The issue I am addressing involves VNC 3.3.4 and Windows (XP) user profiles,
with a side result of the registry being locked (and ultimately corrupted).
The solution I found results in "Something Else." Allow me to explain.
We had been using VNC 3.3.3r9 on Windows 95 to administer machines across a
5 state area. As is frequently credited to VNC, this unquestionably saves
time and travel. With a project underway to replace the current machines
with new ones that will run Windows XP, I have been working to create a
loadset for the new machines. Initially, I decided to load TightVNC because
of the better compression and processor usage, particulary over the
distances we deal with. Then, VNC 3.3.4 came out, and after concluding from
documentation and other submissions to this mailing list that VNC 3.3.4
would be a better solution than TightVNC, I worked to incorporate 3.3.4 into
the image as a service.
So about that registry? Running under the default VNC 3.3.4 service
configuration, VNC locks the "current user" registry, and the registry
ultimately becomes corrupted. On logoff, shutdown, or reboot, the following
application event warning is logged: "Windows saved user <Computer
Name>\<User ID> registry while an application or service was still using the
registry during logoff. The memory used by the user's registry has not been
freed. The registry will be unloaded when it is no longer in use. This is
often caused by services running as a user account, try configuring the
services to run either in the LocalService or NetworkService account. For
more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp"; (before you get your hopes up,
this link provides no help). If I explicitly close VNC in the "system
notification area" (as XP now calls it), I do not get this error message.
Those who know some of how Windows functions as well as how VNC is set up as
a service know that there is more than one part to actually running VNC as a
"service." Windows actually launches the part that runs with the option
"-servicehelper" during a user logon, yet the one that runs with the
"-service" option runs even during the logon prompt. Removing the command
with the
"-servicehelper" option also eliminates the error, as well as "Something
Else" that is seems to be frequently requested but is only vaguely
documented on how to do without modifying and recompiling the source code.
As a result of the registry being corrupted, I cannot run SysPrep to prepare
for deployment; I have not noticed any other averse circumstances so far.
Now, to the main point: I assume that the registry locking during logoff
(with the service still running) is an error, possibly one that crept in
with 3.3.4. Hooks into the registry should be released so that Windows can
properly save the registry. I tried deleting the "ORL" portion of the
HKCU\Software portion (after closing WinVNC) of the registry to see if
registry access to HKCU could be eliminated, but that portion was recreated
upon reboot.
Until this is corrected, a workaround seems to be not running the
"-servicehelper" command. Besides not restoring the wallpaper upon
disconnect (until reboot), what would the consequences be of not running
this?
Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide.
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