Hiding Startup Folder for "ALL USERS" (W2K)

[Tuff_enuff_toft]

Its doing me head in, someone please help.
I want to hide the STARTUP folder from the Programs Folder for any users logging into the PC.

Despite deleting the startup folder from the "default user" it still is picking up the STARTUP folder from the "All Users" profile, despite me putting a Hide attribute on it. I can't delete the STARTUp folder from the "All Users" profile as it says it is a system folder, so thats why i thought the hide attribute would work.

When i login as a normal user it still displays the Startup Folder, and it is not hidden despite me setting it on the "All Users" profile...

Please help
TnT

[POBrien]

Use the login script with these commands

c:
cd\
del "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\*.*"

each time a user logs in, the above will delete any files within the startup folder. Since the login script executes before the files in the startup folder it should be do-able.

POBrien

[Tuff_enuff_toft]

Thanks for reply, but that doesn't work. I don't want to delete the contents of the STARTUP folder, i want to "HIDE" it so nobody can see it. I put your script in a batch file and added it to the scheduler to run at system and logon, but neither work.

Any other suggestions? Why isn't it hidden from view, as i have put the hidden attribute on the STARTUP folder in the "ALL USERS" profile. Surely any user logging in would inherit the hidden attribute on that folder????

Cheers
TnT

[POBrien]

you're welcome. Yes, I understand, you want to hide the startup folder so a user can't add in files to execute when any user logs in to their account. The command that I supplied accomplishes that goal. (although I did forget the switch /Q) sorry about that. It deletes any files placed in the startup folder thus stoping users from compromising the system or user accounts.

Here's the revision

c:
cd\
del /Q "c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\*.*"

the /Q switch stops the bat file from needing confirmation before deleting any files.

As you've found out, hiding the startup folder doesn't stop files executing within. So deleting the items within and hiding the folder offers the same outcome.

You shouldn't have to schedule the script to execute. The users should inherit the script automatically at the moment they login. The script should be inherited from the server. Are you running Active Directory?

If you're doing this on the local machine, the login script can still be executed. go to start/run type in gpedit.msc and click ok. Move to computer configuration/windows settings/scripts. This is where you configure the script. Is this what you've been doing?

Another alternative to stop files from executing in the all users startup folder is to change the attributes on all files in that folder to hidden. If the file itself is set to hidden, windows does not execute it.

Here's the command for that.

c:
cd\
attrib +h "c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\*.*"

The user can't manually remove the hidden attribute because by default they don't have the necessary permissions to do so.

Also, if you're doing this locally, you can use Permissions to stop users from accessing the statup folder.

I just test this out. I added rest.bat to the login scripts/startup option in gpedit.

rebooted

Logged in as a test user and the files were hidden (as I applied the attrib command) and did not execute.

POBrien

[mysterywolf]

firstly default is not the same as all users... default is not given to everyone, only those with no profile already !
secondly the all users startup folder is not 'seen' by users as such.....they already have their own startup folder....it is the contents of the all users startup folder which get overlayed into the users own. so, if you hide the contents instead of the folder itself then they will disappear from view.