ITS has developed an automated fix to restore application shortcuts that were deleted earlier today from Windows computers by a Microsoft change. This process will restore the Start Menu listings for Microsoft Office products, web browsers, and Adobe Acrobat Reader but it may take several hours to complete. To restore the shortcuts more quickly on your computer, click the Start Menu and select Company Portal, then select the Fix Start Menu Shortcuts option. You can also re-add the shortcuts to your Favorites or re-pin them to the Task Bar.
To manually recreate shortcuts for less common applications you use, refer to the instructions in this knowledge base article on re-adding shortcuts.
Microsoft is currently implementing a fix to prevent shortcuts from disappearing again. ITS has also implemented workarounds recommended by Microsoft to help ensure these issues will not recur. We will continue monitoring the situation until Microsoft has fully completed their remediation steps. This will likely be the last update from ITS until that milestone is achieved.
Please contact the ITS Support Center at 515-271-3001 or service.drake.edu/its if you continue experiencing issues with missing shortcuts or applications that won’t launch.