append a registry string from batch

Probably you have to use some programs from NT resource kit
regdmp.exe, regini.exe. Get the key with the regdmp.exe
into  file  

regdmp.exe \\hkey_local_machine\..... > the_file.txt

check the required key with simple perl or kixtart script
and put/append required value to the file

and then run

regini.exe program which will put the key into the registry

Sorry,  I would like to do this without any special software on the end user machine.

Basically you just want it to be there. Whether it was there or not, you want it to be there in the end, as i understand your question.

So i suggest that you create that specific key/value on you own computer, and export the key to a reg file. Then you can just run the reg file with the command
start <name of regfile>

If you do want the info, whether it was there or no, had a value etc..., i agree with Sysexpert. You need an external program. To add to the list that Sysexpert has given you i can also suggest kix, which also should be able to do this.

Hope this helps
Tonny

can you not use kixTart its great for adding registry keys
just copy it to the Netlogon directory along with all the dlls a you then got yourself a great scripting language that will do all you ever wanted

http://www.kixtart.org/

Daz

I have to agree.  What I did was create a way of doing it in VB and made an EXE and then added it to my install script.  This seems to work fine.  Thanks for all the help.

I created a wsf file to back up, find, append and/or create the necessary registry settings.  In my case, I wanted to append the value to the PATH, so that it would be permanent instead of temporarily changing the path in a command window.  I made it so that I could re-run the wsf as necessary.

I left in some of the comments (I ran into a problem with creating a wscript.object, so I went to wmi).  Also if you want to see what type of items are in the registry, I left that code in too.  Enjoy.

<job>
<script language="vbscript">
Const HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = &H80000002
Const REG_SZ = 1
Const REG_EXPAND_SZ = 2
Const REG_BINARY = 3
Const REG_DWORD = 4
Const REG_MULTI_SZ = 7
 
strComputer = "."

dim backupfilename
dim mydatetime
dim mymonth
dim smymonth
dim myday
dim smyday
dim myhour
dim smyhour
dim mymin
dim smymin
dim mysec
dim smysec
dim shell
dim output

'set shell = Wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
      
mydatetime = now()

mymonth = month(mydatetime)
myday = day(mydatetime)
myhour = hour(mydatetime)
mymin = minute(mydatetime)
mysec = second(mydatetime)

if mymonth < 10 then
      smymonth = "0" & mymonth
else
      smymonth = mymonth
end if

if myday < 10 then
      smyday = "0" & myday
else
      smyday = myday
end if

if myhour < 10 then
      smyhour = "0" & myhour
else
      smyhour = myhour
end if

if mymin < 10 then
      smymin = "0" & mymin
else
      smymin = mymin
end if

if mysec < 10 then
      smysec = "0" & mysec
else
      smysec = mysec
end if

backupfilename = "C:\backupreg\" & year(mydatetime) & "-" & smymonth & "-" & smyday & "-" & smyhour & "-" & smymin & "-" & smysec & ".reg"

wscript.echo backupfilename

'wscript.quit
 
set shell = getobject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!Win32_Process")      
      
Set oReg=GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\" & strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
 
strKeyPath = "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"
 
oReg.EnumValues HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, strKeyPath, arrValueNames, arrValueTypes

found = false
dim extcode
dim IngProcessID
 
For i=0 To UBound(arrValueNames)
      wscript.echo arrValueNames(i)
      if (arrValueNames(i) = "Path") then
            found = true
            oReg.GetExpandedStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath, arrValueNames(i),strValue
               if (instr(ucase(strValue),"C:\docs\dev") = 0) then
                     wscript.echo "reg export ""HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"" " & backupfilename
                  'output = shell.run("reg export ""HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"" " & backupfilename,sw_hide,true)
                  extcode = shell.Create("reg export ""HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"" " & backupfilename, Null,IngProcessID)                  
                     oReg.DeleteValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"Path"
                     oReg.SetExpandedStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"Path",(strValue & ";C:\docs\dev")
               end if
      end if
'    Wscript.Echo "Value Name: " & arrValueNames(i)
   
'    Select Case arrValueTypes(i)
'        Case REG_SZ
'            Wscript.Echo "Data Type: String"
'            Wscript.Echo
'        Case REG_EXPAND_SZ
'            Wscript.Echo "Data Type: Expanded String"
'            strValueName = "UIHost"
'                  oReg.GetExpandedStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath, _
'                      arrValueNames(i),strValue
'                Wscript.Echo "Value: " & strValue
'            Wscript.Echo
'        Case REG_BINARY
'            Wscript.Echo "Data Type: Binary"
'            Wscript.Echo
'        Case REG_DWORD
'            Wscript.Echo "Data Type: DWORD"
'            Wscript.Echo
'        Case REG_MULTI_SZ
'            Wscript.Echo "Data Type: Multi String"
'            Wscript.Echo
'    End Select
Next

if not found then
      oReg.SetExpandedStringValue HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,strKeyPath,"Path","C:\docs\dev"
end if
</script>
</job>