remove windows games

My bosses have decided that they want all of the windows games removed. I'm
looking for a script that I can run to automate that process rather than
having to go to each machine in person.
Any help would be appreciated.

Bill

McKirahan
Tue Sep 12 13:48:07 CDT 2006

"Bill" <training@jcnypd.org> wrote in message
news:un3UcXp1GHA.4228@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> My bosses have decided that they want all of the windows games removed.
I'm
> looking for a script that I can run to automate that process rather than
> having to go to each machine in person.
> Any help would be appreciated.

On my Win98SE PC I found the following files and registry references:

C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Games

C:\WINDOWS\FREECELL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\MS-DOS Mode for Games with EMS andXMS Support
C:\WINDOWS\MS-DOS Mode for Games
C:\WINDOWS\MSHEARTS.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SOL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SOL.INI
C:\WINDOWS\WINMINE.EXE

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\NetDDE\DDE Shares\HEARTS$
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\FreeCe
ll

And those are only the gmaes that came preinstalled with Windows.

And, of course, it will vary by operating system.

How will you identify user installed games?

These may need to be uninstalled to remove them properly.

What will you do about URLs where you can play games?
For example,
URL:http://file.sugarqube.com/Cards/jblo_The_Worm_Game.swf?PL=L400x300&Actio
n=Create

Anyway, here are some links I found via Google:

How to remove games from user access
URL:http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-11184-0.html?forumID=47&threadID=182929

Remove games from WinXP
URL:http://www.systemtools.com/board/Forum8/HTML/000065.html

How to remove Games from NT 4.0
URL:http://www.winguides.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=genwinnt&Number=
33135&page=0&view=expanded&sb=9&part=

Can't remove games in Windows 2000
URL:http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-1484596.php

Good luck!

EpohRio
Thu Sep 14 09:12:02 CDT 2006

Are you running XP? My experience is that Windows File Protection will
restore the games when they are deleted or renamed.

Try group policy.

Block the execution of the executables through GPO. If they are local admins
they can rename the executables.

For example:

sol.exe to solitaire.exe

But who should really be running as an admin? Answer, no one.

"Bill" wrote:

> My bosses have decided that they want all of the windows games removed. I'm
> looking for a script that I can run to automate that process rather than
> having to go to each machine in person.
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Bill
>
>
>

mayayana
Thu Sep 14 12:30:09 CDT 2006


> My bosses have decided that they want all of the windows games removed.
I'm
> looking for a script that I can run to automate that process rather than
> having to go to each machine in person.
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
XP, presumably. I once tried that and found that
they are, indeed, protected, as Epoh Rio said.
Apparently "minefield" is critical to Windows' health.

My solution was to delete all the backups for
SFP. (I don't remember whether those were
unprotected or whether I had to boot from another
system to do it.)
Once the SFP backups are gone XP will behave itself,
only issuing a vague warning when you delete something
"critical", like games or Media Player. :)

Bill
Fri Sep 15 11:55:14 CDT 2006

Thanks everyone for the help.
I ended up using AUTOIT to look for installed Windows games, start sysocmgr
and then go through the removal process. I also modified the GP to remove
the components button from Add/Remove Programs for everyone who isn't a
domain admin.
99.9% of my users will have no idea how to reinstall the games.

Bill

"Bill" <training@jcnypd.org> wrote in message
news:un3UcXp1GHA.4228@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> My bosses have decided that they want all of the windows games removed.
> I'm looking for a script that I can run to automate that process rather
> than having to go to each machine in person.
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Bill
>