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HPCIT

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Shortcut to traverse desktop shortcut

Firstly thankyou everyone who replies to this post.
This may sound a bit funny but what I am trying to achieve is the following:
      I have redirected desktops via GPO. The desktops and all the icons that have been selected to be on the desktop (each dept has their own desktop).
     One of the shortcuts that is on the desktop is to their personal folder (user folder, which is a folder located on the network). Within their personal folder is a folder called My Shortcuts (there is a shortcut to this folder on the desktop also).
      The reason for all these shortcuts on the desktop is that we don't want users to be adding\saving anything to the desktop as it will be shared with the rest of their dept.
       Within the My Shortcuts folder is where we want users to be creating and saving shortcuts to files and folders of relevance to them from the network. To reduce the number of steps users need to make an actual shortcut I made a .vbs script and put it in the \\server\netlogon folder it contains the following:

Set objShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
objShell.Run "RunDll32.exe appwiz.cpl,NewLinkHere \\server\users\%username%\My Shortcuts\"

       Then i made a shortcut to the script and placed the shortcut inside their My Shortcuts folder.so they can double click the icon and the New Shortcut Wizard appears. This works fine.
     This issue is that i\they cannot traverse the other shortcuts within the New Shortcuts Wizard which i have on the desktops, so that they can create their own shortcuts from places below the shortcuts on the desktop point to. I don't want to have to make shortcuts for people every time they want a new one.
       Apologies in advance for using the word shortcut so many times.

Thanks again,
HPCIT
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zelron22

Do they have the traverse permission on the folders the shortcuts are pointing to?

Shortcut.
:)
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ASKER

Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, It's not a permissions issue from what i can see. Even as myself (admin) it's doing the same thing.
If you like, try the .vbs (obviously edit the \\server\us.... location to what is relevant for you and then try traversing a shortcut on your desktop. I expect the same thing will happen.
Avatar of johnb6767
Almost sounds like doing a RunAs, where it doesnt start the app under the context of the same user? While browsing for the shortcuts, can you determins by where it is browsing the current user it is running under?
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ASKER

I don't see using RunAs being a solution. The issue is the same when logged in as administrator or as a general user. Is there something that i am missing? How would using RunAs help if it doesn't work as Administrator?
Thanks for your reply to the post.
I think the problem is that what your doing just won't work at all.

I just created a shortcut on my desktop to a folder on my c: drive.

I then ran the wizard and tried to navigate through the shortcut on my desktop to the folder below.

It wouldn't let me.  I believe it views the shortcut as a file (which it is) and wants to create a shortcut for it.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish with this?  There may be a better way to do it.
I wasnt suggesting to use RunAs, but was offering what sounds like a similarity between user contexts....

Actually, now that zelron22 has posted that, I realize what you are seeing now. Thats correct, that dialog simply shows folders/files, doesnt traverse shortcuts, simple makes it available as a .lnk file......

He/She is dead on...

Maybe creating system variables or the like to get them where they ned to go?

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ASKER

Thanks again all for the replies
 What i'm trying to do is in effect is have a space that is similar to the desktop (an area for them to save a  bunch of shortcuts) but within a folder, so the users can add\remove shortcuts etc, without affecting other users. The desktop will be shared with the rest of their dept, it is a redirected desktop.
    I am very open to ideas if anyone out there has a suggestions as to a better way to do this achieveing the same result (without mapping drives) I am more than happy to listen. We are still in the design stage of this project and welcome your advice.

Zelron22\John6767 - I though this might be the case. I'm still interested in a ways to do this or something similar to achieve the same result. How would the System Variables option your thinking of work John6767?

Cheers,
HPCIT
Not sure....

you can create shortcuts based on variales like %HomeDrive% etc, but I was actually thinking that if you redirected thier favorites only, thy will get the same desktop, but thier Favorites would be unique....Can use System/LAN Shortcuts in Favorites.....

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Favorites can be placed anywhere on the LAN, and it can be something like \\server\share\%USERNAME%
Kinda like a mini roaming profile almost.....
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zelron22

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