Windows 10 Start Menu - A Working Solution

[win]

I'm having the opposite! I'm having a mare with it, I'm using Edu with the wim modified to remove all the crud. First log in, no installed apps (other than modern apps) are even listed in the menu let alone show as icons. Second log in, the xml applies and anything installed also shows up. Anybody seen this, and if so, how did you resolve it?!

 

*tears hair out*

 

Exactly what i'm seeing! First login is borked but after that it works. I'm guessing that removing all the bloat caused the start menu to be unstable so i'm switching to classic shell. Tests so far is showing no issues, but perhaps need more testing.

[Homer]

What method are you using to do this? I'm sick of this sodding start menu. Ripping out the crap certainly does it. If I do it post-install, no problem. Do it from the wim, and the start menu just gets borked. Arrghhh

 

Thinking of scrapping the whole idea!!

[win]

I have a script that does it during WIM creation which is probably why it gets borked. Classic shell is the way to go if removing bloat

[Homer]

@thimon how did you get this working with de-bloating?

[win]

This link from sparkeh shows that MS do not support XML start menus with roaming profiles, so that could be another issue. Seems the way forward if debloating and roaming is to use classic shell for now.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/windows-10-start-layout-options-and-policies

[thimon]

@Homer I haven't had an issue with the start menu xml custom layout after getting rid of the built in apps, I leave the All Apps list alone, no redirection. I'll find the script that I use to remove the apps and post it here.

[sparkeh]

So by doing the following I seem to have a stable start menu layout:

 

1) use v1703

2) strip apps out of wim file

3) don't use roaming profiles or start menu redirection

4) pin tiles from the all apps list

5) any other tiles I want I add links to in %allusersprofile% start folder

 

Number 5 is still a bit of an issue as if I add a link after first login the user needs to login and get the all apps list updated, however the xml has already updated without the link being ready (if you see what I mean) so requires the time stamp on the XML to be updated again. I am toying with a few options including storing the xml locally and updating the time stamp on log off, that way the next login will always refresh the start layout

[Homer]

@sparkeh no roaming profiles... fun. Are you using Outlook with Office 365 and if so how are you handling Outlook? This is my primary reason for roaming profile so that they configure once and forget, but if I can get around that I will bin roaming profiles as well.

[Homer]

Scrap that I missed a gpo setting. Modern auth works a treat... scrapping roaming profiles! Cheers dude

[sparkeh]

Looks like the proper Windows 10 Start Menu - by using the shortcut method via GPP Ive pinned Logoff to the Start Menu - Shutdown is enable from the Start Menu

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]44538[/ATTACH]

@mdrabble Mind sharing how you got the drive maps to show - mine just get ignored and don't show up.

 

EDIT: Nevermind I got it sorted

Edited August 10, 2017 by sparkeh

[sparkeh]

I'm conscious that this thread has been derailed from @Michael's method for using Classic Shell so I have created a new topic for the native menu discussion: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/187278-successfully-deploying-start-menus-windows-10-v1703.html

[Michael]

I'm just amazed how it's still going and that it's only taken Microsoft four Windows revisions to get it right.

 

I must admit, I still haven't revisited the new Start Menu simply because Classic Shell works brilliantly no matter how you look at it!

[CommodoreS]

I am trying Classic Shell.

 

I have removed Games Links and Default Programs Links as described in Group Policy Setting of the Week 10 ? Remove Default Programs link from the Start menu in the GPO.

 

However on the Windows 7 Classic Shell start menu these two items are still showing. Is there a GPO setting in the Classic Shell GPO that I can use to remove these two items, or another GPO setting I can use to disable them?

[robsonma]

My Head is hurting with the Start menu Stuff, @mdrabble would you share your xml? also how do i redirect the Start menu the left Part?

 

Any help would be great,

Ta

[mdrabble]

My Head is hurting with the Start menu Stuff, @mdrabble would you share your xml? also how do i redirect the Start menu the left Part?

 

Any help would be great,

Ta

@robsonma will post details tomorrow when I'm back in work as currently in wales on holiday.

[mdrabble]

@robsonma - I use 2 start menus, 1 for Staff and 1 for Students - the process is the same for either (does mean a bit of duplication - copy and paste seems to work ok)

 

Here is my Staff Start Menu - I tend to use Notepad++ for any manual editing of the XML file and choose XML as the filetype when saving.

