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Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

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I want to automate/schedule the display properties (WinXP Pro) to change the desktop wallpaper to a specific picture.

I need to schedule this to happen because it shows the wallpaper before you logon to the network and will ruin the scare.

If the scare works perfectly, the scream will play as Windows loads, and the desktop paper will appear scaring the daylights out of my co-worker!

P.S. I still need a nice scream and have decided to look for a nice closeup of a big spider.

Thanks for any help from the rest of you pranksters!

(by the way when she was gone for a few days last week I plastic wrapped her phone, typewriter, keyboard, walkie-talkie and pen tray) she thought that was a riot.

Tink

Topic

Hoo!

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

This sounds like fun, but I don’t think it can be done with a single command. I think you’ll have to use a script, but I have no idea which commands would apply here. Let me do some research.

Hmm, change the startup sound…change the default log-in background…mumble…mumble…

Think

In reply to Hoo!

Local group policy.

Spiders

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

This page is the first of many from a Google search for “spider close-up”: http://tinyurl.com/k5rvs

Don’t know where you could find a good scream

Try these sounds

In reply to Spiders

Ghost shreiking
or Scream

Here is one that blends into screen

In reply to Spiders

http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~jim/pics/Cumberland_Isle_Nov02/tn/40_Asmus_and_Scary_Spider.med.jpg

Scary spider…ooohhh

In reply to Spiders

here’s a couple shots of a wolf spider that should be nicely sized for a background
http://rodneys.us/pics/creatures/IMG_2372.jpg

spiders with frickin’ laser beams http://rodneys.us/pics/creatures/IMG_2377.jpg

Needs a script

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

If you have Admin rights to the user’s PC, you can copy on a script and change the wallpaper at a preset time by remotely creating a scheduled task. You can also minimize all of the windows so you get the full effect. Then you change it back again.

I did this a few years ago to flash up a quarter second of a bit of soft porn on a colleague’s PC at random intervals. Everyone else was in on the joke and denied seeing the change.

That was two jobs ago so I may have some problems finding the script as I’m off on vacation in a couple of days but I’ll see what I can do,

Neil 😀

Here’s a start

In reply to Needs a script

The following vbscript will minimise all icons, change the wallpaper to a bmp of your choice, wait 10 seconds and then put it all back. The example used is one of the windows bmps but I suspect that you’ll change that…

‘—————————————–

Set oShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
Set oFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
set oDesktop=CreateObject(“Shell.Application”)

‘ Minimise all of the windows for full effect

oDesktop.MinimizeAll

‘ Get and save the old wallpaper

sOldWallpaper = oShell.RegRead(“HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”)

‘ New wallpaper
‘ Replace the following two lines with
‘ sWallPaper=”Path to your gruesome file”

sWinDir = oFSO.GetSpecialFolder(0)
sWallPaper = sWinDir & “\Prairie wind.bmp”

‘ Update in registry

oShell.RegWrite “HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”, sWallPaper

‘ Let the system know about the change

oShell.Run _
“%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters”, _
1, True
‘

‘ Play a sound

sSoundFile = “c:\windows\media\tada.wav”

sCommand = “sndrec32 /play /close ” & chr(34) & sSoundFile & chr(34)
oShell.Run sCommand, 0, True

wscript.sleep 10000 ‘ Time to sleep in ms

‘ Put it all back
‘ Update in registry

oShell.RegWrite “HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”, sOldWallPaper

‘ Let the system know about the change

oShell.Run _
“%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters”, _
1, True
‘

oDesktop.UndoMinimizeAll ‘windows back

‘————————————-

You will need to set this as a task on the user’s PC timed to go off several times during the day. That way, you can have the camera ready!

cool!

In reply to Here’s a start

I think this is what I”m looking for but here’s a stupid question…where do I put the script?

Tink 🙂

Stupid answer

In reply to cool!

In a file… :^0

Actually, since it’s vbscript, I would say save it as a .vbs file (scream.vbs ?) and schedule it.

But vbs is not my forte, so Neil would probably be the better one to answer this question.

Take it away, Neil…

Bloody timezones

In reply to cool!

I’ll test it on my next door colleague tomorrow and post the full procedure on or before Friday.

It all assumes that you have local admin privileges on the target PC! What’s the point of being a SysAdmin, otherwise?

