Here is states, that this cmdlet can be used only to an image: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn283403.aspx

But his guy claims that this cmdlet can be used locally: http://stealthpuppy.com/customizing-the-windows-8-1-start-screen-dont-follow-microsofts-guidance/

I need to set a valid powershell script (ps1) or command line, which could work during task sequence.

1. If I run the command from location with the startscreen bin file as:

PS L:\Tools\W8Customize> Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayou
t.bin -MountPath %SystemDrive%\

Ill get: Cannot find path 'L:\Tools\W8Customize\%SystemDrive%\

2. If I run it with C:\Windows instead of SystemDrive, I get:

PS L:\Tools\W8Customize> Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath CustomStartScreenLayout.
bin -MountPath "C:\Windows\"

Ill get: The path C:\Windows\ did not resolve to a file.

I also tried to copy the bin file manually to C:\Windows\ and execute it locally, but that doesnt work either.

Anyone? What I try to archive here, is to have the ability to import custom layout during Task Sequence run, which is the the same as you would to it with CMD run as admin. My MDT 2013 has also a build it powershell tasks, so it could be done through that also. But I still need to figure out, how to use this cmdlet.

Hi,

I've never seen this cmdlet before, so I'm totally guessing here.

Instead of using -MountPath %SystemDrive%, try -MountPath $env:SystemDrive.

If you put these two blogs together:

http://stealthpuppy.com/customizing-the-windows-8-1-start-screen-dont-follow-microsofts-guidance/

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/reset-start-screen-default-windows-8

You get this sequence of powershell commands, to export a start screen, set it to the default start screen of a device, and revert a user back to the default start screen.  

1. export your start screen as a .bin file

Export-StartLayout -As BIN -Path CustomStartScreenLayout.bin

2. Mess up your start screen a little so you can see when you revert to your exported screen

3. Import your saved start screen to your machine's default profile.  This has no effect on your start screen but it does on any new users on your device.  I too couldn't get %SystemDrive% to work, but $env:SystemDrive worked a treat.

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\

4. Reset your start screen back to the default profile (ie make it the same as the one you just imported):

ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bk1"
ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak.bk2"

and reboot.

Your start screen will now be the one you exported in step 1, and any new users on your device will get your start screen too.

• Proposed as answer by jcoehoorn Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:29 AM

If you put these two blogs together:

http://stealthpuppy.com/customizing-the-windows-8-1-start-screen-dont-follow-microsofts-guidance/

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/reset-start-screen-default-windows-8

You get this sequence of powershell commands, to export a start screen, set it to the default start screen of a device, and revert a user back to the default start screen.  

1. export your start screen as a .bin file

Export-StartLayout -As BIN -Path CustomStartScreenLayout.bin

2. Mess up your start screen a little so you can see when you revert to your exported screen

3. Import your saved start screen to your machine's default profile.  This has no effect on your start screen but it does on any new users on your device.  I too couldn't get %SystemDrive% to work, but $env:SystemDrive worked a treat.

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\

4. Reset your start screen back to the default profile (ie make it the same as the one you just imported):

ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bk1"
ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak.bk2"

and reboot.

Your start screen will now be the one you exported in step 1, and any new users on your device will get your start screen too.

• Proposed as answer by jcoehoorn Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:29 AM

If you put these two blogs together:

http://stealthpuppy.com/customizing-the-windows-8-1-start-screen-dont-follow-microsofts-guidance/

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/reset-start-screen-default-windows-8

You get this sequence of powershell commands, to export a start screen, set it to the default start screen of a device, and revert a user back to the default start screen.  

1. export your start screen as a .bin file

Export-StartLayout -As BIN -Path CustomStartScreenLayout.bin

2. Mess up your start screen a little so you can see when you revert to your exported screen

3. Import your saved start screen to your machine's default profile.  This has no effect on your start screen but it does on any new users on your device.  I too couldn't get %SystemDrive% to work, but $env:SystemDrive worked a treat.

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\

4. Reset your start screen back to the default profile (ie make it the same as the one you just imported):

ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bk1"
ren "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak" "appsFolder.itemdata-ms.bak.bk2"

and reboot.

