Summary

Synopsis

This article describes one method of handling per-user data registration via a special registry key named 'Active Setup'.

Discussion

One method of handling the installation of per-user data upon login would be to write to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Active Setup

Every time a user logs in, the contents of this key is compared against the same key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. If the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key does not exist and/or the "version" value is less than that in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, the appropriate "StubPath" command is run and the key copied to HKEY_CURRENT_USER so it is not run again.

With this, it is possible to perform a silent repair of an application to install user data when a user logs in for the first time.

Workaround

Forcing a Repair When Your Application Has No Entry Points

http://www.symantec.com/community/article/6441/forcing-repair-when-your-application-has-no-entry-points-active-setup