Basically, you edit the script to set the filename of the bitmap that you want to set as wallpaper and the sound (wav) you want to play. Save the bit between the dashed lines as something.vbs, copy vbs script, bitmap and wav to, say, c:\windows on the target PC. (Save it all on your own PC first and test it by double-clicking the vbs file).

Load it as a onetime scheduled task on the target PC (code tomorrow) and wait. Easiest is to load the scheduled task for, say, two minutes time when the user is siting at his or her desk but more subtle (and less traceable back to you) is to have it happen when you’re obviously not at your desk…

Neil ]:)

Awesome!

In reply to Here’s a start

I gotta learn VBS now! If for nothing else but to mess with my fellow staff….hehe

Help

In reply to Here’s a start

Hello, First time posting here. I am a newby of sorts and I cannot get the script to run. When I restart my machine the script itself pops up. I saved it in notepad as a vbs file.
I am sure I have done something stupid, although i feel like I am not as stupid as the guy who wants to turn you in to the FBI.
Thanks for you help in advance.
Dave

also the time it takes for a sound player to load, will that make a difference. Maybe I should set the file to run with a certain pgm?

Check Open With

In reply to Help

If you indeed saved it as *.vbs then your must computer must think it needs to open VBS files using Notepad.

Use Explorer to check the “Open with” properties on the file. Make sure it is the Microsoft Windows Based Script Host and not Notepad.

Double check the file extension

In reply to Help

If it’s opening in Notepad, you might want to check the full filename – including the file extension. Sounds silly, but I’m wondering whether you may have inadvertently saved it in Notepad as a text file with a name something like Halloween.vbs.txt. THAT would indeed open with Notepad.

Thanks for the reply, New dilemma

In reply to Double check the file extension

Thanks for the reply. it was a file set to open with notepad. Once I changed it to open it with Windows script host the thing works like a charm. Thanks to all for that. OK now I want to pull this on so many people I couldnt possibly set it up on the same day. I was thinking I need a script to move the file to startup on the particular day. Can anyone do that for me easily. I am also open to any other ideas. I am so looking forward to this. Thanks to all
Dave

Windows Task Scheduler

In reply to Thanks for the reply, New dilemma

should do the trick.

Schedule a start date

In reply to Thanks for the reply, New dilemma

Go into the advanced properties by clicking the Advanced button on the Schedule tab and set a particular date to start it.

Easy peasy…

In reply to Thanks for the reply, New dilemma

Add this line to the start of the program:

If date()<>“10/31/2006” then wscript.quit

Copy the program into startup any time before Halloween and, except on October 31, it will immediately exit without the user knowing it has run.

The command to fire off the wav file is set to return immediately so the sound can be as long as you like. The program sleeper timing only affects the display.

Neil

Working solution

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

Copy the bit between the dashed lines (NOT including the lines) into Notepad and save as “halloween.vbs”. Get a suitable bitmap (bmp) file showing the picture that you want at a suitable resolution. Get the wav file for a scream or whatever. Copy both into c:\windows on your target’s PC (and your own for testing). Edit Halloween.vbs to set a suitable time delay (line 7), change the bitmap name (line 24) and the wav name (line 38) to suit your files and set how long you want the change to stay up (line 45).

Test on your PC! Copy Halloween.vbs to the target PC C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.

The program will start as she logs in and will wait for the preset delay before changing the wallpaper – just time to get settled.

I hoped that I’d find the code to ramp up the volume to Full but that will have to wait until next year.

Hope it works! Test it today. I’ve got one day left to debug it!

Neil ]:)

‘—————————————–
Set oShell = CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
Set oFSO = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
set oDesktop=CreateObject(“Shell.Application”)

‘ Set the value to the number of seconds that you want to wait. i.e. 300000 is five minutes

wscript.sleep 300000

‘ OK, now DO IT!

