran runme.bat
Know what happened then ?
I got screwed, man
It said thet the operation is complete. Now you manually restart your computer. After manually restart, It's all black screen with the mouse pointer only.

Do have any fix for the issue?

I'm sorry.
I have no idea what happened.

I once managed to screw myself over (not using this script, though).
I just started in fail safe mode and did a system restore, and everything worked nicely.

I figured people using this script would read the command lines and take precautions before testing everything (even though it should be safe.)

Like some people already mentioned my script saves a backup file of explorer.exe
It is stored as: "C:\explorer_backup.exe"

Phrosen, download and install Windows Virtual PC and the free 90 day trial version of Windows 7 Enterprise. Install Seven Enterprise to a virtual machine, and make a copy of vhd.

You can then test as much as you want, and if something happens, you just delete the virtual machine, mount the copied vhd and carry on.

Lycka till!

Kari

I will test this out and see if it helps.
Thanks. =)

The one thing I learned from this is how to have fun with VBS-generated popups

Also you might find this tiny little command line app useful: Download Vbs To Exe 1.1 - VBScript to Exe Converter

Check this out:

Yea, it's great.

I will check it out, thanks for the tip. =)

EDIT: Lol, the game.
I always win the game, btw. Good try, though.

 

[Arc]

Thanks to Fred and Prisoner for their friendly feelings I solved it within a few minutes. I had a few earlier backups of explorer I made to change windows frames etc, and I have a ubuntu installation in my machine, not as dual boot. I opened Ubuntu, and first deleted explorer, and then renamed a backup to explorer

I have a system Image backup, and restore points are created off and on. I may use any of them, too. But the thin I tried worked nice.

Yes, mine is a 32 bit system. Phrosen, you should have mentioned it :huh:

Finally , thanks to Kari for the Windows 7 in windows 7 suggestion. I'll try it.

 

[gladson1976]

You forgot one very important thing: The explorer version must match the installation version. I'm assuming you provided a 64-bit version. Arc, are you on x64 or x86?

Anyways, to fix it, start in Safe Mode with Command Prompt and just type:

ren C:\explorer_backup.exe explorer.exe
copy /y C:\explorer_backup.exe C:\Windows\explorer.exe

The first command renames the backup to "explorer.exe", the second command tells it to overwrite the unwanted one. The /y tells it to overwrite without confirmation.

@pf
shouldn't the syntax be just,
copy /y C:\explorer_backup.exe C:\Windows\explorer.exe

'cos once you rename C:\explorer_backup.exe as explorer.exe, you can't copy C:\explorer_back.exe

 

[Product FRED]

You're absolutely right. I editted my post and forgot to fix the second command.

 

[Phrosen]

I managed to get a print screen of my script in-action.
Apparently it's failing on some points.

I have added a line of command, the 'DEL' -one.
Here's what my script currently looks like: (without the numbers.)

1. TAKEOWN /F C:\Windows\explorer.exe
2. COPY /Y "C:\Windows\explorer.exe" C:\explorer_backup.exe
3. TASKKILL /F /IM explorer.exe
4. DEL /F /Q C:\Windows\explorer.exe
5. COPY /Y explorer.exe C:\Windows\
6. START /D C:\Windows\ explorer.exe
7. START notice.vbs

The print screen displays that the script is working from point 1 to point 3.

Then point 4 fails: "Access denied"
Point 5 fails: "..the file is used by another process" (even though point 3 works.)
Point 6 fails as well: "..something about the path being wrong.."

Point 7 works.

Any ideas on how to make point 4,5 and 6 work?
Why does point 5 state that explorer.exe is being used by another process, when I killed explorer.exe in Point 3?

 

[Generator]

4. maybe failing because explorer hasn't been 'killed' properly just yet from point 3, taskkill isnt instant. Also you shouldn't really need to delete it, you could just overwrite the existing one. I get around these problems by killing anything needed first thing then make ppl 'press a key to continue' by using the 'pause' command

5. same as above, explorer still shutting down maybe?

6. has a gap in the path just before explorer.exe, yours says "START /D C:\Windows\ explorer.exe" where it should be "START /D C:\Windows\explorer.exe"


also, you have hard-coded the drive letter into your script, try using %SYSTEMDRIVE% instead of the actual drive letter or even %windir% for the actual Windows folder. This will make sure it runs on dual-boot systems etc, for example, on my PC c:\ is for my XP install, my Win7 is on drive F!

hope this helps.

 

[Phrosen]

EDIT:
It seems to be working now. Thanks everyone for your help.

Now I want you to try the new script.
Read this first:


-Apparently this only seems to be working on Windows 7 x64 systems. Do not attempt to use this script on x86 system, unless you know what you're doing.
-Make sure you create backups, before running the script. (System restore points, etc.)
-Read the ReadMe.txt file carefully before running the script.


I would appreciate if someone with a virtual machine could test this script on an x86 system, and see if it works or not.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Product FRED]

It only works on x64 because you included a 64-bit explorer executable. Make a separate archive with the same script, but include the x86 explorer.exe instead and it should work fine.

 

[Phrosen]

It only works on x64 because you included a 64-bit explorer executable. Make a separate archive with the same script, but include the x86 explorer.exe instead and it should work fine.

Good idea, thanks.

Are you sure it will work on all Windows 7 64-bit systems, though?
Home Basic, Home Premium, Enterprise, Ultimate, whatnot.

I need someone who runs a 32-bit system to make one for me, btw.
I didn't get the virtual machine thingie to work. =/