All I want is a simple start menu!

[revilo]

Looking at deploying Win 10 Edu this summer, and i've been reading for hours and hours about blooming start menus. On 1703 I just cant get it to work at all.

 

I've scrapped the idea of having the pinned tiles on the right because it's an absolute shambles trying to get that XML to work, all I want is a redirected start menu with just the list of shortcuts on the scrolling menu down the left - just like Win 7. However if I remove default programs being shown and redirect my Start Menu, I get all my redirected shortcuts... and all the absolute tripe apps that Microsoft insist on adding to their 'Enterprise' operating system. Can't I hide them all and just have my redirected shortcuts?

 

Is it just me who thinks that Microsoft are making deployments more difficult instead of easier??

[Rob_D]

Have you got the following GPO setting set? This should do what you want. It works fine for us.

"User Configuration / Administrative Templates / Start Menu and Taskbar / Remove common program groups from Start Menu"

[revilo]

Yep! Weirdly that removes the handy things like File Explorer, but keeps stuff like Feedback hub, Get Office, Get Help, Groove Music etc. etc.

[Rob_D]

what version of windows 10 are you using?

We're using 2016LTSB and ours come out like this, which sounds like what you're after.

[Liam]

I have the xml working perfectly now. Did take some work though. I used unc Paths back to their redirected start menu . Never fails

[revilo]

Hmm, my XML file shortcuts point back to %appdata% locations - i'll try the UNC paths.

 

I'm running 1703 - I fixed the 'showing Windows apps' issue, it needed a profile reset and it all worked. Which kind of worries me, because if i'm going to have to make regular changes to start menu layouts, I don't want to be having to reset everyone's profiles each time...

[Gongalong]

@revilo I have the exact same problem. Moving from using Ranger and I want to customise the start menu. Getting all the crap out the menu is not proving to be very easy, whether it be via AppX removal or mandatory profiles. I can't get either to work atm.

[free780]

Some UWP apps can be removed via remove-appxpackage or remove-appxprovisionedpacakge powershell command let. However some like edge can't be removed.

[MagicalJon88]

You could try with Classic Shell for Windows 10. It brings back the menu from Windows 7. Works great for me - I'm just used to it and couldn't understand how the new Windows 8.1/10 start works

 

 

Regards,

Jon

[Oaktech]

Edge can be removed...

 

 
Import-Module -DisableNameChecking \\INSERTREACHABLELOCATIONHERE\take-own.psm1

do {} until (Elevate-Privileges SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege)

$needles = @(
   "Browser"
   "ContactSupport"
   "Xbox"
   "Miracast"
  
)

foreach ($needle in $needles) {
   $pkgs = (ls "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages" |
       where Name -Like "*$needle*")

   foreach ($pkg in $pkgs) {
       $pkgname = $pkg.Name.split('\')[-1]

       Takeown-Registry($pkg.Name)
       Takeown-Registry($pkg.Name + "\Owners")

       Set-ItemProperty -Path ("HKLM:" + $pkg.Name.Substring(18)) -Name Visibility -Value 1
       New-ItemProperty -Path ("HKLM:" + $pkg.Name.Substring(18)) -Name DefVis -PropertyType DWord -Value 2
       Remove-Item      -Path ("HKLM:" + $pkg.Name.Substring(18) + "\Owners")

       dism.exe /Online /Remove-Package /PackageName:$pkgname /NoRestart
   }
}

 

And the Take-Own script that needs to be saved as a psm1

 

function Takeown-Registry($key) {
   # TODO does not work for all root keys yet
   switch ($key.split('\')[0]) {
       "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" {
           $reg = [Microsoft.Win32.Registry]::ClassesRoot
           $key = $key.substring(18)
       }
       "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" {
           $reg = [Microsoft.Win32.Registry]::CurrentUser
           $key = $key.substring(18)
       }
       "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" {
           $reg = [Microsoft.Win32.Registry]::LocalMachine
           $key = $key.substring(19)
       }
   }

   # get administrator group
   $admins = New-Object System.Security.Principal.SecurityIdentifier("S-1-5-32-544")
   $admins = $admins.Translate([system.Security.Principal.NTAccount])

   # set owner
   $key = $reg.OpenSubKey($key, "ReadWriteSubTree", "TakeOwnership")
   $acl = $key.GetAccessControl()
   $acl.SetOwner($admins)
   $key.SetAccessControl($acl)

