Deploying a website shortcut
How do I deploy a website shortcut to a particular desktop (ie. all "Student" desktops)? It is a URL that has a code in it for the particular schools website license. I am using the free version.
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Hi Brent,
Refer to below image,
You need to create .url file and use copy step in PDQ Deploy, Target folder is "C:\users\Public\Desktop\"
Thanks, It needed to be the Pro version. I got the trial to see how it would work. The "Copy" did the trick. Thanks
Question, that worked to send it out, but it ended up on the desktop as a blank icon. It works and goes to the website, but is blank. It has the correct icon in the file I sent it from and it worked correctly on my test machine. Any ideas?
Hi Brent,
Right click on that .url file which is you are copying to users, and go to the properties, check the URL box
Is your address correct?
Or If you want you can add website in Favorites,
you need to use nircmd.exe to add favorites and run as method Logged on user
eg: "nircmd.exe urlshortcut "http://www.website.com" "~$folder.favorites$\Links" "Title""
Thanks for the response Pushpak. The URL that got pushed out works fine. It's just that the picture for the icon is not there. It's just like a blank piece of paper...not even a generic Firefox, Chrome icon. I checked the URL file and everything is good.
http://nircmd.nirsoft.net/shortcut.html
Check the available variables, you can specify icon.
Wouldn't I need that software? And how am I going to push it out to 1000 plus computers if they don't have that software? It looks very cool though!
Put the EXE file on a network share where all the computers have access to it. Then you send the computers the command in PDQ including the full UNC path not just the exe name.
example:
\\servername\shared\folder\nircmd.exe urlshortcut "http://www.website.com" "~$folder.favorites$\Links" "Title"
I also change the package from Push to Pull when I am doing things like this and not sending the EXE out to all the computers.
Thanks anyway, That didn't work. Avast would not let the .exe run without the end user allowing it. Even after I did allow it on my test machine, it didn't work (no icon at all). I want it on the desktop of all users, not in the favorites. Here's what I used: \\risd\techware\Brent\nircmd.exe urlshortcut "http://readnquiz.com/home.aspx?id=xxxxx" "~$folder.Public.Desktop$" "ReadNQuiz"
I ran the first package again in "Pull" mode and it still didn't put the picture with the icon.
are you executing the deployment package as the deployment user and not as the logged on user with lower rights?
Also that was just the example Pushpack gave, you have to tell it what icon you want to use. The website has instructions on how to include the icon. http://nircmd.nirsoft.net/shortcut.html
Good News! I did get it to deploy with just a plain Firefox icon using C: users....! Much better than the blank page. I couldn't get it to put the icon. I tried this: \risd\techware\Brent\nircmd.exe urlshortcut "http://readnquiz.com/home.aspx?id=XXXXX" "C:\users\public\desktop" "ReadNQuiz" "~$icon file \\risd\techware\weblinks\ReadNQuiz$" Anyway, happier with the Firefox icon.
Oh yeah, I am deploying as the deployment user. Not as logged on user. Although all of our users have Administrative rights.
Here use this.
\\risd\techware\Brent\nircmd.exe shortcut "c:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" "C:\users\public\desktop\" "ReadNQuiz" "http://readnquiz.com/home.aspx?id=XXXXX" "http://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.readnquiz.com"
it appears that the website you are creating a shortcut for does not have an icon set for their website so you might get a small globe instead.
Note, this will force the the site to load in firefox, you can change out the path to firefox and make it any other browser to force the link to open in that browser. I do this because we have some sites that require firefox and other sites that require google chrome. I like to make it simple for the end users, they click the shortcut and it loads what they need to have load.
Thanks for that! Yeah, I knew it didn't have an icon. I found an image and made my own icon for it.
That didn't work. It made an icon with the blank page again. I just went back to the one that made the generic Firefox icon. Thanks for the help!
strange, worked for me
Brent, Add this site to your favorites in IE Copy URL file from your IE favorites folder (located in C:\Users\your.profile\Favorites) and try again.
Brent, I know this was a few months ago and you probably figure it out or said F' it, but the reason why your shortcut is blank is because in your complete procedure you have to write .ico file to the end users. I use the AGENT PROCEDURE module in Kaseya, use credentials as SYSTEM to have admin rights on all end users machines, and then I use "writeFile" command from the AGENT PROCEDURE commands. I'm not at work right now, so I don't have the exact procedure, but it's literally only three lines of commands. It's pretty easy. Although, you have to have access to your KAseya server, not just the management console.
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