Redirected start menu empty

[ihaveaproblem]

I'm having the problem where a redirected start menu appears empty.

Using server 2008 R2 and the clients are Windows 7 + SP1

I've tried some suggestions what others have said such as running a registery fix, ticking move existing contents.

Anyone any got any more ideas how to fix it?

 

I beleive the policy is set up correctly.

 

\\server\shared$\start menu

 

Grant user exclusive rights to Start Menu Disabled

Move the contents of Start Menu to the new location Disabled

Also apply redirection policy to Windows 2000, Windows 2000 server, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems Enabled

Policy Removal Behavior Leave contents

[iMash]

Have you checked the permissions on the share that you are redirecting to?

[ihaveaproblem]

Permissions seem correct.

Students have

read and execute

list folder contents

read

[iMash]

There are two locations to apply the permissions. You have the share permissions which should be set to Everyone - Full Control (Dont worry you will actually lock the permissions down with NTFS). Then you have the NTFS permissions which should be set to allow admins and system full control and the approved users/groups Read&Execute.

 

I have found an extract from a site about folder redirection which may help..... Here. Its actually aimed at Terminal Services and uses 2003 but the principles are very similar.

 

The bit that would most apply to yourself I think will be....

NTFS and Share Permissions

 

For folder redirection to work properly, the destination shared folder NTFS and Share Permissions must be properly configured. If redirecting a folder to a location that the end user should not change, i.e. the Start Menu or Locked Down Desktop the following permissions should be applied:

 

Share Permissions:

Everyone – Full Control

Administrators – Full Control

System – Full Control

NTFS Permissions:

Everyone – Read and Execute

Administrators – Full Control

System – Full Control

[pete]

Create student account on AD.

Log into client locally.

Map start menu share using student credentials

 

Can you access it?

 

edit: Ours works fine with Everyone: Read at share level. I won't detail the security permissions, because they're done with ABE in mind and aren't typical.

 

Redirecting other folders (Desktop, Favourites, Local Apps) will however bite you if you don't read the MS documentation:

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc736916%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

 

Your test is "Can Word successfully save in a redirected My Documents?". Office is a special snowflake and exceptionally picky about permissions.

Edited August 26, 2011 by pete

[ihaveaproblem]

All permissions are fine.

This has been set up for a long time and was previously working fine. It's only on new windows 7 clients the start menu keeps appearing as empty.

 

Edit

Previously running XP and it worked fine. Only since upgrading to Win7 the problem has started.

Edited August 26, 2011 by ihaveaproblem

[pete]

Was the GPO handling the redirection originally created on 2008R2 or 2003? If it was created on 2003, create a brand new GPO from scratch that only does folder redirection and see if it works.

[ihaveaproblem]

Was the GPO handling the redirection originally created on 2008R2 or 2003? If it was created on 2003, create a brand new GPO from scratch that only does folder redirection and see if it works.

 

2003.

Created a new GPO and still the same result, folder empty

[FN-GM]

Disbale (do not leave not configured) this policy and it should work

 

User Config > Policies > Admin Templates > Start Menu > Remove Users folders from the Start Menu.

[ihaveaproblem]

Disbale (do not leave not configured) this policy and it should work

 

User Config > Policies > Admin Templates > Start Menu > Remove Users folders from the Start Menu.

 

Brilliant !

That did the job. Thanks very much.

only thing now is the shortcuts are opening a security window saying ' Do you want to open this file?' and having the option of open or cancel.

[iMash]

Brilliant !

That did the job. Thanks very much.

only thing now is the shortcuts are opening a security window saying ' Do you want to open this file?' and having the option of open or cancel.

 

I have that problem too. Its really annoying. I would have fixed it but its on my ever extending "to do list". I believe it is something to do with trusted sites etc (as your opening a link that resides on a network location you have to tell the clients to trust that location). Worth starting there.....

[ihaveaproblem]

I have that problem too. Its really annoying. I would have fixed it but its on my ever extending "to do list". I believe it is something to do with trusted sites etc (as your opening a link that resides on a network location you have to tell the clients to trust that location). Worth starting there.....