‘ Minimise all of the working windows for full effect

oDesktop.MinimizeAll

‘ Get and save the old wallpaper

sOldWallpaper = oShell.RegRead(“HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”)

‘ New wallpaper. This should be a bitmap (.bmp) of a suitable resolution
‘ Copy the bmp to C:\Windows
‘ Replace the filename with your gruesome bitmap

sWinDir = oFSO.GetSpecialFolder(0)
sWallPaper = sWinDir & “\sky.bmp”

‘ Update in registry

oShell.RegWrite “HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”, sWallPaper

‘ Let the system know about the change

sCommand = _
“%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters”
oShell.Run sCommand,1,True

‘ Play a sound
‘ Copy a scream or whatever wav file into C:\Windows

sSoundFile = sWinDir & “\tada.wav”

sCommand = “sndrec32 /play /close ” & chr(34) & sSoundFile & chr(34)
oShell.Run sCommand, 0, False

‘ Time to display the Halloween wallpaper in ms

wscript.sleep 10000

‘ Put it back – Update in registry

oShell.RegWrite “HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper”, sOldWallPaper

sCommand = _
“%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters”
oShell.Run sCommand,1,True

‘ Put the Windows back

oDesktop.UndoMinimizeAll
‘————————————-

Awesome!

In reply to Working solution

I tested it and it works!

Well it worked the first time and then it kept trying to find the files in C: rather than C:\Windows. So I took out the line that gets the value for sWindir and simply put in the C:\windows manually. Works perfectly now!

I can’t wait! [i] Rubbing hands gleefully[/i]

Thanks a bunch Neil!
Tink

Minor Issue

In reply to Working solution

I can’t wait to try this out on someone…

In my testing, I did discover something that could prevent this from working. If the user has their desktop set to not display any icons, the background will not change with the script. Everything else about the script works fine and the registry gets updated, just no background change.

Does anybody know of a fix for this?

It won’t work

In reply to Minor Issue

You have to enable desktop icons and then restart the desktopbefore you do the wallpaper switch:

I haven’t time to play with this as I’m off for three weeks on Monday but here’s a starting point:

‘Icons on

iCurrState = WSHShell.RegRead _
(“HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDesktop”)

oShell.RegWrite _
“HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDesktop” _
, 0, “REG_DWORD”

For Each Process in GetObject(“winmgmts:”). _
ExecQuery (“select * from Win32_Process where name=’explorer.exe'”)
Process.terminate(0)
Next

‘Icons back the way they were

oShell.RegWrite _
“HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDesktop” _
, iCurrstate, “REG_DWORD”

For Each Process in GetObject(“winmgmts:”). _
ExecQuery (“select * from Win32_Process where name=’explorer.exe'”)
Process.terminate(0)
Next

Long wait

In reply to Working solution

300000secs is not 5 minutes its 5000 minutes so unless wscript.sleep works in millieseconds this script will give a very long wait indeed.

wscript.sleep

In reply to Long wait

Does indeed work with the time parameter in milliseconds. Hence why 300000 milliseconds is five minutes.

I just screwed up the comments as I put ’em in as an afterthought.

Neil 😀

Perfetcionits? Me?

I found the perfect scream!

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

http://tinyurl.com/flvp3

This is the gal who plays in the original King Kong film. She screams at the end of the file. I cut it out and amplified it.

OOOh I can’t wait!

Tink

That’s a classic

In reply to I found the perfect scream!

I’ll have to get my Ray Harryhausen tribute collection out and watch KK just to hear it again.

Need that ‘Amplified Scream’

In reply to I found the perfect scream!

Dear Tink,

Please send me your ‘Amplified Scream’, let also “TRY” the vbs with your Scream.

Another Prankster.

kcpmenon@yahoo.co.uk

Need that ‘Amplified Scream’

In reply to I found the perfect scream!

Dear Tink,

Please send me your ‘Amplified Scream’, let also “TRY” the vbs with your Scream.

Another Prankster.

Thanks.
kcpmenon@yahoo.co.uk

Can I get a copy of that too!

In reply to Need that ‘Amplified Scream’

N/T

Here’s the scream!

In reply to Need that ‘Amplified Scream’

http://geocities.com/tinkerick/scream.htm

Tink 🙂

How ’bout that Tink?

In reply to Here’s the scream!

“Sorry, this GeoCities site is currently unavailable.

The GeoCities web site you were trying to view has temporarily exceeded its data transfer limit.”

You’ve been “TRed.” That’s even better than being Slashdotted.

anyone have a place I can post a sound file?

In reply to How ’bout that Tink?

stupid geocities.
anyone have place where I can post a sound file for everyone to hear?

Thanks
Tink 🙂

It’s good now

In reply to anyone have a place I can post a sound file?

Must have been the initial rush. Whoa! :0 That’s great!

Just played it & my wife jumped three feet. Cool!

