Creating shortcuts from Server

[dazza007]

Hi

We have a central start menu administered by group policy and I wanted to expand this by adding extra folders in programs and shortcuts

Is there a solution to create shortcuts on a server to deploy folders to clients where the software is not installed on the local server?

I have always figured the workaround for this is to create the shortcut on a machine where the software is installed and administer the icon to an administrative share to the server ie . \\server\c$\shortcutfolder

I can copy the shortcut from a machine that has the software icon installed and create and copy a shortcut from the c drive but the icon points to that machine ( and runs the sw from that machine)

Removing the machine name \\\c:\program files\.... to c:\program files\...... the same error occurs stating that the target is not valid (as it isn't stored on the local machine)

I am trying to setup a central start menu and with 400 programs to administer this could be a tall order

I hope that makes sense!

Thanks

Darren

Edited January 13, 2015 by dazza007

[dazza007]

90 views and 0 answers :0

 

I have a redirected start menu setup with a folder in the programs folder called subjects.

The conclusion is moving shortcuts from a client machine to a redirected folder does not work if the target is not on the server. As the icons are lost as well as the shortcuts work through shell32.dll

 

 

How do you present manage and shortcuts on site? Using the above method looks unprofessional without icons and it clunky to manage

[Nibiru]

90 views and 0 answers :0

 

 

 

 

As this is on the public section of the forum a large percentage of the "views" will be automated bots, search engine indexing spiders etc etc.

[dazza007]

Thanks for that. I was under the impression it is not possible.

[X-13]

I just use GPO to make shortcuts...

 

 

You just grab the shortcuts from machines the software is installed on and save them to a folder on the server.

 

Easiest way is to setup a VM install everything and grab all the shortcuts you want from there.

[LiamH]

Might be better linking to the C$ share.

 

so \\\c$\program files\....

 

not sure if that's what you are doing and just typed it oddly on the forum.

 

Or just share the application folder and link it to \\machinename\sharename\program.exe - If you add a $ after the share name it will stop it showing up when browsing the network

[X-13]

Might be better linking to the C$ share.

 

so \\\c$\program files\....

 

not sure if that's what you are doing and just typed it oddly on the forum.

 

Or just share the application folder and link it to \\machinename\sharename\program.exe - If you add a $ after the share name it will stop it showing up when browsing the network

 

He's trying to set up a folder on the server that has all the shortcuts in it, so they can be copied to computers. But he can't make them as the software isn't installed on the server, so it throws out an error.

 

The \\machinename\c$\... stuff was an attempt to make the shortcut by referencing where it IS installed, then changing it after it's made to allow it to work on any computer. [if it wasn't changed, all the shortcuts would run off of a single machine over the network.]

[LiamH]

He's trying to set up a folder on the server that has all the shortcuts in it, so they can be copied to computers. But he can't make them as the software isn't installed on the server, so it throws out an error.

 

The \\machinename\c$\... stuff was an attempt to make the shortcut by referencing where it IS installed, then changing it after it's made to allow it to work on any computer. [if it wasn't changed, all the shortcuts would run off of a single machine over the network.]

 

My bad!

 

Just create the shortcuts on a client machine and copy them to the server should work fine.

[LeMarchand]

I think you're doing what I have set up on one site. As @X-13 said, you can just copy the shortcuts from a working machine. If it's the missing icons that is bugging you, this should only be a problem when viewed on the server, as when you look at the shared folder from a machine with the software installed, the icons will be correct. If it really bugs you and you want to create yourself some extra work, you can set up and "Icons" shared folder and change the "duff" icons to the ones in the share - make sure that the relevant users can read the share! You'll need to extract the icons from wherever they are currently stored first.

 

Have to confess that I do this for some programs that don't have icons or whose icons I find offensive.

[dazza007]

Thanks a lot everyone. It looks like I am going to be busy with 400 different shortcuts to reconstruct.

MS definitely need to get some management of shortcuts and icons for IT administrators !

There is a piece of software called shortcut.exe that does allow you to change the target but it runs from command prompt and has a lot of parameters to specify.

 

I think I need to collect the icons and deploy them to a folder on all machines onsite

I am interested in possibly looking at using GPO shortcuts to administer this however can I ask how I create a shortcut within a folder within the programs folder

[X-13]

I am interested in possibly looking at using GPO shortcuts to administer this however can I ask how I create a shortcut within a folder within the programs folder

 

As in "Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Word"?

 

Like this:

 

 

You name it [folder]\[shortcut].

 

User [or Computer] Config > Preferences > Windows Settings > Shortcuts

Edited January 14, 2015 by X-13

[LiamH]

there are other solutions you could look into as well.

 

You could use folder redirection in GP to redirect the start menu folder to \\server\startmenu$\ and make the share read only to students.

 

Or look into mandatory profiles.

[LeMarchand]

You could use folder redirection in GP to redirect the start menu folder to \\server\startmenu$\ and make the share read only to students.

 

That's what I did; just set up one PC copied the contents of the Start Menu folder across. Then I created a few subject folders and gave them relevant icons. In the example below Calculator has an icon as it's on my machine, and Mathsphere as it's shared on the network. You can see some icons in the Counter4Windows folder that are held in the "Icon" share. I don't have the other programs so no icons, but if a child logs on to a Suite or Class machine (they have all the "no icon" programs installed, they'll get a Start Menu with 8 or 9 subject folders and see all the icons.

 

[dazza007]

Excellent! I was trying to get my head around this this afternoon. So I set a redirected folder and then manage and apply shortcuts this way. Now I can see how!

 

As in "Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Word"?

 

Like this:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28338[/ATTACH]

 

You name it [folder]\[shortcut].

 

User [or Computer] Config > Preferences > Windows Settings > Shortcuts

 

 

Thanks LiamH, I have a redirected folder set up.... having spent days reading the best method to do this, I haven't read about mandatory profiles. Google in the morning!

there are other solutions you could look into as well.

 

You could use folder redirection in GP to redirect the start menu folder to \\server\startmenu$\ and make the share read only to students.

 

Or look into mandatory profiles.

 

Interesting LeMarchand. Do you host your icon files on the network and copy them down to all the machines or can you host an icon share on a server.

That's what I did; just set up one PC copied the contents of the Start Menu folder across. Then I created a few subject folders and gave them relevant icons. In the example below Calculator has an icon as it's on my machine, and Mathsphere as it's shared on the network. You can see some icons in the Counter4Windows folder that are held in the "Icon" share. I don't have the other programs so no icons, but if a child logs on to a Suite or Class machine (they have all the "no icon" programs installed, they'll get a Start Menu with 8 or 9 subject folders and see all the icons.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28339[/ATTACH]

[X-13]

Excellent! I was trying to get my head around this this afternoon. So I set a redirected folder and then manage and apply shortcuts this way. Now I can see how!

 

That's how I make shortcuts. No need for a central repository doing it that way.

[LeMarchand]

Interesting LeMarchand. Do you host your icon files on the network and copy them down to all the machines or can you host an icon share on a server.

 

Host it on the server. I did consider copying it across or building it into the image somewhere local, but decided that I only needed to make changes in one place and could avoid a load of copy operations at log on that way.