Start Menu driving me mad!

[speckled]

So after playing around with the start menu layout I have now gotten my head around how to apply it consistently but I have an annoying issue with group positions.

When I export the start menu it looks like this:

and when I apply the .xml file to as user it looks like this:

and I have no clue why its moving or how to stop it!, has anyone come across this and been able to resolve the issue? I am using build 1709.

[Chuckster]

Can we have a look at your XML file?

[speckled]

so this is what my .xml file looks like at the minute:

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by ChrisH

[Arthur]

Try this (my amendment is shown in red)...

 

  xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
 xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"
 xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
 Version="1">
     StartTileGroupCellWidth="6" 
   [color="#FF0000"]StartTileGroupsColumnCount="1" [/color]
 />
 
   
     
       
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
       
       
         
         
         
         
       
       
         
         
       
     
   
 

 

I think this is the cause...

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/start-layout-xml-desktop#layoutoptions

 

New devices running Windows 10 for desktop editions will default to a Start menu with 2 columns of tiles unless boot to tablet mode is enabled. Devices with screens that are under 10" have boot to tablet mode enabled by default. For these devices, users see the full screen Start on the desktop. You can adjust the following features:

 

• Boot to tablet mode can be set on or off.
  
• Set full screen Start on desktop to on or off. To do this, add the LayoutOptions element in your LayoutModification.xml file and set the FullScreenStart attribute to true or false.
  
• Specify the number of columns in the Start menu to 1 or 2. To do this, add the LayoutOptions element in your LayoutModification.xml file and set the StartTileGroupsColumnCount attribute to 1 or 2.
  

Edited March 28, 2018 by Arthur

[speckled]

Cheers bud, I tried applying this and it killed my start menu altogether will keep playing with it as the article does seem to provide the answer

[ChrisH]

Did you validate the file after editing? I had some trouble with stuff like this after certain edits and sure enough I had made the file invalid

[speckled]

I didnt, but i just validated it there using an online validator and it didnt flag anything up, good trick to know though cheers.

[BOOT]

Suffering also. A dozen test users, all the same config... Totally different menu every time. There's just no consistency.

[Arthur]

I just validated it there using an online validator and it didnt flag anything up

A lot of online XML validators might not flag the following things as issues however.

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/start-layout-xml-desktop

 

To make sure the Start layout XML parser processes your file correctly, follow these guidelines when working with your LayoutModification.xml file:

 

• Do not leave spaces or white lines in between each element.
  
• Do not add comments inside the StartLayout node or any of its children elements.
  
• Do not add multiple rows of comments.