Good thing I cleaned up the back yard today or she’d be throwing things at me. B-)

Ahhh…

In reply to I found the perfect scream!

Tink,

Send me your email address, and neil’s too. I have a very nice scream sound clip in my collection.

Here’s my email address: yanipen@yahoo.com

Black on Black

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

Set all colours and all backgrounds to black.

But, make sure you know how to get it back to normal without being able to see what’s happening.

Works even better if you use the classic screen rather than the XP version.

Boo-hoo doesn’t work with Win2K

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

Not sure why, as I am no expert at VB, but despite some attempts to edit it, the sound bit works but the wallpaper doesn’t when I try it on a Win2K box ( Works fine Ok on an XP box )

Sorry, I only ever tried it on XP

In reply to Boo-hoo doesn’t work with Win2K

It may be that the Registry entry doesn’t exist or is different. Run up Regedit and see if you’ve got a HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper value. I’m also not sure if the user32.dll entry points are the same.

Neil

Win2k

In reply to Boo-hoo doesn’t work with Win2K

Have you tried changing the path names?

I’m not Win2K but

In reply to Boo-hoo doesn’t work with Win2K

I had problems with the pic not switching also until I realized, it doesn’t accept jpgs, and then the 1st bmp I tried was too large in file size for Windows to load properly.

I shrank the bmp from 300 some KB to 191 KB and it works perfect now.

http://static.flickr.com/97/262243453_b78e559239_o.jpg

Tink

Hah! Typical tech!

In reply to I’m not Win2K but

RTFM!

I quote: “Get a suitable bitmap (bmp) file showing the picture that you want at a suitable resolution.”

I mean….

Well…

What’s a fella got to do? Spoon-feed ’em?

:p

Brain Fart!

In reply to Hah! Typical tech!

sorry, I’m a speed reader, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I get every bit of info input into the brain properly. Especially when I’m trying to do legit work at the same time.

But yes, you did provide that info…just slap me upside the head next time to wake me up ok?

Tink 🙂

P.S. the original BMP was actually 72 dpi but the dimensions made the file size too large. I cut the dpi down to 36 and the dimensions down half. still looks good as wallpaper.

Hide Desktop Icons?

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

Is there some code I can add to also hide the desktop icons… so the Scaree can get the full effect?

Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

Even if I knew how to accomplish what you?ve asked help on I would not. The same technology that allows you to pull your prank is the same technology required to create the next hacker?s bug, or Trojan Horse. No as far as I?m concerned this post thread should be turned over to the FBI?s Cyber Crime Unit!

Tosser! And I’m being kind, here.

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

This is a little elementary vbscript. An environment provided by Microsoft on every operating system since the Dawn of time to enable administrators to automate system management. There’s a zillion scripts out there that manipulate the PC environment. This one took me a minute to write and I’m by no means a Script King.

BUT!

The key points that you have overlooked, however, are that it is not possible to run the script on someone else’s PC [b]without the necessary rights[/b]and that it is not possible to run the script on someone else’s PC [b]without the necessary rights[/b].

(I know, I know. It’s only one point but it’s such a good one that I thought that I’d type it twice).

It’s about SECURITY! And not the mechanism to do dastardly things once the security is breached because that is easy to learn. Hell! Microsoft run courses – Vbscript for Administrators – because I’ve done a couple.

Neil

p.s. I’m not from the US so the FBI Cyber Crime unit can piss off! As can you.

Geez, Neil

In reply to Tosser! And I’m being kind, here.

That was awfully tame.

In case I have no other opportunity, safe travel next week! Enjoy your visit. Don’t point and laugh- we KNOW how funny we look!

Remember your walking shoes!

I’m taking a notebook

In reply to Geez, Neil

to upload my pictures from the camera so, given a suitable wireless access, I’ll post any items of interest and a few pics.

My mother doesn’t like me spending time on computers when I’m supposed to be visiting her but the notebook is a tiny Thinkpad so I’ll tell her it’s a special “camera thingy”.

I have two nice pairs of New Balance 785 – one grey, one brown. I’m not taking anything else. One empty suitcase and a credit card – at $1.80, I can’t miss.

😀

p.s. I’m not that hacked off with that idiot poster – at least he thinks he’s on the side of the good guys.

Hmm feeling a bit…..