 

Yep that was correct. I needed to add the server to the trusted intranet sites and after doing that it stopped the message.

You can push out zone sites using the following group policy

 

User config - admin templates - windows components - internet explorer - internet control panel - security page

 

Enable 'Site to Zone assignment' and enter your sites with the correct value

So i added, server.domain.local with the value of 1 because that = intranet zone

[FN-GM]

Brilliant !

That did the job. Thanks very much.

only thing now is the shortcuts are opening a security window saying ' Do you want to open this file?' and having the option of open or cancel.

 

Glad its sorted, i had the same problem. the solution produced by @ihaveaproblem should sort the other thing out.

[pcguywilson]

I'm having the problem where a redirected start menu appears empty.

Using server 2008 R2 and the clients are Windows 7 + SP1

I've tried some suggestions what others have said such as running a registery fix, ticking move existing contents.

Anyone any got any more ideas how to fix it?

 

I beleive the policy is set up correctly.

 

\\server\shared$\start menu

 

Grant user exclusive rights to Start Menu Disabled

Move the contents of Start Menu to the new location Disabled

Also apply redirection policy to Windows 2000, Windows 2000 server, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems Enabled

Policy Removal Behavior Leave contents

 

Where is an option for what I bolded? Also Can someone clarify if the GPO settings are for the Server 03 GPO or the Win7 Gpo. Thank you all.

[Darylrese]

Sorry for digging this topic back up but did anyone manage to populate their start menu's? We have successfully redirected desktop and all programs menu but our start menu's are blank?

[kennysarmy]

I can't get it to work either

Tearing my hair out (if I had any!) here....

[kennysarmy]

I've created a test OU - blocked inheritence and only applying the settings in the attached.

Group Policy Results shows the policy as applying correctly - but the start menu is just the standard one not the re-directed one.

 

Any ideas?

[6Foot2]

I've created a test OU - blocked inheritence and only applying the settings in the attached.

Group Policy Results shows the policy as applying correctly - but the start menu is just the standard one not the re-directed one.

 

Any ideas?[ATTACH=CONFIG]15437[/ATTACH]

 

Looks like you might have swapped the settings:

 

Desktop <-> Start Menu.

 

Have another look?

Edited October 5, 2012 by 6Foot2

[kennysarmy]

Looks like you might have swapped the settings:

 

Desktop <-> Start Menu.

 

Have another look?

 

Thanks - no the desktop actually points to a folder named \\kms1\desktops\Staff\StartMenu\Programs - that is correct and working.

 

Interestingly though if I logon as my test user - the start menu seems to display the all users start menu, BUT if I right click All Programs and choose OPEN - it opens the correct place: ie \\kms1\desktops\Staff\Start Menu and within that folder I can see my "Programs" directory...and I can access it and run the programs which I want to appear on the redirected Start Menu...

 

Weird.

[kennysarmy]

How to redirect the start menu using Windows Server 2008 R2 & Windows 7

 

Seems I am not the only one...

[kennysarmy]

I'm getting somewhere BUT:

 

The redirected Programs is MERGING with the ALL USERS from C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

 

I want the start menu to ONLY be the redirected one...

[Ergo]

I'm getting somewhere BUT:

 

The redirected Programs is MERGING with the ALL USERS from C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

 

I want the start menu to ONLY be the redirected one...

 

To resolve that you need to set the GPO for hiding the common programs start menu: Remove common program groups from Start Menu

 

Regards

 

Dave

[kennysarmy]

To resolve that you need to set the GPO for hiding the common programs start menu: Remove common program groups from Start Menu

 

Regards

 

Dave

 

Yep - just spotted that

 

It's working on my test OU and test user - next step to re-apply the inheritence and test with some other users and see if it breaks.

 

Cheers

[kennysarmy]

All working well now

[Darylrese]

For us, its about a 50 / 50 split as to wheather they have the redirected menu or not. All users are in the same OU with the same GPO's but only random users actually get the directed menu?