We are trying to roll out Windows 8.1 Enterpise in our school system (K-12).
The focus of this question is how do we take an internet web based shortcut and make it into a screen tile (on the start screen) which will appear for any user's start screen that logs on to the computer?
The details:
We came upon a great paper that's entitled "Customize Windows 8.1 Start Screens by Using Group Policy".
By applying this paper we were able to accomplish our first goal: Lock down the start screen so no user could change it. We accomplished this by using the Start Screen Layout policy setting laid out in the paper.
Our second goal: to customize the start screen is only half way met. We can set up the start screen the way we want and then export the .xml file. We are able to "reimport" the .xml file when the new user logs in. The installed programs
will appear on the Start Screen but not the internet based web shortcuts that were on the inital setup start screen.
(FYI - tried creating these tiles by running the start screen internet explorer app to the intended address and pinning them to the start screen. At this time trying to figure if there is a place to put desktop internet short cuts into a directory to make them appear on the Start Screen).
We can see that the directory: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs is a place for program files to appear on the start screen. Is there a location web based shortcuts can be placed to cause them to automatically appear on the start screen for every user as well? If not how do we accomplish getting these into tiles for every user logging in?
Sorry for the lengthy explanation. Hopefully it gets our question answered and helps others out there in the same boat!
