Auto-Pin to taskbar

[glennda]

Does anybody know how to setup a perm app link pinned to taskbar.

[gshaw]

Use the scripts referenced from my blog page on logon...

How to… get a perfect Windows 7 managed Start Menu and Taskbar « gshaw0

[glennda]

Use the scripts referenced from my blog page on logon...

How to… get a perfect Windows 7 managed Start Menu and Taskbar « gshaw0

Awesome thanks!

[sonofsanta]

I'm pinning to the Start Menu with the following VBScript

Dim ObjFolder, ObjFolderItem, colVerbs, objverb, objshell


Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")

Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace("C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer")
Set objFolderItem = objFolder.ParseName("iexplore.exe")
Set colVerbs = objFolderItem.Verbs
For Each objVerb in colVerbs
If Replace(objVerb.name, "&", "") = "Pin to Start Menu" Then objVerb.DoIt
Next

WScript.Quit

repeating the middle chunk for as many applications as required. I would imagine that changing "Pin to Start Menu" to "Pin to Taskbar" would work equally as well. This is setup as a login script, one for staff and one for students. The only limitation is it has to be an application you are pinning - not a shortcut - as it relies on verbs, thus I've not found a way of pinning Outlook Web Access to the start menu, nor folders of shortcuts as I'd originally planned on doing.

Also: @gshaw, reading your blog post - there's a GPO to clear the Start Menu for first time users so it isn't filled with the recently used programs that MS think people will want, may be worth putting that on as well to cover all angles.

[Stuart_C]

Looks very similar to what I am doing. I did have an odd problem however where it worked fine for Office apps but when it came to pinning SIMS to the start menu it pinned a new copy and ended up with 10+ copies of the SIMS shortcuts before I stopped it.

[gshaw]

I'm pinning to the Start Menu with the following VBScript

Also: @gshaw, reading your blog post - there's a GPO to clear the Start Menu for first time users so it isn't filled with the recently used programs that MS think people will want, may be worth putting that on as well to cover all angles.

User Policy\Admin Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar – Clear the recent programs list for new users

Is that the one you're thinking of? It's on the post just above the piccy of the finished Start Menu

The only thing with the scripts is that I'm not sure what happens with roaming profiles if it runs every time, I'm only using it with mandatory profiles at the moment where we want everything reset on each login. For staff we just show them how to do it and let them choose their own apps... maybe there's a way to write some check logic into the scripts so it avoids the multiple items scenario?

[sonofsanta]

User Policy\Admin Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar – Clear the recent programs list for new users

Is that the one you're thinking of? It's on the post just above the piccy of the finished Start Menu

Er, so it is. In my defence it's formatted differently from t'other GPO settings you had listed so my skim reading missed it

The only thing with the scripts is that I'm not sure what happens with roaming profiles if it runs every time, I'm only using it with mandatory profiles at the moment where we want everything reset on each login. For staff we just show them how to do it and let them choose their own apps... maybe there's a way to write some check logic into the scripts so it avoids the multiple items scenario?

My testing so far with roaming profiles just shows each item on the Start Menu once, no matter how many times a user has logged in. I suspect the fact that verbs are used is what allows this to work - it's not adding a new shortcut file, it is pinning an application to the start menu, and once an item is pinned it can't be pinned again.

I appear to have disabled pinning custom items to the Start Menu though - will check after lunch as it would be useful for people to build their own lists, hopefully that doesn't break anything with the script though.

[PiqueABoo]

Roaming: I'm pinning *shortcuts* to the task bar and start menu, the same trick but I wrote powershell script for it which writes an HKCU regval for a "first run" check so it does nothing the next time they logon. Unpinning the taskbar defaults is a PITA e.g. Explorer, Media Player, beacause they usually don't get pinned during a first logon until after the script has run.

[sonofsanta]

Roaming: I'm pinning *shortcuts* to the task bar and start menu, the same trick but I wrote powershell script for it which writes an HKCU regval for a "first run" check so it does nothing the next time they logon. Unpinning the taskbar defaults is a PITA e.g. Explorer, Media Player, beacause they usually don't get pinned during a first logon until after the script has run.

I quickly gave up on doing anything with the taskbar other than clearing it - in all honesty, the combined quick-launch/taskbar concept will only be a pain to explain anyway, so I figured it was more straightforward for everyone if I removed the quick-launch aspect of it and left it as just a taskbar, as they are all used to from XP.

[PiqueABoo]

I quickly gave up on doing anything with the taskbar other than clearing it - in all honesty, the combined quick-launch/taskbar concept will only be a pain to explain anyway, so I figured it was more straightforward for everyone if I removed the quick-launch aspect of it and left it as just a taskbar, as they are all used to from XP.

Mmm.. it's a thought. I only kept taskbar pinning because the beeping tooltray Volume thing exposes the control panel Sound app stuff I had deliberately turned off in control panel, so I decided to make a shortcut to sndvol32.exe instead and pin that to the taskbar. Might revise this and see if I can get away with having a normal shortcut to sndvol32.exe in the Accessories group.

[sonofsanta]

Experimentation (after some confusion) reveals:
* Pinning to the Start Menu with the script above a) works b) does not create duplicates on subsequent logins
* If a user unpins any item forced via the script, it is reinstated next time they logon (albeit at the bottom of the list)
* Reinstated pinned items retain the Recently Used jump list
* Users can pin their own items to the Start Menu and these persist across sessions until they unpin them again
* Staring at group policy for too long will make your eyes hurt

[robyholmes]

Might have a go at testing some of these methods this weekend. I have been looking for a easy solution which can be changed on the fly and this looks like it could be it.

[gshaw]

Experimentation (after some confusion) reveals:
* Pinning to the Start Menu with the script above a) works b) does not create duplicates on subsequent logins
* If a user unpins any item forced via the script, it is reinstated next time they logon (albeit at the bottom of the list)
* Reinstated pinned items retain the Recently Used jump list
* Users can pin their own items to the Start Menu and these persist across sessions until they unpin them again
* Staring at group policy for too long will make your eyes hurt

Might add this to the blog post and credit you on it if you don't mind? Very useful info there

[sonofsanta]

Might add this to the blog post and credit you on it if you don't mind? Very useful info there

By all means, share and share alike

[gshaw]

By all means, share and share alike

You're now famous

How to… get a perfect Windows 7 managed Start Menu and Taskbar « gshaw0