Deleting Desktop Clutter

[Zoom7000]

When we set up our vanilla Windows Server 2003 network, we initially put everyone, staff and students on mandatory profiles. (Super Mandatory for the Kids) We have since moved to Roaming Profiles for staff to get Outlook working since we installed our Exchange Server 2007.

 

Staff have since been throwing everything and anything onto their desktops. I just copied 2Gb's worth of crap from a teachers profile into his My Documents. All of which he claims is vital, yet half of the stuff was copy of copy of copy of a document!

 

Anyway, I have sent out a warning email saying I will be deploying a script that will automatically delete the junk in the hope some of them may start to clear things up because it is starting to severely affect our network when staff are logging on at the start of lessons and logging off at the end, 100'sGb's of data being copied to and from the server is not too pleasant and in fact the primary domain controller is starting to crash almost every week it's done it twice just this week and has to be given a hard reset.

 

Would the easiest solution be to redirect the users Desktop to their home folder? The only problem with this is that they will still put crap on the desktop. Just it won't be copied over all the time. Or should we simply just put in a script to delete the crap off their desktop from their profile folder? After all, the mandatory profile never used to allow them to put crap on their desktop anyway.

[webman]

Just use software restriction policies to disable people saving things to the desktop? That's what we do on our CC3 network.

[FN-GM]

The best solution would be to go back to mandatory profiles and use rich profile to configure outlook for exchange. set it as a login script so every time they login outlook will be configure for them automatically.

Its only a one line batch file and very easy to do. If you want i get send you my code?

[Domino]

redirect the desktop for everyone to one folder - then make it read only.

[Zoom7000]

Just use software restriction policies to disable people saving things to the desktop? That's what we do on our CC3 network.

 

How would I manage this?

 

The best solution would be to go back to mandatory profiles and use rich profile to configure outlook for exchange. set it as a login script so every time they login outlook will be configure for them automatically.

Its only a one line batch file and very easy to do. If you want i get send you my code?

 

What is a rich profile? Please do send me your code, it will be interesting to know.

 

redirect the desktop for everyone to one folder - then make it read only.

 

I would have never thought of that, but it sounds like a bloody good idea!

 

A few issue I'm worried about is that some staff may complain that they want legitamate shortcuts on the desktop. We do have an area with shortcuts to subject specific applications, they might just have to settle for that!

 

Also, will I have to write a script that will delete the current contents of the desktop folder in their profile anyway so that it doesn't complain that it can't copy the files to the redirected location?

[srochford]

Why not just redirect the desktop to \desktop (or other suitable networked, quota managed location)?

 

That way the users save their files where they want to; you have them where you want them and everyone's happy?

[Teth]

Yea I redirect Desktop to home/Desktop same for favourites to home/favourites. Home folders are restricted by quota so everything stays sensible and speedy.

[Zoom7000]

We are considering just simply redirecting to their home areas, we just wanted them to get in to better practice and not clutter the desktop with useless docs, videos and other crap that should be in My Documents or a Pen Drive!

[srochford]

We are considering just simply redirecting to their home areas, we just wanted them to get in to better practice and not clutter the desktop with useless docs, videos and other crap that should be in My Documents or a Pen Drive!

 

"Desktop" is just a folder - if that folder is in "my documents" and "my documents" is on the network then job done, no stress, everyone stays happy :-)

[Domino]

except its gotta render them on the desktop.

 

We used the redirected desktop with read only access - give them a few essential shortcuts, everything else they can hunt for in the start menu/folders.

 

Caused some bitching for a while, but they soon got used to it - and a nice clear desktop does look much better