autofirmer-expanded/scripts/configure-chrome-defaults.ps1

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Make Chrome the default browser and pin it to the taskbar, as far as Windows
    permits that from a script.

.DESCRIPTION
    Which is not very far, and it is worth knowing why before reading the code.

    The default-browser association lives under UserChoice, whose ProgId is
    validated against a hash Windows will only generate from its own Settings
    dialog — and since February 2024 a kernel driver (UCPD.sys) blocks writes to
    that key regardless. Tools that forge the hash exist; they are working around
    a security control and Microsoft breaks them on a schedule.

    Taskbar pinning lost its shell verb years ago for the same reason: to stop
    installers helping themselves to the taskbar.

    What is supported is policy, and policy applies when a user profile is
    created — so both settings here take effect for the NEXT new user to sign in,
    not for the profile running this. For the current profile the honest answers
    are a desktop shortcut, which this makes, and two clicks in Settings, which
    this opens for you.

    Needs elevation: both policies are machine-wide.

.EXAMPLE
    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\configure-chrome-defaults.ps1
#>
[CmdletBinding()]
param(
    # Skip opening the Settings page at the end.
    [switch]$Quiet
)

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

$identity = [Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()
if (-not ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal]$identity).IsInRole(
        [Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)) {
    throw 'Run this elevated — both policies are machine-wide.'
}

$chrome = @("$env:ProgramFiles\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe",
            "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe",
            "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe") |
          Where-Object { $_ -and (Test-Path $_) } | Select-Object -First 1
if (-not $chrome) { throw 'Google Chrome is not installed.' }

$dir = Join-Path $env:ProgramData 'AutoFirmer'
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $dir -Force | Out-Null

# ── Default browser ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Only the associations named here are overridden; everything absent from the
# file keeps whatever Windows would have chosen.
$assoc = Join-Path $dir 'default-associations.xml'
@'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
  <Association Identifier="http"   ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
  <Association Identifier="https"  ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
  <Association Identifier=".htm"   ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
  <Association Identifier=".html"  ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
</DefaultAssociations>
'@ | Set-Content -Path $assoc -Encoding UTF8

$sys = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System'
if (-not (Test-Path $sys)) { New-Item -Path $sys -Force | Out-Null }
New-ItemProperty -Path $sys -Name 'DefaultAssociationsConfiguration' `
                 -Value $assoc -PropertyType String -Force | Out-Null
Write-Host "Default-browser policy written: $assoc"

# ── Taskbar pin ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# A taskbar layout with no start layout beside it: the collection below adds the
# pin, and PinListPlacement="Replace" would wipe the user's own pins, so it is
# deliberately absent — ours is appended to whatever is already there.
$lnk = Join-Path $dir 'Google Chrome.lnk'
$shell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$shortcut = $shell.CreateShortcut($lnk)
$shortcut.TargetPath = $chrome
$shortcut.Save()

$taskbar = Join-Path $dir 'TaskbarLayoutModification.xml'
@"
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LayoutModificationTemplate
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
    xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
    xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"
    xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"
    Version="1">
  <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
    <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
      <taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
        <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationLinkPath="$lnk" />
      </taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
    </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
  </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
</LayoutModificationTemplate>
"@ | Set-Content -Path $taskbar -Encoding UTF8

$explorer = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer'
if (-not (Test-Path $explorer)) { New-Item -Path $explorer -Force | Out-Null }
New-ItemProperty -Path $explorer -Name 'StartLayoutFile' -Value $taskbar -PropertyType ExpandString -Force | Out-Null
# 0 so the Start menu itself stays the user's to rearrange; only the taskbar
# collection above is applied.
New-ItemProperty -Path $explorer -Name 'LockedStartLayout' -Value 0 -PropertyType DWord -Force | Out-Null
Write-Host "Taskbar pin policy written: $taskbar"

# ── The current profile ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
$desktop = [Environment]::GetFolderPath('CommonDesktopDirectory')
$deskLnk = $shell.CreateShortcut((Join-Path $desktop 'Google Chrome.lnk'))
$deskLnk.TargetPath = $chrome
$deskLnk.Save()
Write-Host 'Desktop shortcut created.'

Write-Host @'

Both policies apply when a user profile is first created, so this profile is
unchanged. For this one:

  * Default browser: the Settings page is opening now - pick Google Chrome
    under "Web browser". Windows allows no other way.
  * Taskbar: right-click Chrome and choose "Pin to taskbar".
'@

if (-not $Quiet) { Start-Process 'ms-settings:defaultapps' }