Hey everyone! I'm working on configuring a default Start menu for my Windows 11 installations through WDS. I've built a good image, but I'm stuck on two things. First, I need to figure out how to get the start menu layout in .xml, .bin, or .json format to work with Group Policies, or at least test with local policies. Second, I want to ensure that OneDrive doesn't install for every new user that logs in. Currently, we're in an environment with local Active Directory, which suits our setup with around 50 PCs and 300 different accounts. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Setting up the Start menu in Windows 11 can be tricky. For your second question, you can remove the OneDrive installer from your image to prevent it from installing for each new user. For layout customization, consider copying a database to your default user profile.
You might want to check out this tool that configures the Start and Taskbar settings: https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/. It helped me a lot, simplifying the process without the hassle of managing a golden image.
If you're trying to set up the Start menu layout, logging in as a new user often shows the updated layout in Windows 11. I use a PowerShell script to change specific registry values, which only impacts fresh logins. This might work for you if you’re using XML or JSON as well!
Have you thought about using a PowerShell script to remove OneDrive from the Start menu after the first login? It could streamline things for you!