How to automaticly uninstall windows components

[Red Squirrel]

I want to script an uninstall file to remove the windows games (solitaire, etc). I can't seem to find much info online about this other then complex vbs scripts. I also read that just deleting the exe's wont do as windows file protection will put them back.

What is best way to go about doing this? I know how to disable access through a GPO but users can just rename the exe, sure most people won't know how to do this, but that is security through obscurity, I want to remove them completly.

 

[MrChad]

Try these. Not 100 percent sure if they will work.

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, FreecellUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, HeartsUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, SolitaireUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, MinesweeperUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, SpiderUninstall

 

[Red Squirrel]

Try these. Not 100 percent sure if they will work.

RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, FreecellUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, HeartsUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, SolitaireUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, MinesweeperUninstall
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\inf\games.inf, SpiderUninstall

It looks like it does something, but the games are still there. No errors. This is odd.

 

[bruceb]

See link

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307768

 

[Red Squirrel]

See link

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307768

That's manual, I need to automate this.

 

[bruceb]

You may need to make a custom Windows disc with NLite, leaving the games out.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Problem is, they only want certain workstations to not have games, we basically get a list of the ones that have been approved and have to do them one at a time. I work in the most pussified ISIT department ever. If one person complains about something they bow down like I've never seen before. So for example we can't remove the games from people who actively play solitaire and such. Yeah, it's bad. My IT manager plays freecell all the time, so we can't do his machine.

I remember once using a program called rapid install. It took a snapshot of a set of changes that happened to the PC and made an exe file. I'll have to see if I can find a program that does this. Might be the best bet, then I just push that exe.

 

[MrChad]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd346762.aspx

This link seems to indicate that

RunDll setupx.dll,InstallHinfSection games 4 applets.inf

installs them, and I believe

RunDll setupx.dll,InstallHinfSection games_remove 4 applets.inf

may remove them.

 

[lxskllr]

Problem is, they only want certain workstations to not have games, we basically get a list of the ones that have been approved and have to do them one at a time. I work in the most pussified ISIT department ever. If one person complains about something they bow down like I've never seen before. So for example we can't remove the games from people who actively play solitaire and such. Yeah, it's bad. My IT manager plays freecell all the time, so we can't do his machine.

I remember once using a program called rapid install. It took a snapshot of a set of changes that happened to the PC and made an exe file. I'll have to see if I can find a program that does this. Might be the best bet, then I just push that exe.

That makes no sense. You generally uninstall games to keep people from playing them. If they don't care if people play them, then what's the difference. It takes a couple mb of disc space, and AFAIK, they aren't security risks.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That makes no sense. You generally uninstall games to keep people from playing them. If they don't care if people play them, then what's the difference. It takes a couple mb of disc space, and AFAIK, they aren't security risks.

They don't want people to play them, but only on certain workstations. Not my rules... if it was me it would be either on, or off, not off on only certain machines but management here is stupid when it comes to these decisions. this is one of the most unsecure networks. I've ever seen and we can't do anything about it because they wont let us. We're not even allowed to change the local admin password on all PCs.


Anyway I found something that works somewhat:

sysocmgr /i:%windir%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:H:\Desktop\wingameunist\ocm.inf

ocm.inf:

[Components]
pinball = off
Solitaire = off
freecell = off
mshearts = off
spidersolitaire = off
minesweeper = off

Now where can I find a list of the other games as some of these are not working? Not sure how the other ones are refered to as. mshearts, spidersolitaire and minsweeper arn't uninstalling. Tried spider, hearts, winmine etc still no go so maybe they are referred diferently.