How can I change the Windows 7 taskbar position (overriding GPO, Registry Editor, Admin. Rights)?

windows-7 windows-registry taskbar

584

I run a LAN cafe and I also have problems with the taskbar either going up or to the left. The account used by clients is locked down through group policy and registry edits so clients have very limited access. I am using Windows 7 x64. I think in my case this has something to do with some old (early 2000s) full screen applications (games) that do not support widescreen resolutions, or the culprit may be the lockscreen of the cafe management software that I use - or both. I have searched extensively for this before but found no answers.

My solution was to use a registry file with the correct taskbar settings. So every time the taskbar moves, I log out the client account, log in to the administrator account, load the registry hive of the client account, run the .reg file, then unload the client registry.

I found the registry settings here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1066-taskbar-move-location-desktop-screen.html.

This is for placing the taskbar at the bottom: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_USERS\client02\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects2] "Settings"=hex:28,00,00,00,ff,ff,ff,ff,02,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,3e,00,00,00,2e,\ 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,82,04,00,00,80,07,00,00,b0,04,00,00

Load/unload a registry hive: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732157.aspx Heed the warnings about editing the registry. Registry backup and restore: www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/4230-registry-backup-restore.html

584

imallett

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

imallett over 1 year
Given a function signature (e.g. from a template argument), I want to create a (non-inlined) function with that signature, then call it.

The following should clarify this intent. As-written, it is not valid, since the marked line actually generates a null function pointer, not an empty function:
```
template <typename Function, typename... Args>
void foo(Args... args) {
    Function fn_trivial = {}; //incorrect; should be empty function, not null function
    fn_trivial(args...);
}
```
How can I create a function object here?

^{(Sidenote: this might seem like a weird thing to do. The reason is it's a general-purpose profiler that calls a (marked non-inline-able) test function n times to compute an average latency. A (better) semblance of the test code's cost can be obtained by subtracting the latency of a function call with the same arguments, that does nothing, in the average.)}
- ganesh about 11 years
  
  I have no idea how they do it, but why would you want to lock it? If someone prefer the bar on the top and sets it that way for that user only, why bother?
- Admin about 11 years
  
  The computers are for the use of the students. We like to keep all the desktops the same, I mean same backgrounds, themes, etc. so that's why we would like to have all the taskbars at the bottom of the screens.
- Lazar about 11 years
  
  Have you tried asking them how they changed the taskbar's position?
- Admin over 8 years
  
  Regarding the asking for a link for more information about the taskbar misbehavior, see this link: support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2877985
- Hatted Rooster about 5 years
  
  Function is most likely going to be a f-pointer in which case that initialization sets it to nullptr. What should an "empty" function do?
- 463035818_is_not_a_number about 5 years
  
  concerning your sidenote: If the function does nothing then its call is a good candidate to be optimized away
- πάντα ῥεῖ about 5 years
  
  @SombreroChicken OP means a NOP most probably.
- Hatted Rooster about 5 years
  
  Make it a local lambda and call that.
- Max Langhof about 5 years
  
  Should the trivial function return void? In any case, your use case is probably outside of what the C++ standard was written for (since you are actively fighting the compiler to not optimize away the call). Maybe you should figure out what the desired assembly looks like and work from there.
- imallett about 5 years
  
  While initially I didn't specify, I think returning a value-initialized return type is the only sensible/correct thing to do.
Admin about 11 years

You can't actually right click the taskbar, it is disallowed by GPO. And supposing you could, you would only have a bunch of grayed-out options. This is the reason why it puzzles me.
Máté Juhász almost 9 years

could you please also add some links to your answer, that would make it even more valuable!
SergeyA about 5 years

@Quentin fixed. Although I just realized lambda would be way easier, so I will add this as well.
imallett about 5 years

I significantly revised your answer to fix some problems, add some explanatory text, and demonstrate a workaround for the non-inline-able issue. Then I accepted it.