   # set FullControl
   $acl = $key.GetAccessControl()
   $rule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.RegistryAccessRule($admins, "FullControl", "Allow")
   $acl.SetAccessRule($rule)
   $key.SetAccessControl($acl)
}

function Takeown-File($path) {
   takeown.exe /A /F $path
   $acl = Get-Acl $path

   # get administraor group
   $admins = New-Object System.Security.Principal.SecurityIdentifier("S-1-5-32-544")
   $admins = $admins.Translate([system.Security.Principal.NTAccount])

   # add NT Authority\SYSTEM
   $rule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule($admins, "FullControl", "None", "None", "Allow")
   $acl.AddAccessRule($rule)

   Set-Acl -Path $path -AclObject $acl
}

function Takeown-Folder($path) {
   Takeown-File $path
   foreach ($item in Get-ChildItem $path) {
       if (Test-Path $item -PathType Container) {
           Takeown-Folder $item.FullName
       } else {
           Takeown-File $item.FullName
       }
   }
}

[JATSO]

Looking at deploying Win 10 Edu this summer, and i've been reading for hours and hours about blooming start menus. On 1703 I just cant get it to work at all.

 

I've scrapped the idea of having the pinned tiles on the right because it's an absolute shambles trying to get that XML to work, all I want is a redirected start menu with just the list of shortcuts on the scrolling menu down the left - just like Win 7. However if I remove default programs being shown and redirect my Start Menu, I get all my redirected shortcuts... and all the absolute tripe apps that Microsoft insist on adding to their 'Enterprise' operating system. Can't I hide them all and just have my redirected shortcuts?

 

Is it just me who thinks that Microsoft are making deployments more difficult instead of easier??

 

I decided to just put a folder on every users desktop that has all the shortcuts that they need for the software installed and told the staff to use that rather hunting around in the start menu. We are Primary schools so the pupils are pretty directed what to do anyway.

In the case of Microsoft they sure know how to make difficult instead of easier.

[sted]

im beginning to wonder if ditching redirected start menus isnt a good idea and just script "shaping" the default menu into how i want it isnt a better idea and just with apps deny read permissions to the shortcuts for users that i dont want to have say the xbox app

[ITGuyNW]

what version of windows 10 are you using?

We're using 2016LTSB and ours come out like this, which sounds like what you're after.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]44215[/ATTACH]

How did you get the redirection to work?

[Sheridan]

Classic Shell/Start Menu for us here, the Windows 10 menu system is buggy and awful and poorly catered for in Group Policy settings.

 

Once you've got a policy setup for CSM its easy to forget you're using a third party tool.

[maark]

I had to go classic shell in the end - problems with start menu whatever type of profile you use.

[mdrabble]

I use to have 2 different ways of delivering the start menus -

 

Students all shortcuts in a folder and then redirect the start menu to that folder

Staff had normal start menu and extra shortcuts added via GPP

 

Both methods had issues but following what @clareq mentioned in another thread http://www.edugeek.net/forums/how-do-you-do/186172-start-menus-staff.html#post1594497

 

I have been trailing added all shortcuts to a folder on the local machine using a Computer GPP (so they get created on start up)- this way only the installed programs will have shortcuts.

 

I then redirect the start menu to this folder and created/exported my start menu - and so far been working fine - only issue I have had is getting "This PC" showing on the start menu.

[revilo]

Right, dragging this one up again.

 

I've deployed Windows Server 2016 RDS and when users log on the start menu is PERFECT. No tiles, nothing, and just a list of programs, all from the redirected folder - JUST how I want it!

 

Used exactly the same policies with Windows 10 Edu 1709...

 

 

 

I get all the default apps, plus my redirected folders, and it's a horrible mess.

 

https://gal.vin/2017/04/06/removing-uwp-apps-mdt/ - I even used this to remove the bl**dy things from the WIM file I deployed.

 

Microsoft - WHY is Windows 10 an absolute nightmare to configure?! What school or business wants to use half the stuff you insist we deploy? With no option to remove without extensive scripting and faffing about for hours. If these new laptops could take Windows 7 I wouldn't think twice...

[maark]

This is why i am thinking of changing to LTSB - spend ages to get it working but then every new release or update could break it

[revilo]

Does it work on LTSB? Only thing that puts me off is the fact the last version is now 2 years old... is there a new version on the horizon?

[Rob_D]

Have you tried using the "Decrapifier" script? It seems to be working fairly well for us since we moved from LTSB to Win10 Education, with the results you're after.

[maark]

have not done proper testing on LTSB but I understand it works a lot better - supposed to be a new version being released soon I think. Current one is build 1607 so do not get latest security features.