I’ve put up with this for a while, my business pretty much runs on Teams now, so when theres no notification badges on the Teams icon (in the Dock), my response times can be ‘not great‘. In fact, usually I get my head down into a job, and check Teams just to see a ‘ton‘ of messages that need my input. (Some might think that’s a good way to work,) but when you check it at quarter to five, and find an hours worth of extra work, it’s annoying.
Teams Notifications Solution
Within teams > Click the three dots (ellipses) near your user image > Settings > Notifications > Ensure the style is set to ‘Mac’.
Ventua OSX
Click the Apple Icon at the top of your screen > System Settings > Notifications > Scroll down to Microsoft Teams > Click it.
Make sure ‘Allow Notifications‘ is turned on.
Older Versions od OSX
Click the Apple Icon at the top of your screen > Preferences > Notifications & Focus > Scroll down to Microsoft Teams > Make sure ‘Allow Notifications‘ is turned on > Make sure ‘Badge app icon‘ is enabled.
Restart MS Teams, problem sorted.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
ThinApp is an “Odd” VMware product, insofar as it’s got nothing to do with virtual machines or virtual technology. It’s a product that turns applications into “Stand alone” thin applications, that can be sent to a user and ran without the need for that user to have administrative access, or the need to install anything.
ThinApp was a product called Thinstall that VMware purchased and “re-badged”, you get a free copy with VMware View 5 (Premier Edition). And it ships with a copy of VMware workstation. (Not because it needs a copy, but VMware recommends you use a clean virtual machine to create your ThinApps on).
If you’ve ever used sysdiff in the past or Novell Zenworks for Desktops, you will be familiar with the process, take a ‘scan’ of a clean machine, then install application(s), then carry out another ‘scan’. The software then works out the ‘difference’ and uses that information to build a software package.
In the example below I’m going to create a stand alone version of Google Chrome, that is pre configured, and has Java already installed, and finally deploy that as a single executable file.
Solution
1. It’s recommended that you create your ThinApp on the oldest operating system that it might be deployed on, so here I’m creating a virtual machine in VMware workstation that’s running Windows XP.
2. When built remove any hardware that will not be needed, like the floppy drive, and the USB Controller (Edit > Settings).
3. Installing ThinApp is pretty straightforward, simply run the executable and follow the on screen prompts the only thing to note is; when you enter your licence key, be aware the name you enter will display on the “splash screen” as your ThinApp loads (as shown).
4. Once your reference machine is setup, take a snapshot of it, so you can roll back to this point to create further ThinApps on this clean machine (VM > Snapshot > Take Snapshot).
5. Run the ThinApp Setup Capture > Next > Prescan > This will take a few minutes > When finished simply minimise the window you are finished with it for now. Note: Don’t worry if the application you are installing requires a reboot, ThinApp is clever enough to cope with that.
6. Now install and configure the application you require, in this case Google Chrome. I’m also installing Java, and setting the default homepage to the Google search page.
7. When the application is installed to your liking, maximise (or open the capture if you’ve rebooted) and select ‘Postscan’ > OK.
Note: Before running Postscan make sure you delete any installer files downloaded, any icons from the desktop you do not want deployed in the ThinApp, and empty the recycle bin (you don’t want all that stuff captured, when creating your ThinApp).
8. Make sure only the executable you require is ticked as an entry point > Next > At the Horizon App Manage Page > Next.
9. In a domain environment you can restrict ThinApp access to particular users or groups > Next.
10. Set the isolation mode as required, for most cases it will be ‘Full’ > Next.
11. Select the option to store the sandbox in the user profile > Next > Select whether you want to provide statistics to VMware > Next.
12. You will see this screen ONLY of you are capturing a browser. This is used if you have a particular website that will only run in IE6, or Firefox etc. So that only when URL’s enters listed here are accessed (either directly or from a hyper link) the ThinApp browser will open them, all other URL’s will be opened by the default browser. It’s a cool feature but not one I’m using > Next.
13. Give your ThinApp a name > Next.
14. I’m choosing the option to embed everything into my executable, selecting this may cause a warning about icons, but I ignored and deployed with no problems > Save.
Note: You can use this page to create an MSI file to deploy via group policy if you wish.
