FIXED! Roam the Windows 10 Start Menu in your VDI environment.

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

Roaming the Start Menu layout, including all personalized tiles is still very hard to accomplish. The Start Menu in Windows 10 was stored in a database which was locked and could not be copied.

With the Microsoft released Windows 10 version 1703 Creators Update, the Start Menu is no longer stored in a database, but stored in the registry. This makes it possible to roam the Start Menu again.

This article explains how to roam the Start menu layout by using VMware User Environment Manager.

Note: This solution only works on Windows 10 version 1703 or later.

To allow users to personalize their Windows 10 Start Menu and roam those personal settings, a new UEM Configuration item needs to be created using the UEM Management Console:

• Click Create Config File and select Create a custom config file and give it a name.
• On the Import/Export tab, paste these two lines:
  • [IncludeRegistryTrees]
  • HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore
• Save the UEM Config file.

You can now customize and personalize your Start Menu, including pinning tiles to local apps, modern AppX apps, group tiles, resize, and re-order.

Note: Roaming the Start Menu with this approach even allows for roaming between 32-bit and 64-bit.

Also see this KB I just created:

https://kb.vmware.com/kb/2150422

[michael_borland]

Thanks.

We currently use a UEM User Environment Folder Redirection for Windows 7.

For Win10, would I create that + the Setting outlined here?

I apologize for the ignorance.  I am still learning the power and configuration ability of UEM...

[ijdemes]

No worries.

If you still want to use folder redirection. You can go with the current settings for that. The settings for roaming the Windows 10 start menu are off course specific to Windows 10 , and more specifcally for Windows 10 v1703 (and probably higher). You may want to create a condition to apply these settings only to Windows 10 (v1703+) machines.

[nrsc0202]

I just finished trying to set this up using Windows 10 1709, and this is NOT working. I'm using UEM 9.3 with Horizon 7.4. The desktop pools are setup using linked clones with persistent disks.

I did try setting up a Windows 10 1703 pool, using the same exact settings as I used for 1709, and everything with the start menu is working perfectly.

Has anyone else tried this setup using Windows 10 1709? Have you gotten it to work?

[DaleHutch69]

I have this set up running V1709. Although the start menu does migrate from session to session I'm getting weird CPU spikes from the Apps Management service. Seems Calendar and Messenger want to do something (I have the Store and all Apps disabled by GP). But this is a start.

[system32AUT]

First of all, thanks to all UEMdev and other VMware guys: Is there a chance VMware give us at the next UEM Version like 9.4 or later an option for the Win 10 Start Menu like "Create Config File" and "Use a Windows Common Setting" and then like so:

Thanks

[DEMdev]

Hi Dominik,

Well, it will look like this:

Hope that's OK as well 🙂

[system32AUT]

I like it   :smileyplus:

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

Does the current 'Taskbar' template not provide enough for you? What exactly are you missing?

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

I'm having issues with Start Menu on 1709 as well. Will investigate further, but if you have any insights to share, feel free.

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

Anybody else having issues with Windows 10 1709 and this template?

[OmegaFlood]

I've been doing some testing on this over the past 2 days in our development environment. The settings in KB2150422 didn't work for me when I was using UEM with a mandatory profile. I noticed that despite any changes I made, nothing was added to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore. Once I disabled the mandatory profile so new logins only recieved a local profile everything started working fine and I can see many new entires under the afforementioned registry entry. My test VM pool deletes on logoff too so I'm certain this is roaming correctly.

I'm hoping to use UEM with mandatory profiles to improve login speed. I could use local profiles as I'm planning on deploying this with non-persistent instant clones so it wouldn't really matter I guess. Would just feel neater. Perhaps this is just a limitation of using mandatory profiles with these settings?

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

Read this blogpost and start crying:

https://www.htguk.com/how-to-create-mandatory-profiles-in-windows-10-creators-update-1703/

And you already ran into an issue with mandatory profiles yourself.

It's just way too complex to create a mandatory profile and it cannot guarantee to be issue free.

Personally I recommend to stay away from Mandatory profiles on Windows 10 and just use local profiles.

The OS Optimization Tool might help in optimizing the logon times.

[OmegaFlood]

Yup, that's the post I followed when creating the profile. I skipped the customisations and just made a default profile. You're right re Win10 and mandatory profiles. I think I'll stick with local.

[natixis_it]

HI, I'm also experiencing issues roaming the start menu on 1709. also I don't see any settings saved in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SlowContextMenuEntries

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

I did have good results with this INI file:

[IncludeRegistryTrees]

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore

[IncludeIndividualRegistryValues]

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\SlowContextMenuEntries

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\EnableAutoTray

[IncludeFolderTrees]

<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\Caches

<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\CloudStore

<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

[natixis_it]

Hi,

That config doesn't work for me. I'm using 1709 build 16299.248 if that makes a difference.

Also, I do see all the saved settings imported back into the define folders/registry but the icons are defaulted back to the original layout.

Thanks

-Phil

[natixis_it]

So far i had good result with the following. I'm still testing.

[IncludeRegistryTrees]
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

[IncludeIndividualRegistryValues]
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\EnableAutoTray

[IncludeFolderTrees]
<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\Caches
<AppData>\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar

[Pim_van_de_Vis]

Those 2 additional locations are already capture with the default UEM template 'Windows Taskbar'. I assumed you had that in place already, because that is critical if you also would like to capture the Quick Access/Taskbar.

Can you try adding that template, and test again with the locations I posted?

[natixis_it]

Hi,

I think I see what the issue is, the uem agent installed on the host is 9.3 but the management console is still 9.0. I'll upgrade the management console as well and check.

Thanks

Phil

[touimet]

ecull​ - Can you confirm you have this working with W10 1607 LTSB?  I thought W10 1607 LTSB also used the database for Start Menu