 

StaffMenu.XML

    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
   xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
   xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"
   xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"
   Version="1">

 
   
     
       
         
         
	  
         
	  
       
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
	  
			 
	 
         
         
	  		  
       	
     
   
 

   
     
                
	 
	
			
	  
	 
	 
	 
     
   
 
 

 

Created shortcuts for all my applications within GPP, that way only installed applications will have the shortcuts generated. - once I had done 1 complete set of shortcuts I then backed up the GPO and then imported into the Student ShortCuts GPO and removed staff shortcuts to things like SIMS.net etc. - When I need to add new shortcuts, it just a case of adding to one and then copy and past into the other.

 

GPP for Shortcuts: Computer Configuration -> Preferences -> Windows Settings -> Shortcuts (See Screenshot)

 

Start Menu Redirection Group Policy: User Configuration -> Policies -> Folder Redirection

Settings: Basic - Redirect everyone to same location

Target folder location: Redirect to the following location

Root Path: C:\Shortcuts\Staff

StartMenu XML Group Policy: User Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Task Bar

 

Start Layout -> Enabled

Start Layout File -> \\Server\Shared\StaffMenu.XML

 

 

Hope that helps.

[robsonma]

Thankyou Soooo Much for that, I am now about 60% of my way through it, I am Stuck with the Mapped User Drives, Users have Drive N:\ as their Documents folder,

I have added,

[color=#333333][/color]

in the XML file, Created the Shortcut in GPO but I think this is wrong, Screen Shot Attached

I think the Rest is going well, adding one shortcut then testing on VM.

 

Nearly there! lol

 

[mdrabble]

I installed RSAT tools on my desktop and then used Group Policy Management from the Desktop to create the shortcuts for the Mapped Drives.

[robsonma]

@mdrabble Mind sharing how you got the drive maps to show - mine just get ignored and don't show up.

 

EDIT: Nevermind I got it sorted

 

 

How did you Manage to get your Drive Maps to Show? Cant get them to show at all!

Also How do i get the Log-off and Shutdown to show

Spent 2 Days and now I' Stuck!

and ready to give up

Edited August 16, 2017 by robsonma

[mdrabble]

@robsonma I found trying to create the shortcut using N:\ didn't work.

 

I downloaded RSAT tools for Windows 10 and installed on my Desktop - this gives you access to AD Tools such as Group Policy Management where you can then create the shortcut for mapped drives.

 

Mapped Drives - you will need to do this for any drive you want to pin to the start menu.

In your GPO for the shortcuts,

Create a new Shortcut

Change Target Type to Shell Object

On Target Object, click on the 3 dots and then click on your mapped drive

 

See screenshot for reference:

 

 

For Log Off - copy details in screenshot

 

My Computer - note the Argument area is a "

 

Shutdown, I don't add this as a pin but on the start menu but it is on the start menu as normal.

 

Let me know if you need any other info

 

Cheers

[sparkeh]

How did you Manage to get your Drive Maps to Show? Cant get them to show at all!

Also How do i get the Log-off and Shutdown to show

Spent 2 Days and now I' Stuck!

and ready to give up

@robsonma here's how I did drive maps.

 

First of all I created the drive mapping in a GPO and then a shortcut to the drive mapping.

 

I actually created an msi which runs at OS deployment and puts the shortcuts in the right place (for me the %allusersprofile% startmenu) before the first login.

 

I then added the following to the xml

 

 

Off the top of my head, I would think that you have to add the shortcut to the %allusersprofile% start menu - as I understand it, there is a database that contains the DesktopApplicationID's and when you add a shortcut to the %allusersprofile% or your own profile's start menu it generates the ID. So when I add the U:\ shortcut it generates the ID "U:" which you can use in the xml. If you put the shortcut anywhere else it won't know about it when you call it. At least that's how I understand it.

Edited August 17, 2017 by sparkeh

[sparkeh]

@robsonma Oh and for logon and shutdown I created these shortcuts

 

 

Again, these shortcuts when in the %allusersprofile% start menu and got the app IDs (which was 'log off' and 'shutdown') and added this to the xml

[mdrabble]

@robsonma how have you got on?

[kennysarmy]

We've deployed a few Windows 10 PC's now and 50% are getting issues with users reporting lock-ups - I think we've identified the culprit as "Classic Shell" - we're going to remove it from the affected PC's and see if that improves the issues.

[ITGURU]

We've deployed a few Windows 10 PC's now and 50% are getting issues with users reporting lock-ups - I think we've identified the culprit as "Classic Shell" - we're going to remove it from the affected PC's and see if that improves the issues.

 

Which version of Classic Shell are you using and which Windows Build? There was a recent Windows 10 Update which fixes the hanging of explorer.exe and seems to have resolved it for me.