Common Desktop Issue

[HammerRodX]

Hello everyone,

 

I work for a company that support schools, at the moment the way we carry installations is roaming profiles with folder redirections. This works pretty well I know some people don’t like the idea of roaming profiles but for us it has been quite good.

 

Most of the software is deployed via active directory there are a few which have to go on the image. All the desktop shortcuts are redirected from the server- all this fine, the issue is when we have to deploy a piece of software which only has to be on certain workstations.

Workstations with the specific software installed have the icon present but ones with software not installed have a dead icon.

 

Question is- is there a way to hide the icon/s on those workstations which don’t have the software installed or is there workaround available or desktop delivery software available that will do this.

 

Thanks in advance

[round2it]

Hello everyone,

 

I work for a company that support schools, at the moment the way we carry installations is roaming profiles with folder redirections. This works pretty well I know some people don’t like the idea of roaming profiles but for us it has been quite good.

 

Most of the software is deployed via active directory there are a few which have to go on the image. All the desktop shortcuts are redirected from the server- all this fine, the issue is when we have to deploy a piece of software which only has to be on certain workstations.

Workstations with the specific software installed have the icon present but ones with software not installed have a dead icon.

 

Question is- is there a way to hide the icon/s on those workstations which don’t have the software installed or is there workaround available or desktop delivery software available that will do this.

 

Thanks in advance

 

could you do it with security permissions

 

make a security group and make the machines or users member of said security group

change the permissions on the icon to be only read by said group

 

i did this a long time ago for the same reason

[cpjitservices]

It's called - Item Level Targeting so you can roll out software to certain PC's with conditions - if a PC is a member of such a group then the software is rolled out and installed but if it isnt part of such group then it doesn't.

[HammerRodX]

Hi

 

Thanks for your replies, it is not about installing software, it is more about delivering desktop icons, all the shortcuts are delivered from a single shared location say \\server\desktop$\. This means all the workstations get the same desktop, workstations which have some software not installed get dead icons and ideally we want to hide those icons. For the sake for discussion lets say workstations A,B,C have office 2010 Installed and workstation D,E,F have office 2003 installed. All the workstations A,B,C,D,E,F get the desktop from a single shared location on the server e.g. \\server\desktop$. Problem is workstation A,B,C will have office 2003 dead icons and D,E,F will have office 2010 dead icons on the desktop and this is what we want to hide.

 

I hope this makes more sense. RM does this on their CC4 network how I don't know.

 

Thanks

[cpjitservices]

the same for software installs using Item Level Targeting can be done for anything - printers, shortcuts etc - set-up a group to give icons too and use item level targeting - you can set a condition so that if office 2003 is installed give them the 2003 icons if it is not installed - then it doesn't.

 

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/232001-item-level-targeting-and-gpo-shortcuts

Edited August 17, 2012 by cpjitservices

[HammerRodX]

Thanks for the reply and link, I use item level targeting to deliver x86 and x64 desktops did not think if I can use item level targeting to do this as well. I understand what you mean, the logic isn't quite clear my head.

[cpjitservices]

Its the same concept - but with Icons. Heres how I have mine.

 

I have Adobe CS3 on some particular PC's.

 

So in GP > User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Shortcuts - Adobe Photoshop

 

Then I have ILT enabled, ILT will look in the Program Files folder > Adobe and look for CS3/Photoshop and if it is of a true condition (ie it's there and is installed) then that User will get the Adobe Photoshop Icon - if not the icon doesn't appear because the program is not on that machine.

[HammerRodX]

OK that makes more sense -I am taking the desktop is delivered from a shared location on sever to all the workstations e.g. if ILT is not enabled, all workstations will get the Photoshop icon but workstations which don't have the software installed will get dead icons on the desktop. Sorry for repeating this again I am just trying to clear my own confusion, i guess I will have to try it now.

 

Just realised you deliver shortcuts this way User Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Shortcuts - Adobe Photoshop not via a shared location on the server. How many software you have to deal with I am asking only because it is alright doing it this way if you only have a few shortcuts to deliver but what will you do if you have 40 odd shortcuts to deliver that is just for x86 workstations for x64 you will have do it again which means all together 80 times. Correct me if I am wrong

 

 

Edited August 17, 2012 by HammerRodX

[cpjitservices]

No you arn't wrong. It is a bit long winded, but to be honest I only have 3 maybe 4 programs that are x86, the rest (simply because our Gold Image is x64) are all 64-bit, and to be honest most programs out there you can find in 64-bit.