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latest · 0.9.8.12
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Release 0.9.8.12 ​

since 0.9.8.12

Purpose ​

This page names what changed in Setup Foundry 0.9.8.12 compared with the previous release. Currently, every release is installed fresh.

Notes ​

New ​

  • The documentation at docs.setupfoundry.com now contains a reference of all policy entries: for each entry it says what it sets, which registry value is behind it and what it does. The reference is available in German and in English.
  • For policy entries and removals with a noticeable effect, Setup Foundry now says what is different in the end (side effect). The same details appear in the reference.
  • New switch for Remote Desktop: saved passwords for Remote Desktop connections can be allowed or forbidden.
  • New switch in the Pro edition: the user account that is created may sign in over Remote Desktop (group "Remote Desktop Users"). The enhanced session of a Hyper-V machine needs this right.
  • New switch in the Pro edition: Setup Foundry requires BitLocker for removable USB drives. The switch takes precedence over the settings of the security sets. On Windows Home it rests and states the reason.
  • The licence dialog shows the activation counters of your licence. They are stored.
  • In 38 fields the info tips (i) now also lead to a help page, and the tips for packages carry a link to the documentation.
  • A release can be marked as unsafe. A release marked this way shows a red bar that cannot be closed. The application downloads nothing by itself.

Changed ​

  • Our sets of settings are called "security settings" everywhere: in the application, in the documentation and on the website. The name "baseline" stays reserved for the source from Microsoft.
  • The link in the info tips (i) leads to the documentation page that belongs to your release.
  • The notice about a new release points to the "What has changed" page of that release in the documentation.
  • Five entries of the security and privacy sets wrote to a wrong registry path or to none at all. They are corrected or removed.
  • Maintenance: the libraries Setup Foundry is built on are fixed to exact versions.
  • The protection of the Windows sign-in service (LSA protection) is now set to value 2 instead of 1. It can be switched off and no longer locks through UEFI. The second registry entry "RunAsPPLBoot" is gone, because Windows writes it itself when needed. Devices that were set up with release 0.9.8.11 keep LSA protection permanently switched on. This is safe and requires nothing. If an older driver fails to load because of it, please contact us.
  • The Install Assist now writes the answer file for Windows Setup only to the WinPE RAM drive (X:), no longer to the stick. If the RAM drive is missing, it stops with a message. A Windows Setup started later from this stick on another PC does not find the file on its own. This does not protect the passwords on the medium. A stick created with an older release keeps its file; the Install Assist does not delete it.
  • The installer is compressed. The download is much smaller, about 96 instead of 181 MB.
  • The installer is now signed as Steidl IT GmbH, previously under the developer's personal name.
  • The application no longer fetches a beta licence by itself. The invitation code works unchanged.
  • The About dialog says: "This is a beta version. Would you like to help us test it?" The former click path "Get beta licence" is gone.
  • The terms and conditions no longer contain a price guarantee. The provider block at the end of the terms, the EULA and the terms of use is gone; the legal notice names the provider. Anyone who has already accepted the previous version is not asked to agree again.
  • The legal texts name only Steidl IT GmbH as the provider. The choice of legal entity is gone.
  • The guard at the end of setup has the last word: it continues only after its verdict, secrets are removed first, and the setup account is deleted only if a second administrator exists.
  • After a red audit, setup no longer waits three times 30 minutes but reports at once.
  • The ENV file of the setup is readable only by the system and administrators.
  • Machines: the purpose is gone; a machine follows its installation profile. The default is 8 GB of memory and 4 cores, changeable in Settings.

Fixed ​

  • The password of the setup account used for automatic sign-in during setup is now stored only as a protected Windows secret (LSA). After setup ends, a test found no trace of it in the computer's registry files.
  • Office: the encryption method for password-protected files used to be written truncated and is now set completely. It affects only the encryption of such files, not opening, sharing or macros.
  • The info tips (i) can also be reached and opened without a mouse.
  • In Settings under "Tools & prerequisites", the last green ticks and lines are gone in the dark theme, and the line about the Hyper-V Administrators group is no longer cut off at the right edge.
  • Audit: a file that is locked at that moment counts as "not checked" and no longer as an error. The audit then counts as incomplete.

Known limitations ​

  • The application reports a new release but does not install it itself. Download and installation remain manual in this release.
  • The dialog "Licence error" after a chargeback appears only once the licence server sends the reason for the block. Until then a block stays silent until the next start, as before.
  • On a freshly installed Windows on which no web page has been opened yet, activation can fail with "License server unavailable", because Windows has not loaded a root certificate yet. In that case, open www.setupfoundry.com once in Microsoft Edge, restart Setup Foundry and activate again.
  • Programs that install only per user (for example JetBrains Toolbox and Signal) are currently not set up by Setup Foundry without an internet connection.
  • Programs delivered as zip or portable, and Windows features, are still set up by Setup Foundry only with an internet connection.
  • The downloaded drivers are not tested on real hardware. Whether a driver is used is decided by Windows during setup.
  • Compilations (ready-made software selections) are not visible in this release. They come in a later release.
  • The software cache stays on the device after setup (roughly 1 to 1.5 GB depending on the selection).
  • Opera updates itself at once when a network connection exists.
  • After setup ends, the name of the setup account remains in a Windows entry, without password and without account.

See also ​