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

Im sorry but it seems you are feeling a bit short
on abilitys???
It is a harmless prank and you need a life
all it realy shows is they take there respective
job’s seriously and are good at it,
These (Hacker) skills you speak of are also very much a part of of almost all top level IT jobs
used to improve and automate all types of work,
It is well beond my ability but I know they are
needed and not a threat as you make it sound.
OK im done …..Where dose this soap box go???

Gateway Prank

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

That’s right! I’ve heard that things like this are gateway pranks to some serious national infrastructure destroying viruses and hacks. First you’re putting aluminum foil on everything in a colleague’s cubical, then asking someone to write a script to change their desktop wallpaper, and next it’s on to cyber-terrorism. Most terrorists start with pranks, you know.
Let’s all see this in the light in which it is intended…having fun. Lighten up! Maybe get a girlfriend. And pull a few pranks instead of always being the victim of them.

It’s a prank

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

It is evident that you DON’T understand the scripting that you are reading. There is nothing here that can harm a system.

Before you start tossing off such remarks, perhaps you should understand what is in front of you.

You should also consider that attack is not the way to open a door to intellegent discourse. If you have a suggestion or recommendation, make it. But keep the flame thrower to yourself.

Get a life

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

You obviously don’t know anything about work/life balance, as you don’t believe in having a life at work.

It’s just a bit of fun. You know, that thing you do to help you LIVE. Have fun, have a laugh, enjoy yourself. As the original poster wants to do with this prank, because that’s all it is; a prank. I work in security; this IS purely a prank. If you sent this to the FBI, if they didn’t use it at Halloween themselves, they’d probably do you for wasting there time. It has nothing whatsoever to do with security.

I suggest you take steps to improve your work/life balance by getting a life.

GG

(Peers – yes, I know, it’s not like me, but he chose the wrong time, I’m now job hunting….)

Oh Crap, GG

In reply to Get a life

What happened???

Idiot finally get to you?

Did you hide the body???

Details girl! Are you Okay?????

Please tell us

In reply to Get a life

this is a preliminary job hunt and not a required job hunt.

Good luck with it.

Hey babe! What’s going on?

In reply to Get a life

Trust reorganisation? Mad boss?

Tell us!

Neil 🙁 😡

Sincerely, thanks guys

In reply to Get a life

I unintentionally cross threaded, cos I sounded off here…

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=201842&messageID=2105269

I still don’t understand who/why they’re letting her get away with not doing a DOH requirement.

Totally befuddled.

Thanks for the support though – Tig, yes, just doing my Hulk impression I’m so mad
Nick – nope, forced, see link….I’M NOT A BLOODY TRAINER… sorry, soapbox…
Neil – double dippy tart boss….restructure after merger in APRIL, and if I thought I could get away with whistle blowing in my particular post….

GG

GG

In reply to Sincerely, thanks guys

Watch your home mail- I am so very sorry.

Emailing G&T… Hope it helps!

sorry to hear

In reply to Sincerely, thanks guys

things took a turn the wrong way for ya GG. I’ve had that happen too…your’e happily working in your IT job and then suddenly you’re Customer Service?

Hope you find something better soon!

Tink

I love it….

In reply to Get a life

ROTFLMAO – “they’d probably do you for wasting their time”. Freakin classic… hahahaha Almost sounds like a subplot for The Soprano’s.

Whoa!

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

[b]Definitely lighten up![/b]

We’re all professionals here, and we know our duties and our loyalties. As network admins we have rights to areas that most do not and we have our unspoken moral values that we abide by.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy a good prank now and then! After all, the workplace can get rather dull without something to liven things up.

Besides, the prank is harmless to the user as well the computer, and I have the permission of the CEO to perform it. In fact he said he’s going to make sure he’s here early to see the prank happen.

Tink 🙂

Agreed… Lighten up…

In reply to Whoa!

Professional is one thing, but I can’t stand the “No room to wiggle” rule when it comes to having a little fun. My way old IT boss NEVER thought any kind of prank on a PC was funny. But he would tinfoil an office in a heartbeat. As if the PC is any different than the phone or calculator covered in tinfoil. Is not a PC a too to do work just like the phone?

Tell the FBI????

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

Maybe you should stop and think that the same skills it takes to become a hacker are the same skills it takes to stop a hacker.

Get a life!

Maybe I should call the FBI on my spouse

In reply to Tell the FBI????

