Windows 10 Start Menu - Options...

[MYK-IT]

Hi,

 

Whilst I am aware you can fix/customise the Windows 10 Start Menu / Layout to suit via GPO/MDM using customised .xml files / folder redirection etc. I am just interested how others are doing / managing this? More specifically in relation to computers that for example, have a core set of software installed, but then additional departmental specific software. How would these show, as they would not included within the base Start Menu .xml/folder redirection?

 

For example, Finance (may have additional Finance software installed), Exams (extra Exams software) etc.

 

Do you end up have multiple redirect Start Menu folders stored centrally? Assigned, based upon computer name / OU location? e.g. ITSUITE, ADMIN, FINANCE. or even stored locally (Read-Only) on every (required) Computer? ensuring that when additional software is deployed / installed locally, the shortcut(s) would also have to be copied / updated to the associated redirected Start Menu folder location too?

 

 

In respect of student computers within IT Suites, this should(!) be easier as 'normally' all IT Suite Computers are built the same; meaning a single Redirected Start Menu can be used. (although we sometimes have variation).

 

Many Thanks,

[ThatBoringBloke]

We don't do any customising at all.

I realised that most of our users simply use the search function to find what they need.

Students are on LTSC versions, staff on 21H2.

 

I did make life a bit simpler at one point by having a 'School Apps' folder on the desktop with all the shortcuts to the applications we use, but when no one used it removed the script that put it there.

[CHiLL]

We deploy our Start Menu Layouts (as in the pinned icons) via GPO and target specific user OUs. For ease, we only have two defined Start Menu layout configurations - one for staff and one for students. The XML files are stored on our NETLOGON folder for easy access and editing. However, we do have some staff (mainly office staff) who are allowed to have custom desktops and Start Menus (by not applying the GPO to their OU or using block inheritence).

 

For the actual Start Menu application list, we use redirected Start Menus (also configured in GPO), and just like the layout, we have one for staff and one for students, with some staff being allowed their own. For department specific applications, like Scratch for IT, I have an icon in the redirected Start Menu. If someone logs onto a PC without the software installed, they just see a white icon indicating it's not installed. For those that have it on, the icon is populated. We have sub-folders for subjects in the Start Menu, so it's less obvious that a bunch of applications aren't installed. The folder redirection lives on shared folders on the staff and student servers respectively.

 

As for the image, I have the same image (via SCCM) that is pushed to all devices across the school. SCCM manages what drivers, apps, etc are then installed onto that machine. It just means I only need to change/update one OS/Task Sequence instead of multiple.

Edited March 30, 2022 by CHiLL

[clareq]

I have a "Shortcuts" folder on each C drive, with the core shortcuts being put in the folder during build, and Group Policy putting others there (I have a GPO that copies the shortcut into the relevant file structure if the executable the shortcut points to is present on the machine). A GPO redirects the start menu to that C drive set of folders. The tiles are common programs, so a single xml is set up (well two really, staff and students)