Your start screen will now be the one you exported in step 1, and any new users on your device will get your start screen too.

• Proposed as answer by jcoehoorn Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:29 AM

Sorry, I have solved this but forgot to post. The key to this was to change %SystemDrive%\ to C:\

So the command goes like this;

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath C:\

• Edited by yannara Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:11 PM
• Marked as answer by yannara 13 hours 35 minutes ago

Sorry, I have solved this but forgot to post. The key to this was to change %SystemDrive%\ to C:\

So the command goes like this;

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath C:\

• Edited by yannara Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:11 PM
• Marked as answer by yannara Sunday, March 22, 2015 5:33 PM

Sorry, I have solved this but forgot to post. The key to this was to change %SystemDrive%\ to C:\

So the command goes like this;

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath C:\

• Edited by yannara Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:11 PM
• Marked as answer by yannara Sunday, March 22, 2015 5:33 PM

Sorry, I have solved this but forgot to post. The key to this was to change %SystemDrive%\ to C:\

So the command goes like this;

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath C:\

• Edited by yannara Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:11 PM
• Marked as answer by yannara Sunday, March 22, 2015 5:33 PM

This is great information, thank you for posting. The problem I'm having is that you lose secondary tiles (i.e. pinned deep link tiles) when exporting and importing. If you choose "XML" as the export format, you can see that the secondary tile information does get exported. However, no matter what I try I can't get it to import back in.

I've tried using the Import-StartLayout command with a BIN as described in your post, and I've also tried with XML via Group Policy by enabling the Start Screen Layout policy and plugging in the path of my exported XML layout file (Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Start Screen Layout).

I noticed that when you pin a secondary tile, some files get created in %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\RoamingTiles. However, if you delete those and add them back in it never seems to have an effect on the pinned tile.

Do you happen to have any further information about this? I'm completely stuck and really need to be able to included secondary pinned tiles in my layout exports!!

Whats secondary title? Give me an example. How I can test it? I used always .bin.

instead of using -MountPath $env:systemDrive you could use:

$a = $env:windir.Replace("windows","")
Import-StartLayout -MountPath $a  

because the other result would give back a C: without \  and I think thats not working.

• Edited by Daan Weda Friday, August 29, 2014 7:48 PM

instead of using -MountPath $env:systemDrive you could use:

$a = $env:windir.Replace("windows","")
Import-StartLayout -MountPath $a  

because the other result would give back a C: without \  and I think thats not working.

• Edited by Daan Weda Friday, August 29, 2014 7:48 PM

instead of using -MountPath $env:systemDrive you could use:

$a = $env:windir.Replace("windows","")
Import-StartLayout -MountPath $a  

because the other result would give back a C: without \  and I think thats not working.

• Edited by Daan Weda Friday, August 29, 2014 7:48 PM

Or fill $a with a Split-Path -Path $env:windir

I have followed these instructions precisely and used the command

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath .\CustomStartScreenLayout.bin -MountPath C:\

to import the layout and I can see that it's updated the C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\appsFolderLayout.bin file but NOT the appsFolder.itemdata-ms

Is this normal?

Either way, it doesn't work for me... any ideas?  A new user without any profile doesn't get my customised Start layout!

Any help appreciated!

I'm running Windows Server 2012 R2 Update + all MS updates to date.

Thanks

This commad give nothing in Windows 10 Technical Preview with latest build. Command is accepted, but start screen is not changed.

Hopefully Microsoft fixes this before release and even better I hope Microsoft knows my company has to waste time and resources looking for work around's to this not working with our Win 10 OSD deployment testing. 

For a company that wants everyone on Windows 10 they sure don't seem to care about giving IT the tools they need to deploy it.

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

• Edited by Michael Linsi 22 minutes ago

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

• Edited by Michael Linsi 11 minutes ago

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

No, this should not be so difficult? Why MS would change a good working method in Windows 8.1 to some crazy xml modification? I will wait for RTM version of Windows 10 and then start to testing good old powershell method.

