Shortcut on All Users Desktop - My weekly RM n00b question!

[gsk]

Hi All,

 

I want to put a shortcut to Outlook Web Access on the desktop for all users on every machine. The school is using CC4. I have tried copying/creating the shortcut in the all users> desktop folder, but it doesn't appear for anyone but admins. Can anyone help please?

 

Thanks

[bossman]

@gsk:

 

Due to desktop restriction policies for different user types this will not be possible unless you change the usertype permissions (which I would advise not too).

 

I would create a new program set and add the shortcut to this and call it OWA, then I would add this to all the user types i.e. teaching staff, students etc and thay would then have a shortcut in their all programs path which they could access with no problems whatsoever.

 

The reason I would do it this way is because users always want to store more than shortcuts on their desktops and this creates huge user profiles which can add to the login times.

 

Have fun

[clareq]

Don't do it - once one shortcut is on the desktop everyone will want\expect their very important piece of software to have a desktop icon, until the desktop is lost.

 

Couldn't you add an Internet shortcut for all users instead?

[gsk]

There are already a couple of icons on the student desktop that were installed when packages were deployed :-S. I have done a program set for now, but the ICT Co is getting uptight about it. Point taken about users storing stuff on their desktop though, thanks

[clareq]

In that case have a look at the packages that install the shortcut on the desktop for students, and mirror that path in a package to put the required icon on the desktop.

[Arthur]

A namespace shortcut will show up on the "All Users" desktop for students and staff. I've done this myself on CC3 using the registry settings below (deployed via an MSI because adding it to a usertype won't work).

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000001436}]
@="E-Mail"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000001436}\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Office\\Office14\\Outlook.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000001436}\Shell\Open\Command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\iexplore.exe\" \"https://mail.example.net/owa\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000001436}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000001436}]
@="E-Mail"

 

 

I also agree about not filling the desktop up with too many shortcuts.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Arthur