Desktop Shortcut through GPO

[FRAGMAN BOB]

I tried searching around but couldn't really find a consistent guide. I want to add an Internet Explorer Shortcut to domain users desktop via GPO. Anyone have a "best practice"way to do this?

 

[XOR != OR]

Group policy preferences will let you do it. GPO -> Preferences under the user portion of the GPO.

They'll need to have patch 943729 installed.

 

[Eickst]

+1 on GPO Preference. Best thing MS has done to make my job easier in a long time.

 

[cyr0n_k0r]

while gpo preferences are great (in theory) I have had issues getting them to apply reliably for XP. Especially in regard to registry preferences.

 

[Eickst]

while gpo preferences are great (in theory) I have had issues getting them to apply reliably for XP. Especially in regard to registry preferences.

Yeah we are all win7 so I gave up on getting any new GPO's to work with XP.

 

[XOR != OR]

while gpo preferences are great (in theory) I have had issues getting them to apply reliably for XP. Especially in regard to registry preferences.

Really? I haven't had any issues. Properly configured, they "just work" for my environment.

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

p.s my environment is Server2008R2 and a Server 2003, both are domain controllers. All workstations are XP SP3, any possible issues with using GPO->Preferences?

 

[cyr0n_k0r]

For me its been hit and miss really. The preferences are awesome, if they apply correctly.

 

[XOR != OR]

p.s my environment is Server2008R2 and a Server 2003, both are domain controllers. All workstations are XP SP3, any possible issues with using GPO->Preferences?

From my experience, no, no issues.

EDIT: That's assuming you configure them correctly. Which, on a number of occasions I've screwed that part up.

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

Anyone want to help with what the proper config should be?
I've added it under User Configuration>Preferences>Windows Settings>Shortcuts.
Options were set to:
Action:Create
Target Type:URL
Location: All Users Desktop
Target URL: the url of what the shortcut should be
Shortcut key: none
Icon Index 242

I run gpupdate /force on my local client. I get nothing, what'd I goof up?

 

[XOR != OR]

You are trying to write to the "All Users" desktop under the user context. Put that shortcut under the Computer Configuration context, try again.

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

Well I only want this shortcut to show up for certain AD users. Is that still done through computer configuration?

 

[XOR != OR]

Well I only want this shortcut to show up for certain AD users. Is that still done through computer configuration?

No, then change your original configuration location from All Users Desktop to simply Desktop. Under the User Configuration part of the GPO.

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

I've got to be missing something.

Here is a pic of what my policy settings look like. I get no errors on the local PC event viewer when I try to update it

 

[XOR != OR]

Run Group Policy Results and Modeling, see what it shows. Then run rsop.msc on the local machine. That won't show you the settings in this policy specifically, but it will show you which policies are and are not applied, and possibly why.

 

[MikeTrike]

Your server hates you.

Seems to be working fine on our stuff, I went ahead and added four GP icons.

(others removed from image on purpose)

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

Group Policy and Modeling results. Unless I'm looking in the wrong spot, i dont even see my GPO named here.

This is the result of running RSoP after

 

[XOR != OR]

Then your GPO isn't in scope ( ie: it's not attached to the appropriate site or OU to target your users ). You'd see it if it were in scope and being denied based on wmi or permissions, too.

( When using rsop.msc with preferences, you aren't going to be able to see the actual settings themselves. But you will be able to see their application status by right clicking on the user/computer configuration tab and going to properties. This will show you the same information that Group Policy Results shows you, but for me it's in a more readable form. )

 

[FRAGMAN BOB]

Well, I got it working. but the real issue was that our Sysvol was not being replicated. So I was making a change on one of our two servers but my PC was only seeing the others sysvol (hence no changes).