Problems redirecting Common Folders (%AllUsersProfile%) using GPO

[Kevin Wells]

Hi,

This has probably been asked many times, but I am just
trying to get this to work. I have a W2K server running
AD. I am trying to set up a GPO for my XP pro PCs to force
the alluser areas to a shared server location. I have
written a .ADM file to relocate the startup dir. from the
C:\Documents and settings\All Users\Start
Menu\Programs\startmenu to a network directory. I load it
into the GPO and can see the administrative Template and
amend it, but when I look in the test machines registry
the new key does not appear where I thought I was pointing
it. Any one got any ideas please. I have attached the
policy file for info.

CLASS MACHINE

CATEGORY !!folderredir
POLICY !!Strtup
EXPLAIN !!Strtup_Explain
KEYNAME "Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Curren
tVersion\Explorer\User shell folders"
PART !!Path EDITTEXT REQUIRED EXPANDABLETEXT
VALUENAME "Common Startup"
END PART
END POLICY
END CATEGORY

[strings]
Folderredir="Additional Folder Redirection"
Strtup="Common Startup"
Path="Enter Path to Startup"
Strtup_Explain="Used to set the path to a common Startup
directory"
STRTUP_TIP1="Specify UNC path for common Startup directory"

Thanks
Kevin
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use.

 

[Vsevolod Titov [MSFT]]

The registry key is
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders.
Nobody reads
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell
Folders.

I'm not sure what you are trying to achive, but I think you should consider
alternative ways for customizing startup menu. E.g. you can pre-configure
your client computers to have particular set of shortcuts in the All Users
menu. Burning a custom OS image would make it very easy for you to deploy
pre-configured computers. Or you can use Software Installation to deploy
shortcuts in startup menu. Also note that by making several computers use
the same All Users menu would imply that configurations of client computers
are exactly the same. You won't be able to selectively install/remove
applications on client computers.