link

  • Article

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2

link specifies the path to a shortcut (.lnk) file to the OEM First Run application.

Note

This setting has been deprecated in Windows® 8. The information about this deprecated setting is provided for reference only. The OEM First Run application is not available in Windows 8.

You can create an OEM First Run application to introduce users to the computer, and to provide information about OEM-specific programs or offers. Use this setting with OEMWelcomeCenterLinks to specify shortcuts that appear as tasks in the OEM First Run application Jump List.

path_to_shortcut_file specifies the complete path and the file name of a shortcut file with a .lnk file name extension. The path to the shortcut file must refer to a location on the destination computer.

Note

  • We recommend that you add the shortcut file to the All Users Start menu, for example: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Fabrikam\Welcome.lnk.

  • We recommend that you do not add the shortcut by using the environment variable: %USERPROFILE%. Shortcuts using %USERPROFILE% are applied only to the profile of the next user to log on to the computer. Also, if the setting is applied during the auditUser configuration pass, the shortcut is applied only to the temporary administrator account, which is removed after the computer exits audit mode.

  • We recommend that you add the OEM First Run application as the first shortcut in the Start menu list of most frequently used programs, so that users can access the application repeatedly until they have accomplished all of the OEM-provided First Run tasks. For information, see StartPanelLinks.

  • We recommend that you do not add this shortcut to the taskbar because the OEM First Run application is intended to introduce users to the computer. The taskbar is designed to provide end users with ready access to the applications they use every day. Also, any shortcut that is pinned to the taskbar will not appear on the Start menu list of most frequently used programs.

    • The shortcut file must include the complete path and file name of a corresponding program file with an .exe file name extension. The path to the corresponding program file also must refer to a location on the destination computer.

    Values

    path_to_shortcut_file

    Specifies the path to a shortcut to the OEM First Run application.

    path_to_shortcut_file is a string with a maximum length of 259 characters.

    Valid Configuration Passes

    specialize

    auditUser

    oobeSystem

    Parent Hierarchy

    Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup | OEMWelcomeCenter| link

    Applies To

    For a list of the Windows® editions and architectures that this component supports, see Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup.

    XML Example

    The following XML output specifies a shortcut to the OEM First Run application. The path to the link is also specified in the StartPanelLinks\ Link0 setting, so that the OEM First Run application appears in the Start Panel links list. Ten links appear in the OEM First Run application Jump List.

    <OEMWelcomeCenter>
   <link>%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Fabrikam\Welcome.lnk</link>
</OEMWelcomeCenter>

<StartPanelLinks>
   <Link0>%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Fabrikam\Welcome.lnk</Link0>
</StartPanelLinks>

<OEMWelcomeCenterLinks>
   <Link0>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\View license agreement.lnk</Link0>
   <Link1>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Register your new Fabrikam computer.lnk</Link1>
   <Link2>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Set up an Internet connection.lnk</Link2>
   <Link3>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Install an Antivirus program.lnk</Link3>
   <Link4>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Back up your data.lnk</Link4>
   <Link5>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Get tools from the Fabrikam Download Center.lnk</Link5>
   <Link6>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Purchase accessories for your Fabrikam computer.lnk</Link6>
   <Link7>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Extend your warranty.lnk</Link7>
   <Link8>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Learn about other Fabrikam products.lnk</Link8>
   <Link9>%SystemDrive%\Fabrikam\Welcome\Send feedback to Fabrikam.lnk</Link9>
<\OEMWelcomeCenterLinks>

    See Also

    Concepts

    OEMWelcomeCenterLinks
    StartPanelLinks