Icons Disappear.

[C.W.]

I'm having a strange problem on my network. We have a Windows 2003 Server
setup with Active Directory and my workstations are Windows XP Pro. When a
users logs in to the XP workstations some times the Microsoft Word and other
icons or short cuts disappear. The program still exists on the workstation
and we have to recreate the shortcut. Has anyone had this problem and did
you figure out a solution?

 

[Steven L Umbach]

Maybe there are Group Policy or logon/startup scripts running that are
managing the contents of the user's or all users desktop folder. Run the
Resultant Set of Policy mmc snapin on your Windows 2003 domain controller in
logging mode for a user /computer that it is happening to checking for the
GP settings applied to the computer/user which would also show Group Policy
scripts. Users can also remove icons from there desktop by default and any
local administrator can modify the contents of all users desktop folder.
When you add it back add it to the all users desktop folder assuming that
you want all users to see it. You could also enable auditing of object
access on the computer and then audit the desktop folders only for the two
delete permissions only [to minimize object access events recorded to be
most pertinent ones]. Then you would see object access events that would
show what user deleted the icons. If it shows system as the user then it
most likely is a script of some sort. See the info below how to enable
auditing of folders but beware it is not a user friendly process to sift
through the object access events in the security log. --- Steve

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;301640