Active Desktop question.

slipd · 7 Mar 2011 at 13:01

Hi guys,

I'd like to make an active desktop page that would initially contain two buttons (as well as company logo/wallpaper) that would link to particular folders stored on local machines and in time, my network.

I want to give users direct access to these folders from their desktops. In the old 95/98 days, I think you could make any web page you wanted your active desktop page/background? Is this still a valid path to take or have things moved on since then?

Your advice would be appreciated

SiriusB · 7 Mar 2011 at 13:39

Why mess about with Active Desktop when you could just use shortcuts or mapped network drives?

Emphacy · 7 Mar 2011 at 14:21

Couldn't you just map a network drive and then apply a desktop shortcut to that drive, then set every computers home page to the local intranet comprising of your selected websites/pages?

I don't think anyone uses active desktops anymore, they use valuable system recourses and are harder to put together than stated above.

Terrier_Jimlad · 7 Mar 2011 at 19:11

Active Desktop was stripped out of Vista/Windows 7 anyway, but still it would be pointless on Windows XP when you can just use a simple VBS that either maps the drives and creates shortcuts to them, or just have the VBS create the shortcuts. Slap the VBS on a Group Policy or put in their startup folders etc