UEV Profiles and Windows 11

[mikeglover]

Hi all,

 

I have a mixture of Windows 10 and 11 machines in the school now. Azure Hybrid joined with our on-prem AD server.

Regards profiles some time ago we moved to UEV profiles because that was the new thing. But I believe that UEV profiles isn't really a thing anymore going forward?

I'm wondering what are others doing? Do I got back to just roaming profiles again?

I have some staff using Azure AD accounts but most and students are still using on-prem accounts.

 

Reason I ask is because I have a strange issue where if someone logs into a Windows 11 machine, uses it, logs out and then goes on a Windows 10 machine, they loose the taskbar clock and notification icons tray from then on. I believe it is UEV profile related so don't want to spend time trying to fix it if its dead technology and I need to move on to something new for Windows 11.

 

Interested to know your thoughts. :-)

[3s-gtech]

Local profiles is the default now I think. Roaming causes too many issues, mandatory the same.

[robyholmes]

If your machines are Azure AD synced, some settings can sync via that. Can't remember what's its called off top of my head but that's what I went to. Local profiles, Azure AD (Entra ID or something now) and remove UE-V.

[mikeglover]

Thanks for you replies. I'll look at starting to remove uev profiles then. If anyone knows specifically what Azure syncs that would be interesting.

I clear out local profiles on machines older than 7 days just so they don't get full of profiles from students moving around. Staff I don't clear profiles.

[broadld]

Thanks for you replies. I'll look at starting to remove uev profiles then. If anyone knows specifically what Azure syncs that would be interesting.

I clear out local profiles on machines older than 7 days just so they don't get full of profiles from students moving around. Staff I don't clear profiles.

 

Did you managed to get this sorted? Or did you just stop using UEV? We have the same issue and have been thinking it is related to UEV. It isn't a big issue it is just annoying for students.

[OLPTech]

We had this issue when we had a mixture of Windows 10 and 11 clients, the way we got around it was to have 2 separate UE-V Templates folders for Windows 10 and 11 and change the DesktopSettings.xml ID in the Windows 10 folder to DesktopSettingsW10 so it wouldn't try and use the same start settings in Windows 11.

[AdditionalAnnual]

We had this issue when we had a mixture of Windows 10 and 11 clients, the way we got around it was to have 2 separate UE-V Templates folders for Windows 10 and 11 and change the DesktopSettings.xml ID in the Windows 10 folder to DesktopSettingsW10 so it wouldn't try and use the same start settings in Windows 11.

 

How easy was this to do? I'm new to UE-V, trying to work out how it's been setup to then create a new W11 template.

[Roberto]

Isn't UE-V Deprecated?

- I wouldn't be doing much new with it at this point...

[AdditionalAnnual]

I agree and would prefer to move to Enterprise State Roaming, however I'm not seeing ESR do much of anything useful in an education scenario with many people using shared devices, seems to me ESR is better for just provisioning a new device for someone at hardware refresh time. If ESR isn't able to roam accessibility settings successfully, as we are seeing, a student with additional needs would need to be changing device settings manually every time they log in, rather than doing it once at the start of their course.

 

If I could easily just sort the W11 template for now, so it can work in conjunction with W10 UE-V currently in place and sort this weird notification area/clock disappearing issue when going between operating systems, and give us time to consider options going forward as we move to Windows 11.

Edited July 11, 2024 by AdditionalAnnual

[TJHooker74]

@liamread2000

 

Dear,

 

may I ask some questons about how you did that?

 

As far as I can see, Templates are the same for Win 10 und Win 11 (and, by the way, also for Office 2016 and Office 2024), right?

So you made two different Template-Folders, one for W10- and one for W11-Clients, both Folders had the same Templates (you only changed the ID in "Desktopsetting"in the W10-Folder)?

 

As far as I understand you then need two GPO´s, one for W10-Clients pointing to the W10-Template-Folder an one for W11-Clients pointing to the W11-Template-Folder?

WMI-Filter? Or did you manage that by different OU´s?

 

Do you also have two different User-Settings-("Target")-Folders on your Servers or is one enough for W10- AND W11-Clients?

 

THANK YOU!!

[OLPTech]

Hi sorry for not replying to previous messages I didn't know I had a reply.

 

Yeah we have 2 separate folders and GPOs for the UEV-Templates with the only main difference being the DesktopSettings.xml just so they load the respective xmls for the OS.

 

We didn't use a WMI filter as we already had 2 separate OUs for Windows 10 and 11 but I'm sure a WMI filter would work too.

 

The User UEV Storage directory is the exact same for Windows 10 and 11 (so all of the other UEV settings carry on roaming) as they only apply the ones they have the templates for. Our DesktopSettings has been heavily modified from the standard but the only part that will need to be changed is the ID. As seen in 2nd screenshot we have 1 SettingsPackages folder and within that it has the DesktopSettings and DesktopSettingsW10.

 

Yeah the office 2016 XMLs work for Office 2019, 2021,365 and I assume 2024 when its released.

 

Here is a screenshot of our example. Hope it makes sense, any questions let me know - I've turned notifications on now.

Edited July 31, 2024 by liamread2000

[OLPTech]

As far as I'm aware UE-V 2.1 that goes end of support in 2026 is the one that comes with the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, not the one that is built into Windows 10/11 Education. That's what I've been lead to believe anyway. We still use UE-V as Enterprise State Roaming doesn't roam what we need it to. Edited July 31, 2024 by liamread2000

[TJHooker74]

@liamread2000: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!