Windows 10 Start Menu

[timbo343]

Im going to have to pass the i dont know button on this one.

[califpearl]

Thanks for all your help and patience!

[Norphy]

In a PowerShell window opened as administrator:

 

Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\documents\layout.xml"

 

That will put a file called layout.xml into your Documents folder, assuming that it hasn't been redirected elsewhere. If you do have folder redirection turned on, take out the \documents bit and it will put it in c:\users\%username%. Putting it there will guarantee that file permissions are not getting in the way.

 

I have tested this on Win10 build 14361 and it works happily enough.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Norphy

[califpearl]

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:annan_000)\documents\layout.xml"

Export-StartLayout : The path C:\documents\layout.xml did not resolve to a file.

At line:1 char:1

+ Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:annan_000)\documents\layout.xml"

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [Export-StartLayout], DirectoryNotFoundException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException,Microsoft.Windows.StartLayout.Commands.ExportStar

tLayoutCommand

 

I tried removing \documents and received

 

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:annan_000)\layout.xml"

Export-StartLayout : Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))

At line:1 char:1

+ Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:annan_000)\layout.xml"

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [Export-StartLayout], UnauthorizedAccessException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.UnauthorizedAccessException,Microsoft.Windows.StartLayout.Commands.ExportStartL

ayoutCommand

[Norphy]

Did you leave $env:USERPROFILE in there or did you replace it with annan_000? Don't replace anything I put into that command up there, just copy and paste it.

[califpearl]

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\documents\layout.xml"

Export-StartLayout : Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))

At line:1 char:1

+ Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\documents\layout.xml"

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [Export-StartLayout], UnauthorizedAccessException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.UnauthorizedAccessException,Microsoft.Windows.StartLayout.Commands.ExportStartL

ayoutCommand

[Norphy]

Try it without the \documents

 

Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\layout.xml"

 

Make sure that the PowerShell prompt is being run as Administrator too, it won't work in an unelevated session

Edited June 15, 2016 by Norphy

[califpearl]

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\layout.xml"

Export-StartLayout : Access is denied. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070005 (E_ACCESSDENIED))

At line:1 char:1

+ Export-StartLayout -Path:"$($env:USERPROFILE)\layout.xml"

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: ( [Export-StartLayout], UnauthorizedAccessException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.UnauthorizedAccessException,Microsoft.Windows.StartLayout.Commands.ExportStartL

ayoutCommand

 

In the Powershell windows it states Administrator in the upper left corner.

[Norphy]

Open an Explorer window and go to c:\users\%username%

 

Try to create or copy a file in there, I don't care what. Can you do that or does it say "Access Denied" when you try?

 

/edit lol, 3456th post

 

/edit2 which version of Windows 10 are you using? Is export-startlayout supported on anything other than the pro/enterprise/education editions?

Edited June 15, 2016 by Norphy

[califpearl]

Copied a txt file from the desktop to the stated path.

[califpearl]

Using Windows 10 Pro build from last July.

[Norphy]

Doesn't sound like a file system permissions problem then.

 

Does the user that you're using have administrative access to the computer or are you having to use a different user to elevate the PowerShell prompt?

[califpearl]

No I use a different account with administrative privileges. When accessing PowerShell I select ISE right click > more > run as administrator.

[Arthur]

Is export-startlayout supported on anything other than the pro/enterprise/education editions?

The XML file can only be distributed via Group Policy on the Enterprise and Education editions which might be an issue for @califpearl?

 

Start layout control using Group Policy is supported in Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education. Start layout control is not supported in Windows 10 Pro.

 

Source: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/customize-windows-10-start-screens-by-using-group-policy

[Norphy]

And you get prompted to enter another username and password which you enter?

 

I think we may have found the problem then.

[Arthur]

No I use a different account with administrative privileges. When accessing PowerShell I select ISE right click > more > run as administrator.

Could you try this please...

 

Set-Location $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop
Export-StartLayout -Path .\layout.xml

[califpearl]

I didn't know that. Thank you for your help and patience.

[califpearl]

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Set-Location $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop Export-StartLayout -Path .\layout.xml

Set-Location : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument 'C:\Users\Leon\Desktop'.

At line:1 char:1

+ Set-Location $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop Export-StartLayout -Path .\layo ...

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: ( [set-Location], ParameterBindingException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : PositionalParameterNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.SetLocationCommand

[Norphy]

I think the problem is that you're trying to export the start menu layout of "annan_000" while logged on as "Leon". Unless you can give annan_000 local admin rights, I don't think you're going to be able to do what you want with this command.

[Arthur]

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Set-Location $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop Export-StartLayout -Path .\layout.xml

Each command should be on a separate line (as it is shown in the code snippet).

Edited June 15, 2016 by Arthur

[califpearl]

Let me experiment and respond, thanks!

[abaxter2]

Hi,

 

The account being used must either be a domain admins account or local administrator account

The powershell must be run as administrator

Once in powershell run the following:

 

Export-StartLayout -Path C:\Layout.xml

 

Note there are no " and that you can name the file anything you like - it does not need to be layout just needs to have .xml at the end. I have found that if you try and add a folder to the path it does not always work but just using the root (C:\) has always worked for me.

 

One the powershell has run you will find the file in the root of the C drive.

 

I am sure you have already seen this but here are a couple of links:

 

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/manage/customize-windows-10-start-screens-by-using-group-policy

 

https://technet.microsoft.com/library/mt188237.aspx

 

Hope it helps

[thimon]

How about starting again, reimaging the laptop, don't put it on the domain and export the start layout from the local admin account once you've got it setup how you like? Surely there will be no issues with that?

[califpearl]

Just found out you are right as when I logged on with my admin account the export command worked without any issues. I also found out that when I installed the Windows 10 ADMX file at the same time I mistakenly checked the wrong option and I lost all my tiles of the user account that I originally attempted to export but after struggling most of yesterday I was able to restore that account and all of the start tiles. Thanks again!