Software deployment links into All Users folder

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Guest

We're using GP to deploy a suite of tools to all our users. Each package
adds a shortcut link to the current user's \Documents and
Settings\(username)\Start Menu\Programs\Tools folder -- but we want these
links to go into the "All Users" folder instead.

Is there something in the MSI that I can edit that will put the shortcuts
into the "All Users" Start Menu folder rather than the "(username)" folder?
I have tried using the ALLUSERS and FolderForm_AllUsers properties to no
avail.
 
Kevin S. Forsyth said:
We're using GP to deploy a suite of tools to all our users.
Each package
adds a shortcut link to the current user's Documents and
Settings(username)Start MenuProgramsTools folder -- but we
want these
links to go into the "All Users" folder instead.

Is there something in the MSI that I can edit that will put
the shortcuts
into the "All Users" Start Menu folder rather than the
"(username)" folder?
I have tried using the ALLUSERS and FolderForm_AllUsers
properties to no
avail.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Different Software has different programs for creating MSI
modifications which are called MST files.

For Example, Office has a Customization wizard you can run that allows
you to set all the install settings (including shortcut settings) and
save as an MST file. You add the MST file to the package and it
installs with your settings.

Adobe has one also for the Acrobat Reader.

It would depend on your software manufacturer. However, you could
always just use a startup batch file.

Cheers,

Lara
 
Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure that an MST file would solve the issue. When we deploy these
MSI's using SMS, they install as expected, with the shortcut in the All Users
folder. This implies to me that the MSI is set up correctly. It's just in a
Group Policy deployment that the shortcuts wind up in the user's folder. I'm
beginning to suspect that GP does not have a way to tell the desktop computer
to install the package as a local administrator, that the best GP can offer
-- if the logged-in user does not have administrative rights, which ours
don't -- is to install with the links in the user's folder. But I'd like to
be wrong about this if someone can set me straight.

By the way, we're the software manufacturer -- all these programs were
developed in-house.

Startup batch files really wouldn't be much of an improvement for us over
SMS, which we're trying to migrate away from. We're really hoping to use
Group Policy for these deployments, since it would be a fairly elegant
solution (if I can work all the kinks out of our configuration of it).

Thanks again,

Kevin
 
I’m beginning to suspect that GP does not have a way to tell the
desktop computer to install the package as a local administrator, that
the best GP can offer -- if the logged-in user does not have
administrative rights, which ours don’t -- is to install with
the links in the user’s folder.
Click to expand...

My Users don’t have admin rights so I cannot assign or publish
software to them via GP because it doesn’t have an "install under
admin account" option. I have to assign it to the computer. Users
have no write access to the All Users folder so MS can’t copy it there
on install.

99% of my software installs are done on restart. My WUS server updates
my clients daily at 3am so within a few days they have all restarted
and installed the software. SMS would be nice but we can’t justify
the cost.

Cheers,

Lara
 
Lara,

Thank you, your explanation makes perfect sense and confirms what I
suspected. We'll have to reconsider assigning our packages to the computers
rather than the users. (Our SMS is an older version and like you, we can't
justify the cost of an upgrade.)

Thanks again,

Kevin
 
Kevin S. Forsyth said:
Lara,

Thank you, your explanation makes perfect sense and confirms
what I
suspected. We'll have to reconsider assigning our packages to
the computers
rather than the users. (Our SMS is an older version and like
you, we can't
justify the cost of an upgrade.)

Thanks again,

Kevin

:

 > >I’m beginning to suspect that GP does not have a
way to tell the
 > >desktop computer to install the package as a local
administrator,
 > >the best GP can offer -- if the logged-in user does
not have
 > >administrative rights, which ours don’t -- is to
install with
 > >the links in the user’s folder.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Yes, assigning to computers works great for me. I do licensing per
computer and just restrict access to the shortcuts and browsing C:\
for users not allowed the program(s).

Cheers,

Lara
 
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