Adding Windows 8 clients

[clareq]

We have a Server 2012R2 domain, with Windows 7 clients. I want to look at adding some Windows 8 machines, but some user GPOs, such as those that redirect the start menu are causing issues. Does anyone know where I can find a guide (as foolproof as possible) to adding Win8 clients to an existing Win7 network?

[clareq]

bump..

[ZeroHour]

Could you possibly give a overview of your basic OU setup and where policies are applied?

 

You can use things like group policy wmi filters to prevent certain policies applying to other OS's. As a start I would make a policy for Windows 7 specific settings, Windows 8 specific settings and then common settings that work on both. You then add those policies to the OU with the machines and create WMI filters for the 2 specific ones that restrict the policy to only apply to machines of that OS version.

[clareq]

it's the policies that apply to the users I'm having issues with - particularly the redirected start menu. I haven't yet created a Win8 start menu though, hopefully once that's done it will make more sense.

I have created a separate OU for Win8 machines, and I'm fairly happy with the machine policies, I just need to get my head around how user policies cope with two OSs.

[ZeroHour]

Ahhh you have a couple of options really, you can try doing what I said for machine policies but the users OU (pretty sure that works but it has been a while) Create WMI Filters for the GPO or you can research enabling loop back polices which allow you to apply user settings to a machine OU and if the person logs in on that machine those settings override the users OU policies.

[clareq]

Thank you - a job for tomorrow

[clareq]

Ok, I think I'm nearly there. I have a few points I need to address - can anyone help:

1. The desktop tile doesn't show up for restricted users.

2. Is there an easy way to hid the Windows installed apps that appear when you click the down arrow on the start screen? i don't want to lose that area - it's showing my win7 start menu, with the 50-60 programs we have installed on the network, which I don't really want cluttering the start screen.

3. When I right click the start button on the desktop I get links to areas, like disk management, I don't want people to access. They can't run the programs, but it would be tidier if they didn't see the links.

[LeMarchand]

2: You may be able to shove them to the other end by using ‘User Configuration / Administrative Templates / Start Menu and Task bar / List desktop Apps first in the app view’

[clareq]

I've already disabled that policy, it still puts them first.

[JJonas]

We are in the process of doing the same

 

Is it possible to use something like folder redirection to set up the start page on Win 8?

Edited November 20, 2014 by JJonas

[LeMarchand]

I've already disabled that policy, it still puts them first.

 

Shouldn't it be enabled? (Or is that a typo?)

[clareq]

Enabled puts them first, disabled allows you to manage it, according to the notes. I might be wrong though

[LeMarchand]

Enabled puts them first, disabled allows you to manage it, according to the notes. I might be wrong though

 

Not done it myself (my mainly W8 school had the Start Menu baked into the image, though I need to sort out the XML thing to cater for new apps - if I could work out why Google Chrome/Sketch won't play ball) but my reading was that Enabled = forces your installed apps to the front, otherwise it's the default A to Z followed by A to Z groups. At least your "main" stuff should be at the front and the rubbish at the end.

 

We are in the process of doing the same

 

Is it possible to use something like folder redirection to set up the start page on Win 8?

 

As an experiment, I created an image that just had SM shortcuts pointing to "subject areas" in a shared area that contain shortcuts pointing to the relevant exes on the main drives. (Only had a 2003 server at the time). This seems to work, so I imagine "normal" SM redirection does.

[clareq]

But I don't want the windows apps at the front - I want my created groups first, and the windows apps A-Z at the end, if I can't get rid of them completely.

[LeMarchand]

But I don't want the windows apps at the front - I want my created groups first, and the windows apps A-Z at the end, if I can't get rid of them completely.

 

Tested that key @ home and took some screenshots, but didn't get around to posting. Using W10 here and haven't sorted the Start Menu, so apologies for lack of pictures.

 

The default screen when you press the Windows button/key - the Start Menu - can be arranged how you like, exported to XML and applied via GPO. You can also "bake into" your image a selection of shortcuts to a network location so you can just make changes there. It's also possible to redirect the Start Menu to a network location, but I haven't tried this; presumably you wouldn't get the nice grouping the XML method would afford.

 

The "second" screen - All Apps - doesn't appear to be as easily configurable. The key above does (mainly) alter the order to "non-Metro" A-Z, "non-Metro" groups A-Z, Metro A-Z but only in Category view. It looks like you can force this view with a reg key. Right-clicking and "Open File location" on entries in this screen takes you to a store of shortcuts. Presumably if these are deleted, the item will disappear from the screen and you could make your own group folders as well. I didn't test this, though.

[clareq]

I've found enabling the gpo mentioned does put the metro apps to the end, but I would like to remove them completely. I will probably need to hid them in my image - I've seen on another page that deleting them prevents the creation of new profiles. Now I only need to re-find the desktop tile - it's there for admin, but not for restricted users, so that's a permissions issue somewhere and the right click on the start button.