Readying Windows 8 and Windows 10 for Catalyst

For Catalyst to work properly in all scenarios, it must be the default browser in Windows. In earlier versions of Windows, Catalyst was able to set itself the default browser. Microsoft has made significant changes with Windows 8 and later in this area which impacts all browsers, forcing users to take specific action or IT to manage default browser settings centrally.

Prior to Windows 8, Catalyst automatically configured itself as the default browser, or more specifically, the default program for the HTTP and HTTPS protocols. This enabled Catalyst to direct traffic to the appropriate browser for desktop shortcuts and links to websites in applications, such as email programs.

With Windows 8 and Windows 10, Microsoft has blocked applications from programmatically configuring the default browser. Only end users (or IT administrators via Group Policy) can set a default browser. This is even true of Internet Explorer, which can only invoke the Set Default Programs control panel to when selecting “Make Internet Explorer the default browser” from Internet Options.

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Because of these new restrictions in Windows 8 and later, default browser settings must be manually configured for Catalyst. The following sections will guide you through this process for two scenarios:

• Catalyst Project Development, which includes evaluation and testing of Catalyst

• Catalyst Enterprise Deployment, to set the default browser in a managed enterprise

Set Catalyst as Default Browser for Project Development

When developing Catalyst projects (or configurations), or simply evaluating Catalyst for future purchase, it’s not practical to configure Group Policy to set Catalyst as the default browser on Windows 8 and later. Instead, it’s much easier to set the default browser using the Default Programs control panel in Windows.

After creating a project in Catalyst Configuration Manager and executing Start Test Configuration for testing, Catalyst will alert you that it wants to become the default browser in Windows — assuming the Project Setting “Override Default Browser” is checked (which is the default setting in all projects). This works in much the same way as Internet Explorer, described in the prior section.

Clicking OK in this dialog will automatically launch the Set Default Programs control panel. It will also start Browsium Controller so you will see the Catalyst Splash Screen while the control panel is loading.

You’ll notice that Catalyst has “0 out of 2 defaults”. You want it to have both defaults — which correspond to HTTP and HTTPS. Select the option ‘Set this program as default’. Alternatively, to see the individual selections, select ‘Choose defaults for this program’ and then choose Select All to set Catalyst as the default for both HTTP and HTTPS and then click ‘Save’.

Catalyst will hold these defaults until you change the settings by selecting another browser as the default if prompted. If you plan to continue to use Catalyst, you should not change the default browser, per the guidance earlier in section 5.2. Catalyst has a built-in fail-safe if the Controller is stopped, either manually or by the Clear Test Configuration option in Catalyst Configuration Manager, where it will restore Internet Explorer as the default program for HTTP, and HTTPS, even though the Default Programs control panel still shows Catalyst owning the setting for these protocols.

Set Catalyst as Default Browser for Enterprise Deployment

When deploying Catalyst across an enterprise running Windows 8 and later, you will want to use enterprise-class management tools to set Catalyst as the default browser.

Prior to Windows 8, applications could set the default handler for a file type/protocol by manipulating the registry. This means IT could easily have a script or a Group Policy manipulating the registry. For example, for the mailto: protocol, you just needed to change the “default” value under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command

With Windows 8 and later, this method is no longer available. But Microsoft has introduced a new Group Policy mechanism for declaring these defaults in Windows 8 and later to accommodate this type of scenario. The basic idea is to have an XML file that maps programs to the file type/protocol that they should be the default for. The following steps provide guidance for configuring and deploying Catalyst as the default browser across an enterprise of Windows 8 or Windows 10 systems.

This guidance is not required for Windows 7 or Windows XP as Catalyst is able to programmatically take over the default browser setting on those systems.

1. Create your XML file or export it from a system which has Catalyst as the default browser using DISM, per Microsoft’s guidance. Among the many entries in your XML file, the following association identifiers must point to Catalyst.\

   <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?>
   <DefaultAssociations>
   <Association Identifier=“http” ProgId=“CatalystHTML” ApplicationName=“Catalyst” />
   <Association Identifier=“https” ProgId=“CatalystHTML” ApplicationName=“Catalyst” />
   </DefaultAssociations>

2. Use the new Windows 8 and later Group Policy that enables you to set the association for file types and protocols. Enable the policy “Set a default associations configuration file” found at “Computer configuration\administrative templates\Windows Components\File Explorer”. This will set the following registry entry:\

   <HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System!DefaultAssociationsConfiguration>

This policy specifies the path for the XML file that can be either stored locally or on a network location.

Using DISM to import the XML is not enough; you must still link it to the Group Policy Object.

In addition, the system needs to be domain-joined and the associations are applied at logon time.