How to disable F8 boot key on startup?

Carlos

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Sep 8, 2003, 1:33:11 PM9/8/03

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I need to disallow users from using F8 key on boot on
a XP Home.

Tx. Carlos

Walter Schulz

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Sep 8, 2003, 2:47:50 PM9/8/03

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>I need to disallow users from using F8 key on boot on
>a XP Home.

Not implemented. The only solution I know is to patch the NTLDR file.
But this means that nobody ever will be able to use F8 within the
default boot method.

Ciao, Walter

Jack Seredyniecki

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Sep 8, 2003, 2:50:06 PM9/8/03

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You could copy the original NTLDR along with the BOOT.ini and NTDETECT.COM
to a floppy disk and boot with it whenever you need to access the boot
menu - just an idea.

"Walter Schulz" <Walter...@t-online.de> wrote in message
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David Jones

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Sep 8, 2003, 11:26:03 PM9/8/03

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And if you have a reason to do that, you have a reason to
lock the computer in a physically secure area.

Anyone with physical access to the machine can just
reverse whatever process you do, and have access to F8
again.

>.
>

Kent W. England [MVP]

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Sep 9, 2003, 2:05:47 AM9/9/03

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Be sure you set a password on the Administrator account using "control
userpasswords2" from your other sys admin account. Aside from getting
into an admin account using safe mode, what are your concerns about F8?

--
Kent W. England, Microsoft MVP for Windows

"Carlos" <crodr...@dnimtib.com> wrote in message
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Carlos

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Sep 11, 2003, 7:09:13 AM9/11/03

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Hi,

Any idea of were I can find this patched NTLDR?

Tx
Carlos

"Walter Schulz" <Walter...@t-online.de> escreveu na mensagem
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Walter Schulz

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Sep 12, 2003, 6:25:36 AM9/12/03

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>Any idea of were I can find this patched NTLDR?

You have to patch it on your own.
Change attributes for NTLDR from Read-Only to writeable.
Open NTLDR with a binary editor and search for
"CD 16 0F 85 09".
Change to
"CD 16 90 90 90".
Reboot.

The messages are still there but pressing F8 will have no
effect at all.
You may want to change the startup line with blanks or any
text you like.

There are some issues you have to be aware of:
Any new SP or hotfix may install a new NTLDR,
reestablishing the F8 key functions.
Nobody will be able to tell you how a MS patch will work
if a changed NTLDR file is present. It may be possible
that the NTLDR will not be touched by the patch.

You have to establish a test environment to evaluate the
behauviour of each upcoming SP, hotfix, patch together
with your customized NTLDR.

And any times a new NTLDR is delivered by MS you have to
patch the new NTLDR again.

Any software checking the integrity of your system may
cause problems if a changed NTLDR is detected!

Patching a file is not supported by MS. Not at all! Indeed
this is something not to tell MS support ...

And of course: There is nobody in the world taking any
responsibility if you run into problems with this one. Oh,
there is a person indeed: You!

Ciao, Walter

PS: Thanks to Michael J. Reynolds for finding the solution
and telling the world about it in
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=%
23KHS8PNrAHA.840%40tkmsftngp04