Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC - Technical

JRDNb
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08-Nov-2013 23:28:05#1 Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC

I'm wracking my brain around how to get Colemak on a locked down school PC. I had to switch back to QWERTY to conform to work and school. I would love to switch back to Colemak!

I cannot run any .exe (blocked by administrator)
I cannot access command prompt, regedit, task manager, gpedit (thought I could edit the Group Policy that I believe is restricting everything), or any control panel options (not available)
I do not have Run available through Start -> Run
I do however have access to the 'startup' folder through 'app data' for the locked user but it wont startup with the system.
I would like an option to have Colemak on this PC and be able to easily revert back to QWERTY for other users as if I wasn't even there.

Do I have any options? or must I continue to suffer on QWERTY?

Thanks!

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DreymaR
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09-Nov-2013 14:30:01#2 Re: Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC

Your only option is to befriend the admin and deliver a persuasive argument I believe. Without .exe or Run... you're pretty much locked down.

Besides, if you were to bypass that kind of security the admin would be mighty pissed off upon finding you out!

If you show a regedit remapping script (user only!) to the admin maybe he/she'll agree to run it for your user. In my opinion that's safer than PKL or a MSKLC install as those are compiled and the regedit script is completely transparent.

*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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JRDNb
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15-Nov-2013 05:27:37#3 Re: Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC

Well good news, I used the linux program chntpw to wipe the administrator password, I logged on and modified the Group Policy to allow pkl.exe
logged back onto the user and now I'm able to run it!
We'll see how long that lasts...
Thanks for your reply DreymaR.
Now the arduous process of relearning the Colemak layout that 3 months of QWERTY overwrote!

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DreymaR
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18-Nov-2013 12:47:59#4 Re: Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC

True - a QICO (QWERTY-in, Colemak-out) USB device is something much wanted - a little thingamajig between your keyboard and computer that adds a layout change (as well as Extend mappings etc!). Some brainiacs at GeekHack made something like that I think but I can't work out the specifics of it. Me want.

Last edited by DreymaR (18-Nov-2013 12:49:13)

*** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
*** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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angelic_sedition
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20-Nov-2013 06:52:28#5 Re: Getting regular or portable layout enabled on locked down PC

To add to this, it might be better to go for keyboard that already has this sort of feature if you don't want to do it yourself. The poker ii, just as an example, is one of many that has limited programmability. I have a list somewhere of keyboards capable of this. Pos keyboards are another example. I'm sure davkol could list some. The downside is usually the cost.

Last edited by angelic_sedition (20-Nov-2013 06:55:20)

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