Tool: OSConfig News 20151209

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Minor OSConfig update was published today on GitHub:

If you add CMTrace.exe to C:\Windows\System32 (by way of OSConfig OEM Folders) then you will have the OSConfig.log available for progress viewing.  If it gets hidden by the Getting Ready, just press Alt+Tab to bring it to the foreground.  Additionally more Samples have been added for DefaultLayouts.xml and LayoutModification.xml.  Enjoy

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Win10: Adding Office 2016 to Start Menu using LayoutModification.xml Append Groups

Third post in my series.  Make sure you read Win10: Start Menu Cleanup using DefaultLayouts.xml and Win10: Start Menu Customizing using DefaultLayouts.xml first.

I’m not going to rehash on how to use PowerShell to export a LayoutModification.xml, but how you can make your own.  For starters, read Microsoft’s Start layout for Windows 10 desktop editions

When installing Office 2016, it adds Shortcuts to ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Win10: Start Menu Customizing using DefaultLayouts.xml

Hopefully you have read my first post on DefaultLayouts.xml, and are here to continue the process.  When I left things, my Start Menu looked like this:

After removing unnecessary Appx Packages, my Start Menu is looking rather barren.

Win10: Start Menu Cleanup using DefaultLayouts.xml

Most people discuss managing the Windows 10 Start Menu using the PowerShell Export-StartLayout

Customize and export Start layout
Windows 10 : Deploying a customized start menu
Step-By-Step: Windows 10 Start Menu Customization via PowerShell
Deploy the Windows 10 Start menu layout with Group Policy
Customizing the Windows 10 Start Menu and add IE Shortcut during OSD
Pinning Internet Explorer to Start Menu with LayoutModification.xml file

While there is nothing wrong with using this method, I think you only see half the picture using LayoutModification.xml

Spend a few minutes having a look at these links and then come back to see how to modify the Default Layout.

Manage Windows 10 Start layout options
Customize the Windows 10 Start screen
Start layout for Windows 10 desktop editions

Tool: OSConfig for GaryTown

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Gary Blok has a great blog called GaryTown.  If you are into OS Deployments and ConfigMgr, you probably already have this site bookmarked.

What I would like to do is to look at all his steps for configuring Windows 10 and see how OSConfig can help him out.  To view his post, head over to Windows 10 Customizations during OSD.  Let’s get started

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DefaultAppAssoc (Change Default Applications for Extensions)

OSConfig will perform an export of the Default AppAssociations before and after OSConfig applies settings

Additionally, C:\Windows\OSConfig\Utility will contain 3 scripts related to DefaultAssociations to import / export / clear what has been imported.

Future version of OSConfig will apply the AppAssoc.xml automatically, but I am still running this in testing . . . although you can just add a script to OSConfig to enable this functionality now.

Tool: OSConfig News 20151208

OSConfig Main Page

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More OSConfig changes were released today on GitHub:

Utility

A Utility directory has been added to OSConfig for Windows 10.  In here you will find some scripts to generate Application Association XML (Import in OSConfig is being worked on), a PowerShell script to get a list of your installed AppxPackages (included for Windows 8.1 as well), and two CMD scripts to Import or Export a Start Layout.

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DefaultLayouts.xml

OSConfig will now import a DefaultLayout%Architecture%.xml if placed in the Themes\Start directory

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OSConfig Samples

These have been reorganized so you can use them better.

• Appx Windows 8.1 – Includes a PowerShell script to remove junk, as well as the Defaults
• Appx Windows 10 1507 – Includes a PowerShell script to remove junk, as well as the Defaults
• Appx Windows 10 1511 – Includes a PowerShell script to remove junk, as well as the Defaults
• Settings Windows – Files in here can be placed in your OSConfig\Windows directory to be applied to all deployments.  These are not OS Specific
• Settings Windows 7 – Files in here can be placed in your OSConfig\Windows 7 directory to be applied to Windows 7 only
• Settings Windows 8.1 – Files in here can be placed in your OSConfig\Windows 8.1 directory to be applied to Windows 8.1 only
• Settings Windows 10 – Files in here can be placed in your OSConfig\Windows 10 directory to be applied to Windows 10 only
• Settings Windows XP – Files in here can be placed in your OSConfig\Windows XP directory to be applied to Windows XP only
• Start Windows 10 1507 – Contains the DefaultLayouts.xml for this build.  I’ll detail how to use it soon enough
• Start Windows 10 1511 – Contains the DefaultLayouts.xml for this build.  I’ll detail how to use it soon enough
• Theme Windows 10 (Blue) – Sample Theme.  Contents should be placed in OSConfig\Windows 10\Theme for processing.  Added Logos and DefaultLayouts.xml
• Theme Windows 10 (Red) – Sample Theme.  Contents should be placed in OSConfig\Windows 10\Theme for processing.  Added Logos and DefaultLayouts.xml

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Consumer Experiences

This has been disabled by default in OSConfig.  Details here or view the Log for the link

Win10: Start Menu Junk and Candy Crush Soda Saga

I’m going to spend my next few posts discussing Windows 10 Start and related stuff.

When deploying Windows 10 1511 (confirmed in Pro and Enterprise Editions), the default Start (Menu / Screen / Page) gets configured with some odd tiles.  Funny thing is that Windows 10 1511 includes a new feature called “Microsoft Consumer Experiences”.  The great Michael Niehaus has a writeup on how to turn them off.  This post won’t tell you anything different, but what I will do is explain what happens.

Tool: OSConfig Appx Packages

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Working with Appx Packages can be a challenge . . . and Windows 10 adds a fair amount of crud that I don’t want to deploy in an Enterprise environment.

Tool: OSConfig Theme Sample – Windows 10

OSConfig Main Page

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Included in the 20151204 version of OSConfig is a Theme Sample for Windows 10 Enterprise at OSConfig\Samples\Theme (w10e)

If you downloaded the Zip from GitHub, and copied the contents to your Deployment Share, this will reside in %DeployRoot%\Applications\OSConfig\Samples\Theme (w10e).  To activate this Theme for your Windows 10 deployment, simply the contents to your %DeployRoot%\Applications\OSConfig\Windows 10\Theme directory

Tool: OSConfig Settings

OSConfig Main Page

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The main feature of OSConfig is the ability to modify Operating System but the use of Settings.

In this directory you can place the following file extensions:

• BAT
• CMD
• EXE
• REG
• PS1
• VBS
• All other extensions are ignored

Additionally, there are some naming rules that can be applied to file names:

• Files with “Sample” in the name Skipped
• Files with “Undo” in the name Skipped
• Files with “TSYes” in the name Applied if C:\_SMSTaskSequence\OSConfig\OSConfig.cmd does exists
• Files with “TSNo” in the name Applied if C:\_SMSTaskSequence\OSConfig\OSConfig.cmd does NOT exist
• Files with “Modern” in the name Applied if the Operating System is not Windows XP
• Files with “x86” in the name Applied if the Operating System is x86
• Files with “x64” in the name Applied if the Operating System is x64
• Files with “RunOnce” in the name Only applied once, then moved to C:\Windows\OSConfig\Settings\RunOnce

These will be discussed in more detail in separate posts