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Configuring the Windows Thin Client Shell

Other versions of this page are also available for the following:

Windows Mobile Not SupportedWindows Embedded CE Supported

8/27/2008

Client software on a Windows Embedded CE powered thin client must be registered with the shell so that information about the software can be made available to the user. The Windows Thin Client Shell uses the Windows Embedded CE registry to obtain client information for all the connection software installed on the system. The shell does not manage unregistered software.

Client information is read as soon as the shell starts. Therefore, it cannot change dynamically. If new client software is installed on a thin client, the system must be reset before connections that must be based on that software can be created.

Shell Registry Key

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WBT\Shell registry key contains information that configures the Windows Thin Client Shell.

Note

We recommend that you do not change the default values for these registry settings without carefully examining the system environment. Adjusting registry parameters may adversely affect system performance.

The following table shows the named values. These values are optional.

Value Description

ConnectionDefaultKey: REG_SZ

This value specifies the connection key for the default connection.

No default setting is provided.

ConnectionDefaultType: REG_SZ

This value specifies the connection type for the default connection. It must specify the name of the registered client entry.

Do not confuse this value with the Type entry of a registered client.

No default setting is provided.

DisableConfigureTab: REG_DWORD

This value indicates whether the Configure tab is present on Connection Manager. The following list shows the possible values:

  • If this value is greater than zero (0), the Configure tab is not present on Connection Manager.
  • If this value is zero (0), the Configure tab is present.

The default setting is zero (0).

EnableAutoConnect: REG_DWORD

This value determines whether the shell starts the default connection automatically. The following list shows the possible values:

  • If this value is greater than zero (0), the shell starts the default connection automatically.
  • If this value is zero (0), the shell does not start the default connection automatically.

The default setting is zero (0).

This value is optional.

EndTaskWaitTime: REG_DWORD

This value specifies how much time, in milliseconds, between the time that the user clicks the End button and the time that the shell prompts the user to Wait, End Task, or Cancel if the process has not ended.

The default setting is 10,000 milliseconds.

This value is optional.

SetupExe: REG_SZ

This value specifies the name of the Setup Properties Sheets executable file.

The default setting is Wbtsetup.exe.

SetupCmdLine: REG_SZ

This value specifies the command-line parameters to pass to the program that is specified by SetupExe.

No default setting is provided.

This value is optional.

TaskmanTitle: REG_SZ

This value specifies the text to display in the title bar of Connection Manager. You must end the title bar name with the words "Connection Manager".

The default setting is "Terminal Connection Manager".

Although this value is optional, we recommend that you provide a meaningful value to avoid an unwanted default value.

Keyboard shortcut values

For information about named values related to keyboard shortcuts, see Configuring Keyboard Shortcuts in Thin Client.

To configure the Windows Thin Client Shell

  1. In Platform Builder, on the File menu, select Open, and then select File.

  2. Set Files of Type to All Files.

  3. Navigate to %_WINCEROOT%\PUBLIC\RDP\OAK\FILES.

  4. Select rdp.reg file and click Open.

  5. In rdp.reg, add a registry root key.

  6. In the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WBT\Shell registry key, add the named values that you want to add.

  7. On the File menu, select Save rdp.reg.

During the build process, makeimg.exe processes all .reg files in the build directories to create a single file, Reginit.ini. Reginit.ini forms the basis for the system registry.

In This Section

  • Customizing CETSC UI
    Describes how to customize Windows Embedded CE Terminal Services Client (CETSC) user interface (UI), including how to customize UI text and how to add a custom property page.

See Also

Tasks

How to Develop a Thin Client

Concepts

Thin Client Shell