Windows - setup automation

AHarvey · 27 Jul 2016 at 02:15

Hi all,

new role at work, and as part of that role I have to set up our new consultants with a few different things:

Email (outlook if they have it, if not Live Mail)
2 bookmarks + logins for 2 internal websites (pref in chrome or I could place on the desktop)
download and install a piece of software
Add a shortcut to our helpdesk ticket system.

All windows machines (7-10) and email + website logins are set up in advance (something else to automate)

A) Is this something that is possible?
B) Is it possible with individual logins?
C) How would you do it? (I figure it would be some sort of C# app)

Mynight · 27 Jul 2016 at 03:00

Yeah it would be simple enough to do I imagine. Maybe just go with a .bat run all the commands to install/add bookmarks then have it reference a second txt file containing their login details.
Assuming you don't have a huge influx of staff then editing txt files with the details could be done manually. Prevents anyone from breaking the bat file adding the logins.

I don't know how chrome store the bookmarks but IE you used to be able to access them in the programs folder. Logins may be a bit difficult as I imagine they're not accessible from external programs.

Edit: appears you can't add login details to chrome(2015 last thread I can find) you may just have to load the site and prompt them to save the password.

You could do it easily in a C# app but unless you want it to be pretty as well then there's probably not much need.

AHarvey · 27 Jul 2016 at 12:05

Thanks, that gives me something to build on.

Even if I can just email them a text file with login details in for certain things and have the rest set up automatically it'd help. I could just create a folder on the desktop under the company name and then have the shortcuts in there to the stuff they need.

Mynight · 27 Jul 2016 at 14:41

yeah I had another look as I couldn't sleep yet again anyway but the only solution I could come up with bar them adding it themselves would be if your internal sites can accept the login details via post/get. If so just set the bookmark to include the correct details.

AHarvey · 9 Aug 2016 at 21:07

Because i thought others may have similar issues.

So, I've been playing around and found a nice program called Silent Install Builder. Very nice program but £189 one off payment for a licence otherwise the installations only last 12 hours messed that up.

Instead, I've used AutoIt.

First I had it in a zip file they had to extract. It would place thunderbird, internal software and installer in a file and they just double clicked to install them both.

Still too messy.

I've managed to use AutoIT to pull Thunderbird and the internal software into the installer. It is now a single file that they download, double click on and it installs both pieces of software. It uses button names/ID's to move through the installation process at high speed meaning employee's don't have to do anything.

Next step is to include the folder with shortcuts that is to be placed on the desktop. I already have it moving the folder but I am having to zip the folder so that it can be included in the install (unless I can make it pull the icons over on their own...) so I need to figure out how to unzip it and then copy it over.

Next steps are:

Create a second exe that opens email and enters the data, this will mean a single exe per person but it should just be case of changing the login info inside each script.

Same for our internal software.

Then to figure our the best way to login to our 2 websites with the login details and save those logins and favourite the page. this may be ok to leave out. Time will tell.