Locking down the desktop

[Firefox]

Hello,

 

I am currently looking for a way to lockdown the Windows desktop to only allow shortcuts to be created by the user. Is there a simple way to achieve this?

 

This is to help control the size of the user profile. Have already looked at the desktop redirection idea, but that doesn't really suit our needs

[sted]

bit of a long way round but if you install file server resource manager you could block teh creation or everything but .url/.lnk files in specific folders but unless you redirect the desktop folder to something like \\server\desktops$\%username% would be a total pita to implement

[DaveyPitch]

I looked into this exact thing as I wanted our staff to have a default desktop (which they couldn't remove icons from), but have the ability to add and delete their own shortcuts. I couldn't find any reasonable way around it in the end so I just went with a shared desktop that they can't edit. It's not ideal but it works for now.

[Firefox]

thanks for the replies - seems there isn't an ideal way of achieving this :-(

 

Looked at the resource manager, but i guess that just stops the upload and not the creation?

[mrbios]

I looked into this exact thing as I wanted our staff to have a default desktop (which they couldn't remove icons from), but have the ability to add and delete their own shortcuts. I couldn't find any reasonable way around it in the end so I just went with a shared desktop that they can't edit. It's not ideal but it works for now.

 

I'd slightly disagree and say that is the ideal way

[sted]

thanks for the replies - seems there isn't an ideal way of achieving this :-(

 

Looked at the resource manager, but i guess that just stops the upload and not the creation?

 

nope if you block say all .mp3 files it wont allow a file with that extension to be copied/moved/created in the folder(s) you specify i mainly use it to stop win7 creating desktop.ini files so i can find users home areas

[Firefox]

nope if you block say all .mp3 files it wont allow a file with that extension to be copied/moved/created in the folder(s) you specify i mainly use it to stop win7 creating desktop.ini files so i can find users home areas

 

Excuse my ignorance, but if the File Resource Manager service lives on the server, how does it prevent the user creating files on their local desktop? Does it mean the server is in contant communication with the device? or that it downloads the "rules" from the server upon logon?

[localzuk]

Excuse my ignorance, but if the File Resource Manager service lives on the server, how does it prevent the user creating files on their local desktop? Does it mean the server is in contant communication with the device? or that it downloads the "rules" from the server upon logon?

 

You'd have to team it with a redirected desktop for each user. Why wouldn't redirected desktops work for you?

[Firefox]

You'd have to team it with a redirected desktop for each user. Why wouldn't redirected desktops work for you?

 

In all honesty it's probably due to lack of understanding.

 

What would happen to the user desktop if the user wasn't connected to the network? what would get loaded? would it simply load the icons from the local copy of the "sync'd" folder that was redirected?

 

Does this rely on roaming profile at all? as we have disabled romaing profiles for anyone using a desktop device

[localzuk]

In all honesty it's probably due to lack of understanding.

 

What would happen to the user desktop if the user wasn't connected to the network? what would get loaded? would it simply load the icons from the local copy of the "sync'd" folder that was redirected?

 

Does this rely on roaming profile at all? as we have disabled romaing profiles for anyone using a desktop device

 

The redirected desktop gets synced over, so when they weren't on the system it would use the cached version. It does not rely on roaming profiles.

 

This school has redirected desktops, application data and my documents for all users, staff and pupils. They have no issues at all with it.