How to set the proxy server for Exchange in outlook 2007 and other setting automatically using the windows registry? - powershell

Question

I'm new to using the windows registry.
Here is my problem and the context:
I need to write a powershell script that will automatically change the following settings in outlook 2007 for a new account in such a way that you will only need to enter the LogonDomain\UserName and Password as outlined in step 2:
Step 1:
Tools -> Account Setting... -> double click the email account -> More Settings... -> Connection -> check the box "Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP" -> Exchange Proxy Setting... -> enter the proxy server (e.g. exmail.example.com) -> check the box "On fast networks..." and "On slow networks..." -> Set "Basic Authentication" in drop down bar -> Ok -> Ok -> next -> finish
Step 2:
Restart Outlook -> Enter LogonDomain and UserName -> Enter Password -> Repeat Step 1 except this time uncheck the box "On fast networks..."
note: some of the setting from step 1 will already be set when you do step 2, such as the name of the proxy server for exchange.
To find the changes made to the registry I used the application RegFromApp, which records every registry change made by a specific process, Outlook in this case. I wrote two scripts to make the changes recorded by RegFromApp after manually carrying out step 1 and 2 on a new account.
When I try to execute step 1 on a new account it fails to make the changes. However, if I manually carry out step 1 and then execute step 2 the appropriate changes are made. Then if I execute step 1 the settings are changed appropriately! Unfortunately, only having step 2 automated isn't good enough. I think the problem lies with "the enter the proxy server" part of step 1. Nowhere in my script lies the string, "exmail.example.com." There are loads of hexadecimal values changed and it possible that "exmail.example.com" is encoded into one of those, but I don't know.
Q: Does anyone know how to set the proxy server for exchange using the registry, if it's possible to do so, or if there is even a reg key for this setting?
Thanks
Patrick

Answer 1

Below is the READ_ME.txt I made for anyone in my company who wishes to do something similar
Task: Set the proxy server for Exchange in outlook 2007
Requirements:
-RegFromApp (\nas\it\MS\ExchangeSetup)
-PowerShell
Method:
-Open Outlook and RegFromApp.
-Select outlook as the process to monitor in RegFromApp
-Make the appropriate changes to the outlook settings.
-The changes to the registry will be recorded in RegFromApp.
-Write a Powershell script to make these changes to the registry.
-To execute the Powershell script automatically you need to make a .BAT file that changes the execution policy
of PowerShell to RemoteSigned temporarily and restores it Restricted for security reasons.
Notes:
-RegFromApp will provide you with every change made to the registry. Only a few of are actually needed to make the appropriate changes to
the settings in Outlook.
-This method should be capable of making changes to any setting of any program running on Window XP or higher and was recommended by a user
on stackoverflow who had to roll out similar changes to a network of 10000 computers.
-To run this script execute exchange_setup.BAT located at \nas\it\MS\ExchangeSetup
PowerShell Script:
Stop-Process -processname outlook
$regkey1 = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows Messaging Subsystem\Profiles\Outlook\13dbb0c8aa05101a9bb000aa002fc45a"
$regkey2 = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Exchange"
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 00036623 -value ([byte[]](0x2b,0x00,0x00,0x00)) #this value is used for binary regkeys
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 001f6622 -value ([byte[]](0x65,0x00,0x6D,0x00,0x61,0x00,0x69,0x00,0x6C,0x00,0x2E,0x00,0x6A,0x00,0x6F,0x00,0x6E,0x00,0x65,0x00,0x73,0x00,0x65,0x00,0x6E,0x00,0x67,0x00,0x2E,0x00,0x63,0x00,0x6F,0x00,0x6D,0x00,0x00,0x00))
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 001f6625 -value ([byte[]](0x00,0x00))
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 00036627 -value ([byte[]](0x01,0x00,0x00,0x00))
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 00036601 -value ([byte[]](0x84,0x19,0x00,0x00))
set-itemproperty -path $regkey2 -name LogonDomain -value jonesgroup #this value is used for string regkeys
[System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("outlook").WaitForExit()
set-itemproperty -path $regkey1 -name 00036623 -value ([byte[]](0x23,0x00,0x00,0x00))
[System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("outlook")
.BAT file:
powershell.exe -executionpolicy remotesigned -file \\nas\it\MS\ExchangeSetup\exchange_setup.ps1
set-executionpolicy restricted