In our existing Windows 7 environment, we use Citrix XenApp published applications integrated with our start menu under the XenApp folder. However, my Windows 8 start menu is automatically filled with every published application automatically when I logon. See attached screenshot. I'm in IT so I have access to lots of apps but this would be unworkable for normal users as well.

Whilst I can tag them all and remove them, they get added when you logon on again. I assume this is because of the way Citrix Receiver populates the local start menu and my guess is the following is happening.

1. Citrix receiver starts in the background and deletes all of it's shortcuts in the start menu. This is confirmed as when you first logon, the Windows 8 start screen doesn't contain any published apps and they pop up a short while later
2. Citrix Receiver then talks to the XenApp system to retrieve the current list of published apps
3. Citrix Receiver re-creates the shortcuts in my start menu structure
4. Windows 8 spots these new shortcuts and re-adds them to the start screen even though I'd removed them before - as far as it's concerned, they are new shortcuts

I'm looking at ways of getting around this and whilst I've also posted on the Citrix forums, I thought I'd ask here as there might be some control that Windows 8 could do without requiring a modification to Citrix Receiver.

1. Configure Windows 8 to not automatically add shortcuts from my own personal start menu to the start screen. Anyone know whether this is possible?
2. Failing just restricting to my own personal start menu, turn off automatically adding any icons to the start menu. Once again, is this possible?
3. Maybe there is some group policy setting to control the above?
4. What is this feature of automatically adding tiles called? Would help me in searching for a solution

Any thoughts appreciated.

Cheers, Rob.

• Changed type Niki HanModerator Tuesday, March 05, 2013 4:09 AM

Perhaps Citrix support/forum would help. I do not think this is specific problem in clean W 8 installation.

http://forums.citrix.com/

Regards

Milos

Hi Milos,

As I said, I have posted in the Citrix forums as well but my feeling is that any chance of stopping Windows 8 auto-populating my tiles from C:\Users\rob.nicholson\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs will be achieved by some Windows 8 setting or policy.

Cheers, Rob.

There is no group policy or setting to prevent pinning to Start Screen. You can find third party tool to achieve this.

Pulled this off recently using a custom Citrix "service site", with the application hide method. Basically configure your service site to display icons on the desktop, pin the appropriate applications, and then hide all other icons.

http://blogs.citrix.com/2011/07/06/hiding-applications-on-web-interface-xenapp-and-services-sites/