15. After ThinApp generates the files it needs > Build.
16. Finish
17. Heres my ThinApp executable file.
18. To test I’ve copied it to a Windows 7 machine.
19. While it’s loading this is what you will see.
20. And here is my ThinApp version of Google Chrome running and pre configured.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
The last time I wrote about deploying applications with ThinApp, it was geared towards getting standalone applications onto client PC’s for non admins to run, or putting them in a network share. But if you have a portable application the advantage is you can run it from portable media (Like a USB drive).
Like before I’ll convert Google Chrome to a ThinApp, but the difference is I will set the applications ‘sandbox’ to live in the same location (on the USB). Then I’ll try it out on a different machine.
Solution
1. It’s recommended that you create your ThinApp on the oldest operating system that it might be deployed on, so here I’m creating a virtual machine in VMware workstation that’s running Windows XP.
2. When built remove any hardware that will not be needed, like the floppy drive, and the USB Controller (Edit > Settings).
3. Installing ThinApp is pretty straightforward, simply run the executable and follow the on screen prompts the only thing to note is; when you enter your licence key, be aware that the name you enter will display on the “splash screen” as your ThinApp loads.
4. Once your reference machine is setup, take a snapshot of it, so you can roll back to this point to create further ThinApps on this clean machine (VM > Snapshot > Take Snapshot).
5. Run the ThinApp Setup Capture > Next.
6. Prescan > This will take a few minutes > When finished simply minimise the window you are finished with it for now. Note: Don’t worry if the application you are installing requires a reboot, ThinApp is clever enough to cope with that.
7. Now install and configure the application you require, in this case Google Chrome. I’m also installing Java, and setting the default homepage to the Google search page.
8. When the application is installed to your liking, maximise (or open the capture if you’ve rebooted) and select ‘Postscan’ > OK.
Note: Before running Postscan make sure you delete any installer files downloaded, any icons from the desktop you do not want deployed in the ThinApp, and empty the recycle bin (you don’t want all that stuff captured, when creating your ThinApp).
9. Make sure only the executable you require is ticked as an entry point > Next.
10. At the Horizon App Manage Page > Next.
11. In a domain environment you can restrict ThinApp access to particular users or groups > Next.
12. Set the isolation mode as required, for most cases it will be ‘Full’ > Next.
13. As you are storing the App on USB I’d suggest (though you don’t have to) set the application to save its sandbox in the same directory.
14. Select whether you want to provide statistics to VMware > Next.
15. You will see this screen ONLY if you are capturing a browser. This is used if you have a particular website that will only run in IE6, or Firefox etc. So that only when URL’s entered, listed here, are accessed (either directly or from a hyper link) the ThinApp browser will open them, all other URL’s will be opened by the default browser. It’s a cool feature but not one I’m using > Next.
16. Give your ThinApp a name > Next.
17. I’m choosing the option to embed everything into my executable, selecting this may cause a warning about icons, but I ignored and deployed with no problems > Save.
18. After ThinApp generates the files it needs > Build.
I wrote an article ages ago about ‘How to shut down Windows 8‘ but what if you simply want a shortcut to save you the hassle, and have that on your start menu?
Solution
1. Press Windows Key+R > In the run box type the following;
Whenever I build a new machine, one of the first things I do, is open Regedit > Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > lnkfile and remove the “IsShortcut” Value, and voila! the annoying shortcut arrows are gone.
DONT DO THAT!
If you do, you will notice that you can no longer add shortcuts to the “Windows Explorer Favorites” (well you can but you can’t see them), also it disables (Grays Out) the Expand option for Favorites. It took me ages to find out that my registry hacking had caused the problem. so I put the registry key back again (restore it with this).
I even tried to use FxVisor to remove the shortcut arrows, and that didn’t work either.
3. Navigate to C:Icons and run the RemoveArrow.reg file.
4. Accept the Warning.
5. Click OK.
6. Reboot – Arrows are gone.
Update 08/03/12 (Received Email form Steve Stroud)
Hi Pete,
Tried your method to remove the Shortcut Arrow from the desktop icons in Windows 8, using RemoveArrow.reg but how have a blank white document image on top of each icon, which look worse an the arrow! How do I change them Back. Looking forward to your reply. Regards Steve.
– Well I dont’t want to be the guy who breaks stuff! So I tested the procedure again an a fresh Windows 8 Box.
And it still worked fine, (that’s not helping Steve though), so to revert back simply run the following command (thats one line if it wraps), and reboot;
