redirected startmenus

[browolf]

have the startmenus on all the workstations redirected to a folder on a server through the group policy and in such a way that if i add an icon in the server it instantly updates on the workstations.

Am i right in thinking this is the correct way to do it?

 

its just that there's a vast amount of startmenu SMB traffic on the server and i'm wondering if its contributing to problems where the startmenu/machines lock up for like 15 or so seconds periodically

[Dos_Box]

Yes. Just ensure your GPO settings are correct and you make the folder read only.

[OverWorked]

I'll second that. I do it for desktops as well, and place useful stuff there like shortcuts to the school intranet.

[Michael]

I also use Folder Redirection. One of AD's most useful policies being able to redirect the Start Menu, Desktop and My Documents. I'd never put files on the redirected desktop for example, but always put shortcuts.

 

If you needed to put a file on the desktop, it's much simpler to copy the file to a network drive, create a shortcut and place that shortcut on the desktop. The risk of putting large files to be redirected 'could' slow down logon time.

[browolf]

the folder is read only to all except admins but icons from software i or other domain admins appear or disappear at whim lol

[Michael]

One policy you should enable when using folder redirection is located in:

 

User Config > Admin Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

 

Enable a policy called "Remove common program groups from Start Menu"

 

This policy removes all shortcuts other than the shortcuts you specify on the server, otherwise shortcuts located locally in \Documents and Settings\All Users will appear on the Desktop and Start Menu. This is maybe why icons may appear and not appear on different machines!

[ChrisH]

I sometimes have trouble with my redirected start menus due to a small blip on the network. I have considered redirecting them to a local folder and having that updated with robocopy when the machine starts up. Most of the time I dont ahve a problem but sometimes....

[MManjra]

It is great apart from when kids start to double click on the startmenu-programs folder, and then work their way up to the netlogon folder and start looking for any other available shared drives they can access. what you need to make sure is they have denied acces to all the other scripts in the netlogon folder and any shares they are not suppose to have.

If there is way of disabling the double click on start menu-programs folder or an alternative, please let me know

[tarquel]

It might fall into the same category as disabling the right-click on the Start Menu

 

Cheers

Nath

[chrisg]

just a tought, never tried it but could you have an identical share on each server called redirects$ and have the redirect point to

 

%logonserver%\redirects$\smenu\etc\etc

%logonserver%\redirects$\desktop\etc\etc

 

 

this would only work if shares were on DC's but would possibly shareout the work/network traffic needed by one server and if one failed you would have the others to fall back on.

[ajbritton]

If you want resiliency, you can use DFS...

[MManjra]

I think i may have a solution to this problem. what i am thinking of doing is copying the redirected start menu folder to some where locally on the workstation ie. c:\start menu\etc... That way if the kids double click on the start menu, it shouldnt open in a new window. or if it does they wont be allowed to browse the network. all i need to do is create a batch file that will copy the start menu folder from the server and on to the workstaions.

i have tried using the follwing in a batch file but have not had much luck.

xcopy \\server4\profiles$\pupils\start menu c:\pupils\menu /e /y

am i doing something wrong here that it wont copy??

[ajbritton]

xcopy \\server4\profiles$\pupils\start menu c:\pupils\menu /e /y

 

For a start, any path with a space in it needs surrounding by double quotes "" e.g.

 

xcopy "\\server4\profiles$\pupils\start menu" c:\pupils\menu /e /y

[E1uSiV3]

Just disable drag n drop access to the start menu for the kids and voila, no double clicking

 

EDIT: Forgot to tell you how lol

 

Group policy:

 

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar -> Remove drag-and-drop context menus on the Start Menu

[ken_kaniff]

wecame across the problem of freezing and missing redirected start menus. decided it was most probably cause by yhe fact that at a start of a lesson there might potentiall be 100 or so kids loggin on simulatanoesly thus creating a lot of "start menu traffic".

 

what i did here was to apply a startup script to all the workstations via a GPO which xcopys the start menu directory from the server to c:\sm on each local machine. then i set folder redirection to point to c:\sm and we've had zero problems ever since.

 

if the startup script ever did fail on a particular workstation, the worst that can now happen is the start menu might be outdated.

[MManjra]

nice one ajr. i completely missed out the " marks thanks for pointing that out. thts me being a walley there. :oops:

thanks for the advice elusive about the gpo setting, unfortuantely it didnt work.

[E1uSiV3]

hrmm thats interesting, it should work fine (according to my memory anyway) ill take a looksie next week cus its going home time now.

[Pear]

The double click on start menu still applies on Windows 2000 server, maybe its different for Windows 2003. I've looked all over for a solution but nothing has worked so far.

[Gatt]

Just implemented this on my network this afternoon

Though slight hiccup was that when I migrated the Policy out of the test ou I forgot to migrate the Redirect Folder as well!

So they were only getting nothing on the desktop or SM - and of course I have SRP on the .LNK files - so they couldn't open anything

 

Funny how the only one they were pointing out was Internet Explorer!

 

changed the policy and they were all happy again - until they discovered that they couldn't access their favourite games! :twisted:

 

They'll be even more unhappy when they find out I deleted all their MP3's - all 30GB of them!!

[Ric_]

@Gatt: Take it you've tweaked the proxy too to prevent MP3, ZIP, EXE... from being downloaded? :twisted:

[Gatt]

Not yet cos its managed by our LEA who are slow on the uptake, but we are gonna get our own ISA server up and running on a downstream from the LEA

Looking at breaking away from them all together at some point!!

 

Took me 3 hrs to delete all the MP3/WMA files cos some of the buggers had managed to remove the Administrator from the Folder security!!

So had to delete them in groups till I found the culprits, take ownership of the offending files before I could delete them!

 

my Recycle bin (10% of space on a 250GB drive!) had to be emptied about 5 times!

[ChrisH]

Consider other things as well as ISA unless you need specific functionality. There are some very easy to setup up Linux distros like Censornet or Smoothwall (which needs some modding but it is well documented) which will give you a far more flexible and alot better filter.

Plus ISA needs CALs as well probably.

 

Took me 3 hrs to delete all the MP3/WMA files cos some of the buggers had managed to remove the Administrator from the Folder security!!

So had to delete them in groups till I found the culprits, take ownership of the offending files before I could delete them!

 

Change the permissions on their home directories to modify which isnt the default. This is better than giving them free reign with Full control which is default.

I have some scripts to automate this if you need.

[Gatt]

Ooh good point

 

Pulls out the shoebox with his Linux distro's and blows off the dust

 

Been a while since I installed Linux just checked the uptime of my server in Scotland - 280 days!! compared to Microsofts 100 Days! with an average of 50 days!

[ChrisH]

If your proficient in Linux then a good solution would be based on a Squid and Dansguardian combo. Im currently running a custom setup but will be moving over to a modded smoothwall once I free up some hardware.