Last April Fool’s Day…. she got on my PC while I was gone… hid my desktop icons…and put a ” Blue Screen Of Death ” background on the desktop screen !*&%!(*&%!(*&%!

I walked in….almost had a heart attack…when I saw the screen. I had just installed a Raid setup… I figured I was dead!

She said she only wished she had a web cam turned facing me, so she could have recorded the event for her online friends !

Living with a software engineer is H@LL ! !

GRRrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

DON’T BE SUCH AN ANAL PRICKWAD!

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

He isn’t doing this to be malicious, as I’m sure his intentions are good natured and clean fun given the occassion. I once pulled off a hilarious gag on April fools back in the mid 90s’ when Windows 95 was the defacto O/S. I had taken the logo.sys file, which is a bitmap that makes up the Windows 95 splash screen upon boot, and replaced it with a PhotoShoped distortion of Bill Gate’s mugshot. When all of the PCs’ booted, the infamous Windows 95 logo was replaced with this funky looking image of Bill Gates getting punched out. Believe me, even the CEO got a good laugh out of it and the entire office was rolling on the floor from laughter. I reset the systems back to normal thereafter, but I knew I could pull it off because the people I worked with, as well as the execs, all had a sense of humor and enjoyed gags like this. Even the CEO pulled a few gags on some of us here and there by flipping over our monitors or posting sticky notes on our monitors with things like “Where’s the anykey?…signed…CEO”. It makes for an interesting and lively environment and reminds us that we are human and need to laugh sometimes. If all you do at your job is stare at a monitor and get penalized for laughing, then you and your entire office needs mental therapy.

Sheesh Why Me

In reply to DON’T BE SUCH AN ANAL PRICKWAD!

Y’all just don’t mince words!

Sounds like it was a great joke. Had something similar done to me back in the NT days- someone had gotten into my pc and changed the start-up .wav for one that had the sound of windows breaking and a voice saying “Oh Sh*t!”.

Unfortunately, I discovered it when I went to boot up in a meeting. Boy was my face red!

My pass protected screensaver kicks on after 60 seconds of inactivity now… even in my home office!

Similar prank…

In reply to Sheesh Why Me

Friend sent me a vbs file disguised as a wav. Told me to listen to it and enjoy. So I turn my speakers on to an OK volume for my cube size and launched the file. In about 2 seconds, my volume in Win2K was cranked and a goofy voice boomed out of my speakers, “Hey everybody, I’m watching porno over here!”. Yup – red faced… I stood up and looked around like, “Who did that”, trying to look sorta serious as we have 5 ft high cube walls. man, talk about people gophering and laughing…. He got me good.

Now THAT is funny

In reply to Similar prank…

I seriously just LMAO. Anyone who would do that to you at work, must be a true friend. lol.
I wonder if someone did that to Logos-System at some point, which is why he’s so red faced and uptight about pranks.

Yup – red faced

In reply to Similar prank…

I got nailed by that one, too. Back when some people around here still had a sense of humor.

I Agree!

In reply to DON’T BE SUCH AN ANAL PRICKWAD!

Win95 was easy to update with tasks. I dropped in April Fools jokes into \\%computername%\windows\tasks and the office loved them. Altered times of day, etc. Had sheep running on desktops, desktops flipping over, icons moving, etc. I reset everything when finished. If I didn’t return them to normal then the joke would be back on me for not knowing how to reset the computer into proper working mode…

Key phrase: “All in good fun!”

HELP!

In reply to DON’T BE SUCH AN ANAL PRICKWAD!

Been playing with computers for 30 years, but I still can’t find that “anykey.”

Anal Prickwad?? With my experiences as a sailor and as a truck driver, I thought that I’ve heard it all, but I was wrong! 🙂

Mental Therapy

In reply to DON’T BE SUCH AN ANAL PRICKWAD!

“If all you do at your job is stare at a monitor and get penalized for laughing, then you and your entire office needs mental therapy.”

That pretty well sums up the mentality of my workplace. Local government! I’m fine…it’s the rest of them that need therapy!!

I can’t even check out the links that are posted if they are not specifically job related – proxy server & web history reports. I even got chewed on for going to pctoys.com.

PS: Why Me Worry? Cool avatar!

Obvious Noob!

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

Your lack of knowledge in sysadmin stands out a mile by your post. If you were looking for flamage, you got it!

Remember, security first…noob!

I am a “noob” and….

