Start Menu's and Desktops

[STK91]

Hi All,

 

I was wondering how you all redirect your start menu's and desktops, I have built multiple windows 7 images (admin, ICT) etc and students / staff will log into either of them across the site in various places, however I do not want any dead shortcuts to display e.g a staff member logs into an admin build so I'd want just SIMS & PARS to display I wouldn't want all of the software from the ICT build to display ?

 

Thanks, Hope I haven't lost you.

[cullingsh]

We have a folder on each computers c:\ drive for student start menu and staff start menu and then the redirect in GPO. As it is local to that machine, only software that is installed (and we have put a shortcut in the folder) is available, therefore no dead shortcuts.

[tmcd35]

We have a folder on each computers c:\ drive for student start menu and staff start menu and then the redirect in GPO. As it is local to that machine, only software that is installed (and we have put a shortcut in the folder) is available, therefore no dead shortcuts.

 

So when you install new software you need to add a new icon in every machine? What's the point in redirection then?

 

 

We only redirect for students. We have a single start menu on our file server that they are redirected to. Software is catagorised by subject, we accept there may be dead links on some machines.

[chazzy2501]

I do it the same way as @cullingsh redirecting the to the custom start folder on the C drive means no network fluffs or unexpected dead links. I like to use thick images now with WDS (as it's sooo good now) but you can configure software to place an icon in the custom start folder when it installs OR you can get Group policy Preferences to place a shortcut into the custom startup folder.

[3s-gtech]

We have lots of different Start Menus for staff and students. Staff have different ones for 7 and 8.1 Students have different ones depending on the computers they're using (as not all software is installed in every room). All redirected to a subfolder of the sysvol (as the shortcut files are small, this is fine).

[cullingsh]

The point of redirection remains the same - so that users have access to the programs you want them to have access to. We just don't have dead links where the software hasn't been installed.

[IWDave]

I do exactly the same.

We do this for our desktop too; that way everyone's experience is the same setup on each login

On login, the updates our brought down, removing dead stuff while adding new stuff.

 

We have a share on the server which stores the folders (Start Menu/Programs and Desktop) and a login script that is triggered that mirrors from there.