Mandatory profile merged desktop/start menu/taskbar

[Garacesh]

Setting up a mandatory profile for an exams account, and I've got most of it sorted (Despite getting tripped up by using the full .v2 location for the profile and not modifying the NTUSER hive.. shh..)

 

\\Server\Profiles\Profile.v2\Desktop is obviously the Desktop. Shortcuts I place in there appear there.

\\Server\Profiles\Profile.v2\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs is Start, All Programs. Folders and shortcuts I place here are appearing fine.

\\Server\Profiles\Profile.v2\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned, I believe, is the Quick Launch/first screen of the Start Menu. Shortcuts are appearing there.

\\Server\Profiles\Profile.v2\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\Taskbar, I assume, is programs pinned to the taskbar. These programs are not showing up, and links to the default programs (Explorer and Media Player) are there, but produce a 'It might have been moved, renamed, or deleted' error.

 

However, the icons that appear are all appearing in conjunction with the regular Start Menu, Desktop, etc. There's a shortcut to a program, and the Recycle Bin on the desktop which aren't in the profile's Desktop folder. The Start Menu lists all the installed programs, Windows Update, etc as well as the folders I've created.

 

And to make it all worse.. My Google-Fu is letting me down

[JasonNVSD]

I haven't used mandatory profiles before, but it may be helpful to know that many default shortcuts/pins don't come from the default profile or any profile. Microsoft talks a bit about in their server blog. This leads us with no other option than to use startup scripts like this one.

[computer_expert]

Try this setting in GP:

Group Policy Search

(User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Remove common program groups from Start Menu)

 

I'm fairly sure there are GPO settings to hide the recycle bin icon/IE icon in GP (There is a setting to hide & disable all items on the desktop)

[Arthur]

\\Server\Profiles\Profile.v2\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\Taskbar

 

I assume, is programs pinned to the taskbar. These programs are not showing up, and links to the default programs (Explorer and Media Player) are there, but produce a 'It might have been moved, renamed, or deleted' error.

That error is usually caused by not having the corresponding registry data in this key:

 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

[Garacesh]

I'm fairly sure there are GPO settings to hide the recycle bin icon/IE icon in GP (There is a setting to hide & disable all items on the desktop)

Aye, Recycle Bin hide works, but the other program on there isn't IE It's.. Well I don't actually know what it is, or if it's even used, but it's installed on all machines by default xD So presumably it's a program that has had "Create a desktop icon" set to 1 and has done it for all users.

 

Hide & Disable takes away the ones I've placed there in the profile, too

 

Edit: And I've done something now and it's gone away, but I don't know what I did, just that it's policy-based

Edited June 19, 2015 by Garacesh