Windows 10 Start Menu stops working after second logon - could be because of "missing" %appdata%?

[Jneagle]

OS - Windows 10 LTSC 1809 build 17763.1577

UEM 2006, aka 10

Horizon 8.0.0 build 16592062

Not using roaming profiles, per se. We are redirecting things like desktop, favs, and roaming appdata.

Honestly I don't know if this is a DEM issue, a OSOT issue, or a local GPO issue.

Problem:

The very first time a user logs into their VM (instant clones) the Start Menu works great. Log off and then back on and now the Start Menu does not work. When clicked the menu does not respond. Delete the VM and log in (this would be the first time again since the VM re-creates itself), the Start Menu works. Log off and back on and it no longer works.

Things I've tried:

This behavior is with every entitled user. I have a test user (goo-user) with entitlements to two pools. Log into the first pool and the start menu works once, but after log off/on it stops working. The first time it worked I pinned a program as a test. Log into the second pool (having never logged in before) and the start menu works and my pinned program is there. Log off/on and now the start menu no longer works.

The first time it worked, after consulting with a co-worker, we noticed that going to %appdata% worked and went to the re-directed appdata on our DEM server. Log off/on and of course the start menu doesn't work, but neither does the re-directed appdata. "Windows cannot find '%appdata%'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again."

So when the start menu works, %appdata% works and points to the re-directed folder. When it doesn't, %appdata% isn't found.

I've read and followed the links below, all with no success...

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2146859 - This helped get the start menu "roaming," for lack of a better term.

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2150422 - Same as above.

https://communities.vmware.com/t5/Dynamic-Environment-Manager/FIXED-Roam-the-Windows-10-Start-Menu-i... - Same as above.

https://communities.vmware.com/t5/Horizon-Desktops-and-Apps/Appdata-local-microsoft-windows-folders-... - I have the exact issue as this poster, missing items, not just missing appdata.

https://flings.vmware.com/vmware-os-optimization-tool/comments?comment_id=16466 - Search for %appdata% and you'll see a post by Barry. I ran OSOT for the second time on the master, this time unchecking the "clean default user profile" box. This did not help.

I opened the flexengine.log for my test user and searched for "error". That lead me to this - [ERROR] Folder redirection: error 0x80004005 getting current path for 'AppData' folder ('User Folder Redirection.xml')

Googling that string led me to this post - https://communities.vmware.com/t5/Dynamic-Environment-Manager/UEM-Folder-Redirection-Not-Working/m-p...- The solution did nothing as those settings in local GPO were not set.

I also ran across the following for devices.hotplug. This was set long ago, so it didn't help either. https://communities.vmware.com/t5/App-Volumes/Windows-10-Start-Menu-fails-to-open/m-p/1427355/highli...

Honestly, I can't tell if this is DEM related, caused by OSOT, or maybe one of the local GPO settings I've set. I've read tons of other posts here and elsewhere, but they all pointed to the same solutions as linked above. This one issue is delaying deployment of our new shiny VM environment.

Oh, and here's a screenshot of my user folder redirection in DEM.

 

As a bald man, I have no more hair to pull out, so that isn't an option either. Any help you can give is much appreciated.

[RShumway]

I am having the same issue.  When I delete the "Windows Explorer.zip" from the "Windows Settings" in the users profile share, I can log in and the start menu is all there.  Log out, DEM then uploads the settings again and when I log back in the start menu is missing most programs again.  I've disabled Windows Explorer settings for now in DEM and may have recreate a new config file to capture the settings I need.  Should anyone know what's going on within the Windows Explorer Settings within DEM that could cause this issue, it would be much appreciated.

Edit- This fixed it for me: Fixing the empty Windows 10 Start Menu in stateless VDI · ivandemes.com

[raaaphiiBIT]

Hi Jneagle

I also encountered similar problems once or twice.

Though it always was an Issue within the appdata/localappdata. I once tried to make predefined Settings with an older Windows version.

I see you are having roaming Appdata redirected. Please ensure that no appdata is included in DEM Application config files, this can surely lead to files overwriting each other and thus to a corrupted Starmenu. Since it is redirected no includes refering to appdata are necessary.

Delete or comment it out:

I personally haven't worked with appdata romaing redirected, have you also tried without redirecting appdata?

I hope I could help you & Best Regards

Raphael

[Jneagle]

@RShumway 

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately neither of these solutions worked. The StartMenuInit entry in Windows Explorer was missing, but adding that didn't improve the situation. Ivan's problem (missing items in start menu) was what I initially experienced. First log on start menu would work, but it was almost empty. Second logon the start menu wouldn't respond at all. Here's what my Windows Explorer entry looks like:

[IncludeRegistryTrees]
HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\BitBucket
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\CleanupWiz
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\ClassicStartMenu
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideMyComputerIcons
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Favorites\Links\Order
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Modules\GlobalSettings\Sizer
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RecentDocs
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\1\Desktop
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags

[ExcludeIndividualRegistryValues]
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\StartMenuInit

After adding the following to Personalization > Windows Settings > Win10StartMenu, the start menu would be fully populated on the first logon, but the second logon it still would not work.

[IncludeRegistryTrees]
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CloudStore

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

[IncludeFolderTrees]
<LocalAppData>\microsoft\windows\caches
<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\CloudStore
<LocalAppData>\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

[ExcludeIndividualRegistryValues]
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\StartMenuInit

Notice that I made bold the two identical entries in both Windows Explorer and my Win10 start menu settings. Initially I thought they might be fighting each other, but StartMenuInit wasn't originally in my Windows Explorer settings and the menu didn't work. Adding it didn't make it work either.

[Jneagle]

@raaaphiiBIT 

You're talking about removing those entries from items in Personalization > Applications > program name, right?

[Jneagle]

This is most definitely a DEM issue. A co-worker took a master that did not have our local GPO settings and had not had OSOT run on it (optimizing or finalizing). He installed the DEM agent and made an instant clone pool. The test user was fully set up for DEM, the DEM GPO we have, etc. Same issues. No start menu after second logon.

[DEMdev]

@Jneagle,

What DEM personalization config files are you using? Can you maybe pinpoint a particular one (by temporarily renaming/moving the corresponding profile archive for your test user) that is causing the issue you're seeing?

[Jneagle · Accepted solution]

Hey @DEMdev! I think we may have it working... It's working better than what it was, that's for sure.

As far as personalization config files, it now looks like this. (Office is collapsed due to it being the normal Office apps.)

Here's what we did when we first started our migration from UEM to DEM (changed servers as well). We copied everything in our UEMConfig share over to our DEMConfig share. As a test, we moved that data out and started with a clean DEM slate. All of the sudden the start menu works after multiple logoff/on sequences. Great!

One thing we did notice is that when our test user logs into one pool, pins items to the start menu, and then logs off, and then logs into another pool, the pinned items aren't there. Zoom login was not persistent between pools either. I'm sure the Zoom app config needs to be tinkered with. The persistent start menu I've fixed once with the config in one of the links seen in my first post. I just haven't had the chance to test yet.

EDIT: For those seeking a solution, please read my follow-up to this post.

[Jneagle]

Well @DEMdev, I just broke something. It's no longer working now. I'm beginning to think that you cannot copy anything over from UEMConfig to DEMConfig.

[Jneagle]

The following is a follow-up to my solution. The issue came back after a recompose of the pool. Worked great before that.

In DME Mngr, User Environment tab, under Folder redirection, we had to make changes. You can see the original settings up above. However, under desktop, favorites, and roaming appdata, we had to not only check those boxes, but click edit and use the fully-qualified path - \\servername\DEMProfiles\%username%\Appdata.