Cached Start Menu for Laptops

[enjay]

We use a redirected Start Menu on our desktop PCs, and I'd like to use the same one on our laptops. Can people suggest a way of copying the Start Menu to the local disk somewhere so that it remains accessible offline and is updated with any changes as new links are added?

[sted]

if its on a share say \\server\startmenu$ and the share has caching turned on would that do it?

[enjay]

if its on a share say \\server\startmenu$ and the share has caching turned on would that do it?

Don't think so. Everyone's Start Menus are looking straight to that folder, not to a local copy of it. I want a way to copy what is in \\server\startmenu$ to (presumably) C:\Users\%username%\Start Menu.

[sted]

no it fou enable caching on share and pc then if it cant find a network it will load the "local" copy same as offline laptops can have all the users network files on the pc sees it as the network even though no network exists

[enjay]

Okay, how do I do that to a Start Menu? I know how to do it to the users' MyDocs folders, but the Start Menu is a different animal...

[ToyHeartsFan]

This is the gpo I use XP and 2003 server which might help point you in the right direction

 

On our laptops Offline files is basically disabled except for the redirected startmenus / desktops which are on the server in the share called icons

 

You will also need to make sure they cache the last 5 or so logons and that the user has already logged on while connected to the network.

 

=============================================================

Computer Configuration

Admin templates

 

Network/ Offline Files:

Action on server disconnect = Work offline

Allow or Disallow use of offline Files feature = Enabled

Prevent use of offline File folder = Enabled

Prohibit user configuration of Offline Files = Enabled

Remove Make available offline = Enabled

Subfolders always available offline = Enabled

Sync all offline files before logging off = Enabled

Sync all offline files when logging on = Enabled

Sync offline files before suspend = disabled

 

System/group Policy:

User Group Policy loopback processing mode = Merge

 

Extra Registry Settings:

Setting:

Softwate\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\NetCache\AssignedOfflineFolders\\\Currisvr1\Icons

======================================================================

User Configuration

Admin Templates

Network/Offline Files

Do not automatically make redirected folders available offline = Enabled

================================================================

 

 

I cant remember how I added the AssignedOfflineFolders entry ATM (it was 3-4 years ago!) but I think I had to do it from a Vista machine as I couldnt do it from the 2003 server or an XP workstation. You probably wont have that problem as you are using a newer OS anyway.

 

You might want them to cache the home folders as well but I decided against this due to the size and the time it would take to sync. It was quite some time ago now and it took some trial and error to get it working but has worked ok for us for the last few years.

[enjay]

I've got most of those settings (or their 2008R2/W7 equivalents), it is just the Start Menu I still want to do, and I don't see how you've done that.

 

I will set them to cache and sync the entire Documents folder, which might take a while but will ensure that people have everything they need. If it proves too time-consuming (which is the users' decision not mine), then I'll change it but I can envisage people forgetting to enable the folders they want, or needing some files unexpectedly.

[ToyHeartsFan]

The assigned offline folders entry is the one you want. The Icons folder is a share on our server that holds folders for staff, kids guests etc and each of those have a desktop and startmenu subfolder with the relevant shortcuts for that group of users. The desktop and startmenus are redirected in the normal way but the assigned offline folders entry means that everything in the Icons folder is cached for offline use so if they are at home or the network connection gets dropped then their desktop / startmenu doesn't vanish.

 

If I can find any more info on how I created the assigned offline folder entry I will post but it was a number of years ago now and I've not got a great deal of free time atm so it might be quicker for you to google it.

 

Some of our users have gigabytes of data in their home dirs which is why I disabled caching for the home dirs. Trying to sync that much data on a 54g wireless connection just wouldn't have worked and they would have got into a mess with syncing old / new files. We use our LEAs VPN solution and if our users need access to their home dirs / stuff on the network then they should be using that anyway, its also safer if the laptop gets lost / stolen as their data is on the school server not on the laptops hdd.

[enjay]

Turns out I don't need to figure this out, as it is already included in the GPOs in our "laptops" OU (we bought our network in "ready-made", and I haven't fully got to grips with all the GPOs which were pre-configured for us!).

 

If I have the time, I might dig around and see if I can work out how it is being done...