Quizzes that force LDB to restart makes this completely useless

[UltraCombo3000]

Common issues

• If you get a "Terminal Services" error message, have you tried the troubleshooting steps from the main instructions?

• If you get a "the setup configuration provider is not registered" error message, have you installed the "Visual Studio C++ Tools"?

• You have tried rebuilding from scratch (Reset your build with ./build.ps1 -Clean, and it will reset your workspace and build.).

Issue

What it says in the title. This gives the terminal services error as a result.

Expected Behavior

Not this

Error Messages

No response

Lockdown Browser Variant

Lockdown Browser (no webcam)

Lockdown Browser Version

2.1.3.00

Windows Version and Build

Windows 11 24H2

Repository version

the most recent one

Other

Is there a way to reroute the actual exe to the sandbox powershell script so this doesn't happen?

[gucci-on-fleek]

Is there a way to reroute the actual exe to the sandbox powershell script so this doesn't happen?

Yeah, that's supposed to be happening already:

lockdown-browser/runtime_directory/sandbox_run.ps1

Lines 180 to 193 in e4b5bb7

	elseif ($lockdown_installer.Name -like "LockDownBrowser-*.exe") {
	$is_oem = $false
	$lockdown_runtime = [System.Environment]::GetFolderPath("ProgramFilesX86") + "\Respondus\LockDown Browser\LockDownBrowser.exe"
	$browser_icon = [System.Environment]::GetFolderPath("ProgramFilesX86") + "\Respondus\LockDown Browser\LockDownBrowser.ico"
	$protocols = @("rldb")
	}
	else {
	$is_oem = $true
	$lockdown_runtime = [System.Environment]::GetFolderPath("ProgramFilesX86") + "\Respondus\LockDown Browser OEM\LockDownBrowserOEM.exe"
	$browser_icon = [System.Environment]::GetFolderPath("ProgramFilesX86") + "\Respondus\LockDown Browser OEM\LockDownBrowser.ico"
	# I got the urls from installing LDB OEM and looking in the registry for :Lockdown Browser OEM and found all these HKCR keys.
	$protocols = @("anst", "cllb", "ibz", "ielb", "jnld", "jzl", "ldb", "ldb1", "pcgs", "plb", "pstg", "rzi", "uwfb", "xmxg")
	}

Since that isn't working, I guess that your school uses a protocol not in that list. If you're able to figure out what the correct protocol is, I can add it to the script. Instructions:

So the trick here is to figure out what URL protocol your school's site is using to launch the Lockdown Browser. I've put most of the common ones in the script, but there seems to be a near-infinite number.

One way to figure out which protocol is used is to hover over or copy the ”Launch” link and see what comes before the ://; another way is to search through HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (using regedit.exe) for the path to the Browser (C:\Program Files (x86)\Respondus\LockDown Browser OEM\LockDownBrowserOEM.exe in this case).

Originally posted by @gucci-on-fleek in #64

[UltraCombo3000]

I am pretty sure it's rldb. One thing I should mention is that launching LDB directly from the exe (not the shortcut in the desktop) gives the terminal services error, as expected. When LDB restarts itself to launch the quiz it's likely trying to launch the exe directly and bypassing the powershell script.

[sufian-iskandar]

Is there anyway to make LDB launch with the required command to bypass the Terminal Services error if the school forces LDB to be launched via their website/webpage?

.\withdll.exe /d:GetSystemMetrics-Hook.dll "C:\Program Files (x86)\Respondus\LockDown Browser\LockDownBrowser.exe"

[gucci-on-fleek]

@UltraCombo3000

I am pretty sure it's rldb. One thing I should mention is that launching LDB directly from the exe (not the shortcut in the desktop) gives the terminal services error, as expected. When LDB restarts itself to launch the quiz it's likely trying to launch the exe directly and bypassing the powershell script.

Ok, I haven't seen that behaviour before; that's quite interesting. If it's hard-coded to relaunch the path C:\Program Files (x86)\Respondus\LockDown Browser\LockDownBrowser.exe, then this should be fairly easy to fix, but if it's programmed to relaunch itself from the path where it's running from, then that might be quite a bit trickier.

[Voidless7125]

Hmm. One thing we could do is have a shortcut that launch's LD in the install folder, so that when a program calls for it, it just launches the PowerShell file to bypass this. Will add for 2.0.