Start menu folder redirection using GPO

[Stephen Kemp]

Hello all.

We are on the cusp of making the final push to change from XP to Win7 in our computer labs.

The GPO - User Configuration\Policies\Folder Redirection\Start Menu -
points to a shared start menu directory with shortcut and folder additions appearing in the students Start>All Programs tree when students log on under the XP host environment.
Yet has never worked with our Win7 based machines.

Has anyone else had this issue and had a successful outcome?

Many thanks.

--

Steve Kemp
IT Support
Mount Aspiring College,
Plantation Road,
Wanaka, NZ.

C:     0064 21 211 3004
T:     0064 3 443 0499 ext 830
F:     0064 3 443 0491
E:     ke...@mtaspiring.school.nz

W:    www.mtaspiring.school.nz

[Simon - OBHS]

Hey Steve,

We are using Start Menu redirection. 

I'm assuming you have a folder on your server called "Start Menu" or something similar?

This folder should have read-only permissions by students/teachers and be shared directly with full permissions for everyone or authenticated users.

The folder should contain a sub folder called "Programs".

Not sure if it is necessary, but i have a desktop.ini file (standard file for windows to define characteristics of a folder, show hidden files).

The file contains:

[.ShellClassInfo]

LocalizedResourceName=Start Menu

Under the "Programs" folder should be your program shortcuts and sub folders for groupings etc..

Really what you can do if not already is setup a desktop with all relevant shortcuts etc.. then copy the start menu folder to your server.

For the redirection policy, the root path should point to the server\share\programs folder

Don't grant exclusive rights or Move contents, under the settings tab.

This is off the top of my head and looking quickly at my setup. I think they maybe some other polices which work together on this, will have a look. But check your setup with what i explained above.

Simon.

[Stephen Kemp]

Hello Simon.

So you are successfully running folder redirect with win7 hosts at OBHS?

Yes shortcuts etc are in a 'Programs' folder within the "Start Menu" folder which exists on the server inheriting permissions from a shared root folder that is read only and allows full control for Authenticated Users.

What we don't have in the 'Programs' folder is a desktop.ini file containing:

[.ShellClassInfo]

LocalizedResourceName=Start Menu

Also server is 2008 R2 64bit.

Thanks for your insights.

Steve

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[Jeffrey Burke]

Have you read these posts:
http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/74800-windows-7-start-menu-redirection.html
http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/47835-windows-7-gotchas-tips-fyi.html

Full of useful stuff for 7 that may help.

Just wait till you get to 8 and have to play with single instance icons and start screen XML layouts.

Another thing to be aware of is 32 and 64 bit machines if using redirected start menus, the solution is ntfs junction points if you have both.

Jeffrey.

Sent from my Windows Phone

---

From: Stephen Kemp
Sent: ‎28/‎11/‎2013 4:08 p.m.
To: techies-f...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [techies-for-schools] Re: Start menu folder redirection using GPO

Click here to report this email as spam.

[Simon - OBHS]

Sorry, should have started with yes, we run redirected folders for desktops and remote desktops (RDS/TS) our servers are currently 2008 R2.

As Jeffery mentioned, and i didn't, i have two startmenu folders, one for the 32bit machines and one for the 64bit machines as of course the shortcuts lead to a different path ('program files' vs 'program files (x86)')

It is working fine (slow on our remaining XP machines). I can send you a copy of our GPO's as to modify the start menu there are a lot of things to enabled/disable.

I do know that when i first set it up i had trouble but i believe it was to do with having the programs folder under the start menu and having a direct share. the desktop.ini file is in the root of the start menu folder, not under the programs folder.

[Stephen Kemp]

Thanks Jeffrey.

Useful stuff indeed. Some of those 'Gotchas' take me back!

Best regards.

On 28 November 2013 16:33, Jeffrey Burke <Jef...@krs.ac.nz> wrote:

Have you read these posts:
http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/74800-windows-7-start-menu-redirection.html
http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/47835-windows-7-gotchas-tips-fyi.html

Full of useful stuff for 7 that may help.

Just wait till you get to 8 and have to play with single instance icons and start screen XML layouts.

Another thing to be aware of is 32 and 64 bit machines if using redirected start menus, the solution is ntfs junction points if you have both.

Jeffrey.

Sent from my Windows Phone

---

From: Stephen Kemp
Sent: 28/11/2013 4:08 p.m.

[Robert Baird]

Something kind of related to add, applying GPO to IE10+ doesn't work from a 2008 R2 server. 

[Jeffrey Burke]

That's thanks to a MS policy change, there is a new place to put settings http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-server-2008-r2/122972-proxy-settings-gpo-settings-moved.html

Have a check of the Windows 7 forum here http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/ as most of this stuff has already been hashed out there.  The Windows 8 forum is also collecting many of the required answers for school use.

Jeffrey.

Sent from my Windows Phone

---

From: Robert Baird
Sent: ‎29/‎11/‎2013 6:01 p.m.
To: techies-f...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [techies-for-schools] Re: Start menu folder redirection using GPO

Something kind of related to add, applying GPO to IE10+ doesn't work from a 2008 R2 server. 

--

[John Driver]

There are some other GPO settings around disabling personalised menus and classic start menu that need to be set as well. I'll check our settings on Monday and post. 

I have gone a step further at OGHS by using redirected start menus that redirect to a folder structure that exists on the local machine. This has the advantage of speeding up logon times over wireless as we can use item level targeting to only create shortcuts to programs that exist on the machines, therefore we have no dead links that can cause delays on logon. We control the contents of this folder with GPO preferences. So I use GP to create and manage a folder i.e C:\Environment\Students then C:\Environment\Students\StartMenu and C:\Environment\Students\Desktop etc. We use GP to redirect to those folders AND to control permissions.

I'll post more if anyone is interested

John