Removing Restricting Access to Programs

[skoobie_do]

In the Registry Guide on Winguides.com, there is a way to restrict users from using programs by editing the registry. In case you forget to put regedit.exe as one of the programs allowed, you will not be able to edit the registry EVER AGAIN. Not even merge new registry entries into it. To fix this problem, right click on one of the executable programs that is allowed to be used and find its filename (e.g. 'notepad.exe'). Then go to your C:/Windows folder and fing the program labeled 'regedit'. Right-click on it and rename it to the name of the executable program (e.g. Rename 'regedit' to 'notepad' if using notepad.exe is allowed). You will the registry editing program. Find the key labeled [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer\RestrictRun] and insert a new string value labeled the next sequential number on the list and make its contents read 'regedit.exe'. Then restart your comupter for the changes to take effect.

If you would like to remove the restrictions all together, then delete the key labeled [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer\RestrictRun] and then go up one level and change the DWORD value labeled 'RestrictRun' to 0. Then restart the computer. This will give you access to ALL programs.

[POBrien]

Thanks for posting this long sought after tech tweak skoobie_do!! What an outstanding solution!!!!

Shaggy

[TonyKlein]

But won't the 'new' Notepad exe (which is in fact Regedit.exe) replace your original Notepad.exe, if you do that?

I'm trying to help someone who has accidentally Restricted Run for everything but Explorer.exe, and consequently can't open any program any more.

How to get rid of the restriction?

There's this inf file:

[version]
signature="$CHICAGO$"
[DefaultInstall]
DelReg=Recover
[Recover]
HKCU,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Pol icies.

But he won't be able to open Notepad in order to paste it in.

Any ideas?

[TonyKlein]

I guess I could advise him to edit Autoexec.bat in MS-DOS and add regedit /D "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies"

That should do it, I suppose. ?

[TonyKlein]

Well, that didn't work either, and unfortunately he had to do a format.

Noone any suggestions, if this were to happen again??

[Mosaic1]

Reghakr posted this one a while back for this problem. Rename regedit.exe
to systray.exe. I can't remember if it had to alse be moved to another directory. At any rate, systray.exe (the renamed regedit.exe will open and you'll be able to work it out)
Don't forget to name it back when finished.

[TonyKlein]

That's an interesting variation, Mo.
Thanks. It sounds as if it should work.

It might be a good idea to back up the original Systray.exe to another directory beforehand, though.

[Mosaic1]

Tony,
You're welcome. Thank Reghakr though.

Backing up systray is not necessary if you first move regedit out of the Windows Folder before you rename it. I did come back to edit this to say that you do in fact need to move regedit first over to C:\ before you rename it. You can't have two systray.exe files in the same folder.

If you were to rename regedit and overwrite systray.exe, then you would have to extract a fresh copy of systray.