What key in windows registry disables IE connection parameter "Automatically Detect Settings"?

Resurrecting this.

Here's how you can modify registry item binary values concisely in easy-to-follow powershell. In this example DefaultConnectionSettings is the registry item with a REG_BINARY value that we're trying to modify.

$path = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Connections"
$objName = "DefaultConnectionSettings"
$getObj = Get-ItemProperty -path $path -name $objName
$getObj.DefaultConnectionSettings[8] = 1
$objValue = $getObj.DefaultConnectionSettings
Set-ItemProperty -path $path -name $objName -Value $objValue

When you use Get-ItemProperty for a registry item with a REG_BINARY value, it gives you a number of child objects in a collection.

By referencing the name of the item (in this case we do getObj.DefaultConnectionSettings) as a child object of getObj, we get an array of values, where each binary value (i.e 50,33,01,00,00,00,00,00,04) has its own position in the array.

Because it is an array we can reference, modify, and iterate through it easily, and we can modify a value by doing $getObj.DefaultConnectionSettings[8] = 1 or whatever number you want in place of 8. The 8 refers to the 9th value in the array. In the example of 50,33,01,00,00,00,00,00,04 the 9th position is 04. Remember that, like other things, arrays start counting at 0.

Setting it = 1 will change that 04 value in the binary to 01 while leaving the rest of the values unchanged in the array.

Finally, we set the change in place with Set-ItemProperty -path $path -name $objName -Value $objValue

Hope this helps others.