Microsoft KB Archive/260905

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HOWTO: Re-Enable Windows 98 Second Edition Audit Mode

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Q260905

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition

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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the &quot;Restoring the Registry&quot; Help topic in Regedit.exe or the &quot;Restoring a Registry Key&quot; Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY
After you preinstall Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), while in Audit Mode, System Builders and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) may choose the Shutdown option. In Windows 98 Gold, they can return to Audit Mode by pressing the CTRL+SHIFT+F3 key combination. This process does not work in Window 98 Second Edition because of the addition of the new Windows Welcome screens, also known as &quot;Out of Box Experience&quot; or OOBE. The workaround published in this article disables the Windows Welcome screens so that you can re-enable Audit Mode by using CTRL+SHIFT+F3 after you choose Shutdown. After you make registry changes, you are required to re-enable OOBE before you ship new PCs to your customers, per the Microsoft OEM Distribution Agreement.

What Is Windows Welcome?
Windows Welcome is a series of full-screen, HTML-based pages. Windows Welcome offers end users an easy and streamlined way of getting a new Windows-based PC ready for the World Wide Web. You can customize certain aspects of Windows Welcome, combining your own OEM enhancements with its core setup functionality. This includes customizing the Internet service provider (ISP) signup; specifying your own home, search, support, and run-once URLs for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5; adding a toolbar button to Internet Explorer; and placing your company name, logo, and watermark graphic into Windows Welcome.

One of the unique characteristics of Windows Welcome is the way it incorporates the computer's dial-up capabilities to handle Internet service provider (ISP) signup tasks. Windows Welcome requests a minimum amount of information to dial out, such as country, area code, and any needed dial-out number. If a phone connection is established, the next pages of the Windows Welcome process are served up. From there, the end user can register Windows 98 and open an account with an ISP.

By default, Windows Welcome is enabled in Windows 98 Second Edition. If you click Shutdown on the Start menu during Audit Mode, and then restart the target computer, it will not take you into Audit Mode. Instead, it will initiate the Windows Welcome screen, taking you through the end-user setup. You also won't be able to get into Audit Mode by using CTRL+SHIFT+F3, as in Windows 98 Gold.

Re-Enabling Audit Mode
To re-enable Audit Mode:


 * 1) On the Start menu, click Run, and type Regedit.
 * 2) Change the OOBE value under following registry key from 1 to 0:
 * 3) The RunWelcomeProcess value (if present) under the following Key must be disabled from a 1 to 0:

This process disables OOBE from the subsequent reboot. The Oemreset.exe Shutdown and Audit selections will not affect this registry entry and must be manually restored for proper functionality. At this point, the preload process will behave similar to the original release of Windows 98 and evaluate the CTRL+SHIFT+F3 key combination.

Re-Enabling Windows Welcome
To re-enable Windows Welcome:


 * 1) On the Start menu, click Run, and type Regedit.
 * 2) Change the OOBE value under following registry key from 0 to 1:
 * 3) Change the RunWelcomeProcess value (if present) under the following Key from 0 to 1:

Now you can shut down the target PC and ship it to your customer. The system will present the Windows Welcome screen during the end user's first startup experience.

Additional Information
When Windows 98 Second Edition boots the graphical user interface, the Msgsrv32.dll file looks for several registry values (Username, ProductID, RegisteredOwner, and OOBE). If OOBE=1, then OOBE will run; if OOBE=0, then the Setupx.dll file will run as it did in Windows 98. When Setupx.dll runs, it wants to complete the registry and it brings up the End User screens (Username/Company Name, End-User License Agreement, and Product ID). The Setupx.dll file also evaluates the CTRL+SHIFT+F3 key sequence to enter into an audit session.

NOTE: If OOBE is enabled, then Setupx.dll will not be utilized and the CTRL+SHIFT+F3 key combination will be ignored.

What is the Role of the Oemreset.exe File?
Oemreset.exe runs in an audit session in the top right corner of the screen with two buttons, Audit and Shutdown. When you click Audit, it clears the end-user information from the registry and adds a run-once entry to make sure it runs at next boot. When you click Shutdown, it clears the end-user information from the registry but it does not add any run-once entry in the registry to get back to Audit Mode, which means the PC is ready to be shipped.