• Edited by yannara 20 hours 35 minutes ago

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

• Edited by Michael Linsi Friday, June 19, 2015 6:48 AM

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

• Edited by Michael Linsi Friday, June 19, 2015 6:48 AM

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

No, this should not be so difficult? Why MS would change a good working method in Windows 8.1 to some crazy xml modification? I will wait for RTM version of Windows 10 and then start to testing good old powershell method.

• Edited by yannara Friday, June 19, 2015 10:33 AM

Hi there

Link to the msdn documentation for customizing start start layout in windows 10

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/mt171092(v=vs.85).aspx

hope this will help

No, this should not be so difficult? Why MS would change a good working method in Windows 8.1 to some crazy xml modification? I will wait for RTM version of Windows 10 and then start to testing good old powershell method.

• Edited by yannara Friday, June 19, 2015 10:33 AM

Definitely insightful but for a IT shop a bit too much and not enough control. We do want to do more then two sections at the bottom of the start screen. We are currently having to refactor our base images to include default profiles. We are not even sure if that will do the trick or not.

Definitely insightful but for a IT shop a bit too much and not enough control. We do want to do more then two sections at the bottom of the start screen. We are currently having to refactor our base images to include default profiles. We are not even sure if that will do the trick or not.

What kind of modifications do you need to do?

With Windows 8.1, I had 1 PS script and 2 batch files which did:
- Import start-screen
- Import start layout
- Copy and set custom theme as default

Everything else was doable with Group Policy.

Import-StartLayout is broken in the latest builds of Windows 10. If I could get that working again (and a easier way to set the default PIN'ed taskbar items, that would be all most Corporate IT shops need to build their corporate image.

Import-StartLayout is broken in the latest builds of Windows 10. If I could get that working again (and a easier way to set the default PIN'ed taskbar items, that would be all most Corporate IT shops need to build their corporate image.

Its good that we agree on that, thats it broken :)

I will not touch this customization thingy until I get my hands on RTM. Before that, adios ;)

Did you find a solution? I could not find a way to import StartLayout in Windows 10 Enterprise. Import-Layout can't handle BIN file exportation like I could do in Windows 8.1. I am trying to Deploying using MDT with no successful customized layout script.

Did you find a solution? I could not find a way to import StartLayout in Windows 10 Enterprise. Import-Layout can't handle BIN file exportation like I could do in Windows 8.1. I am trying to Deploying using MDT with no successful customized layout script.

To 10240 build? No I havent, but I somewhere have read that you should do it with .xml and not with .bin. Have you tried these?

Export-StartLayout -Path C:\Temp\LayoutModification.xml

Import-StartLayout -LayoutPath C:\Temp\LayoutModification.xml -MountPath $env:SystemDrive\

I did find a solution. So Microsoft isnt planning on fixing the import command but the export still works great even on 10130.

Once you have the file you simply need to know where to copy it:

So Export First

Export-StartLayout -path c:\temp\LayoutModification.xml

Then simply copy C:\TEMP\LayooutModification.xml to 

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

Shame on Microsoft for not thinking of Corporate IT Admins, its a common thread in Windows 10.

• Proposed as answer by Eric Weintraub 15 hours 58 minutes ago

I did find a solution. So Microsoft isnt planning on fixing the import command but the export still works great even on 10130.

Once you have the file you simply need to know where to copy it:

So Export First

Export-StartLayout -path c:\temp\LayoutModification.xml

Then simply copy C:\TEMP\LayooutModification.xml to 

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

Shame on Microsoft for not thinking of Corporate IT Admins, its a common thread in Windows 10.

• Proposed as answer by Eric Weintraub Monday, August 31, 2015 3:13 PM

This works fine in my ConfMgr OSD enviroment with 10240 build,

"Import-StartLayout-LayoutPath C:\Temp\LABSstartW10.bin-MountPath$env:SystemDrive\"

• Marked as answer by yannara 16 hours 18 minutes ago
• Edited by yannara 16 hours 17 minutes ago

This works fine in my ConfMgr OSD enviroment with 10240 build,

"Import-StartLayout-LayoutPath C:\Temp\LABSstartW10.bin-MountPath$env:SystemDrive\"

• Marked as answer by yannara Thursday, September 03, 2015 2:53 PM
• Edited by yannara Thursday, September 03, 2015 2:53 PM