In reply to Obvious Noob!

even [b]I[/b] know that was a [i][b][u]TROLL[/u][/b][/i]!!!!!! 😉

byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

HERE – HERE!!

In reply to Obvious Noob!

And well said!!!

I enjoyed the script so much, that I scheduled it on my kids PC’s on my home network to kick off all at the same time!!! << same scream, but differnt pics, and every hour till from 3:30 pm till 9:30>> This is gonna be a fun Halloween for me!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Excellent prank!
Tinker

Enjoy

In reply to HERE – HERE!!

We don’t celebrate Halloween over here so this is a quick adaptation of one I did for April Fools Day some years ago for NT boxes to flash up a soft porn image for a split second at random intervals (only one guy wasn’t in on the joke. What boobs? we can’t see any boobs!)

There are a couple of refinements that I didn’t have time to adapt, max up volume being one.

It would seem that it also doesn’t work if Desktop is set to hide icons.

Better one next year…

😀

boy someone needs a sense of humor

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

nuff said

What the???

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

I swear, I must have worked for you somewhere before… Loosen your tie, Wad. Sheesh. BTW – does your comment mean that if I write a script that changes the default install of XP pro, that I have hacked a clients PC and microsoft can have the FBI sent after me for hacking the code? What a dork… And if your answer is “YES”, then what the heck kind fo consulting for IT do you do? Anti-IT??

Idiot

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

“Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals ”

Lighten up, Francis….

Are you for real?

In reply to Are You All Hackers! Are You All Criminals

“The same technology that allows you to pull your prank is the same technology required to create the next hacker?s bug, or Trojan Horse”

It also allows us to administer our systems mate, I believe he is going to use a script to execute this however, if he does not have admin rights I doubt the prank will work at boot though it could be made to work after the system has loaded.

“No as far as I?m concerned this post thread should be turned over to the FBI?s Cyber Crime Unit!”

This statement would make myself or anyone else here seriously not consider using your consultancy services in any capacity, you remind me of the techie at my ISP who said “turn off your firewall and open the command prompt and type in telnet” seriously silly and an over the top reaction to something which really required a little more rational thought.
I would hardly consider wasting the time of a law enforcement agency on something so trivial, the prankster has not broken any laws from what I can see, he has broken a few policies and change management rules if they exist in his organisation.
I would suggest you pull your head in and think before spouting off about cybercrime.
Cheers

interesting

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

My wife likes to come home from work and unwind on tetris for awhile. I’m going to set the machine to break into her game and tell her to go do the dishes…… On the serious side, I haven’t done any programing since the days of CP/m and Dos. This doesen’t look that complicated.

Are you brave, insane, or having a

In reply to interesting

brain fart. Your wife could make that VERY complicated! 🙂

This is great

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

I ran across this discussion when it was around 70 replies. I thank you all for the excellent laugh I received in regards to everything written.

I have found in life that you shoud NEVER take yourself or others too seriously. Life is just too short to get wrapped around a pole. You eventually make yourself look foolish.

P.S.
Neil, your script goes into the saved pile for sure!

Thank you all!

I agree.

In reply to This is great

I must agree with brothertech on this one. As a college student that will soon be entering the IT field I really enjoy reading posts like this on Tech Republic. Reading through this one kept me laughing. As for the script, a test run on the room mates computer will surely be interesting. Thanks again everyone.

Extra note on setting up the prank

In reply to Need help with Scheduling a task for Halloween

For those of you planning this, just an extra note:

I am having it run at startup and will be setting her volume [b]ALL the way up[/b] the night before. But she normally has singing songbirds chirping when she logs in. Obviously she will turn down her volume if she hears her songbirds blasting when she logs in. Sooo…I took the wav file of her songbirds and made a copy that is cut down to about an eighth of the normal volume. That way when it is played with the volume all the way up, it sounds normal.

(I didn’t want to disable the songbirds as that would also raise suspicion of something amiss)

FYI these sound file adjustments are done using a [i]trial software called [/i][b]WavePad[/b]. I don’t remember which download site I got if off of (probably Cnet) but I’m sure y’all can find it. It’s got some really great features and is very user-friendly (I think anyway).

Worked perfect

In reply to Extra note on setting up the prank

I ran this on a couple of co-workers computers. On one I used the spider and the other a snake. Scared both of them pretty good. Thanks for the script.

[Author]

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