software installation for every user in a shared PC

  • Thread starter Thread starter Isaac Chan
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I

Isaac Chan

Hi,

My WinXP PC is shared among 10 users. I want to install new software for
every user's use. But I found that the shortcuts for the newly installed
software only appears in my account's start menu and desktop, but not in
other users' accounts. Is there a way I can make the shortcuts appear
exactly the same in every user's account? I would like them to appear on
every account automatically during installation process. I don't want to
manually create or copy the shortcuts to 10 accounts, that would be too
user-unfriendly task and consider I need to do the same for every new
software installation. I am greatly appreciated if someone can offer me some
helps in this regard. Thanks a lot.


Isaac
 
Copy/move the shortcut to: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start
Menu\Programs

Val
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Hi,

My WinXP PC is shared among 10 users. I want to install new software for
every user's use. But I found that the shortcuts for the newly installed
software only appears in my account's start menu and desktop, but not in
other users' accounts. Is there a way I can make the shortcuts appear
exactly the same in every user's account? I would like them to appear on
every account automatically during installation process. I don't want to
manually create or copy the shortcuts to 10 accounts, that would be too
user-unfriendly task and consider I need to do the same for every new
software installation. I am greatly appreciated if someone can offer me some
helps in this regard. Thanks a lot.


Isaac
 
Hi!
First right click the start menu and select properties. Select the Start
Menu tab then the Customize button.
Select the Advanced tab and the second item down should be "Highlight newly
installed programs" put a check in its box click OK, Apply, OK. When you
install new programs they will be highlighted and you other users can access
them by going to start/all programs. And can create their own short cuts
from there.
dad2ten
 
Greetings --

This is quite common if the software was designed for Win9x/Me, or
if it was intended for WinNT/2K/XP, but was improperly designed. Quite
simply, the installation routine for this application doesn't "know"
how to handle individual user profiles, or the application tries to
make changes to "off-limits" sections of the registry. Quite often,
you can make this software available to other users by _copying_ the
Start Menu folder and Desktop folder shortcuts from the user profile
from which the software was installed in the corresponding folders in
the user profile(s) in which you'd like the software to be accessible.
If the application is something that can/should be made available to
all current and future users, copying the shortcuts into the
corresponding locations of the All Users profile will do the trick.

NOTE: This may not work if the software requires access to parts
of the hard drive and/or registry that are not normally accessible to
regular users. (This won't occur if the application was properly
written.) If this does prove to be the case, however, you're left
with two options: Either grant the necessary users appropriate higher
access privileges (either as Power Users or local administrators), or
replace the application with one that was properly designed
specifically for WinNT/2K/XP.

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307091

Additionally, here are a couple of tips suggested, in a reply to a
different post, by MS-MVP Kent W. England:

"If your game or application works with admin accounts, but not with
limited accounts, you can fix it to allow limited users to access the
program files folder with "change" capability rather than "read" which
is the default.

C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:c

where "appfolder" is the folder where the application is installed.

If you wish to undo these changes, then run

C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:r

If you still have a problem with running the program or saving
settings on limited accounts, you may need to change permissions on
the registry keys. Run regedit.exe and go to HKLM\Software\vendor\app,
where "vendor\app" is the key that the software vendor used for your
specific program. Change the permissions on this key to allow Users
full control."


Bruce Chambers

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having both at once. -- RAH
 
Thanks so much for your kind response and help. Seems like copying shortcuts
to All users folder is the simpliest solution, although it's not an
"administrator-friendly" solution.

Isaac
 
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