How to Edit the Windows 8.1 Start Screen for all users (removing defaults / adding a non-installer programs)

1

I am trying to do two things in Windows 8.1:

  1. Add a new program to the Start Menu of all users. This is an app that was added without using an installer (Eclipse).

  2. Remove defaults that are part of the Start Screen that are added for all users such as the weather app and x-box live.

This is a lab update for a private school, so the less the kids have to do themselves, and the fewer temptations their are, the smoother the semester will go.

Any help will be appreacated. Thanks! :-)

codingCat

Posted 2014-08-29T14:45:04.390

Reputation: 338

I am pretty sure most of this can be handled by a group policy. But Eclipse is a desktop applications, and like all desktop application, it will automatically appear on the Start Screen once its ran once. – Ramhound – 2014-08-29T15:14:15.570

Actually, the second part of that is not true. Eclipse does not have an install program. You need to create the Start Screen link yourself after you have unpacked it onto your computer. – codingCat – 2014-09-04T14:53:46.557

Answers

1

There is a Windows 8.1 Group Policy intended for just this situation.

  1. Log on as a (new) user and configure the Start Screen layout the way you want.

  2. Export the Start Screen Layout to XML using the "Export-StartLayout" PowerShell command; saving it to a network location all computers have access to:

    Export-StartLayout -Path "\\server\sharedFolder\SchoolLab.xml" -As XML

  3. Using GPedit.msc, create a new Policy (better idea), or edit an existing one.

  4. Open the policy, and navigate to User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar, and edit the Start Screen Layout policy setting.
  5. Enable the policy setting and type in the path to the XML configuration file you created before (ie: \\server\sharedFolder\SchoolLab.xml).
  6. Apply the new Policy to the OU containing the Users you want it to apply to.

The users start screen will be configured as per the XML configuration file the next time they log onto the computer.

More Info:

Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007

Posted 2014-08-29T14:45:04.390

Reputation: 103 763

What if I don't know the users? How would the policy be applied without selecting specific students? – codingCat – 2014-08-29T17:06:07.147

It's not a matter of linking it to specific users, it's a matter of linking it to the AD OU(s) that will contain the user accounts you want it applied to. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-08-29T17:13:06.687

I know this is a little obtuse of me, but can you expand those acronyms? AD, OU? I've never had a reason to use powershell and GPedit much in the past. – codingCat – 2014-08-29T17:56:38.613

AD = Active Directory, OU = Organizational Unit. An OU is a container within AD to put (AD) objects like Users and Somputers into (See AD Users and Computers).

– Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-08-29T18:03:39.443

If you're not familiar with AD and group policy, you may also want to read over Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set to get started. :)

– Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-08-29T18:07:56.083

Thanks, this did the trick; although it is a little draconian in its approach by not allowing you to change the settings after the fact. – codingCat – 2014-09-03T20:18:30.490

@codingCat Group policy is about control and security; the fact it doesn't let you alter it afterwards is intentional. If you want a one-time start screen layout that the users can modify then you need to look at setting up a master Windows image, with the Default User profile setup the way you'd like. Then use that image to (re)install all your Windows machines. Then each time a user logs into the machine(s) for the first time it will use the Default User profile you setup as the starting point for the user, but it won't be locked down (unless you leave the GP in question in place :) ). – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-09-03T20:40:20.330

Yes, that is exactly what we have done in the past. However the imaging process we have used was broken/removed with the windows 8.1 update. The replacement process doesn't allow setup of programs that do not use install files, nor allow for custom settings of applications after they are installed. – codingCat – 2014-09-03T20:52:30.083

@codingCat - Simplest solution. Update your image process. There is tons of information out there that explains the more current way to do it. – Ramhound – 2014-09-04T14:58:26.373

As I explained, the more current way broke our installation process and we didn't have time to start from scratch. Now that we have four months to look into things can you (@Ramhound) suggest a starting point? – codingCat – 2014-09-05T22:24:31.050

Asked: 2014-08-29T14:45:04.390

Viewed: 2 234 times

Active: 2014-08-29T15:14:41.417