ASRmageddon – May I have my shortcuts back, please?

Update History

  • v1.0.0.3 Added support for a lot more apps
  • v1.0.0.2 Added VMWare Workstation as app and fixed a typo

About the script

ASRmageddon “May I have my shortcuts back, please”? …the immediate answer seems to be no, there are no “single” fix to get all your affected shortcuts back.
The good news is that Microsoft has pushed an update to make sure that no new devices will get in trouble, but the harm is already done in most cases.
Microsoft has created a script that takes care of the most common apps and shortcuts but we must customize as per our specific needs.

🎗️Credits goes to Microsoft for creating and sharing the script.

So, how can I get my shortcuts back then? ASRmageddon

The best solution right now seems to be to create a list of the affected apps/shortcuts and recover them by using a script. If you just miss shortcuts for Office I recommend that you repair the Office installation to get them back, below solution does however take care of them as well.

Here is how I do it (this post will be updated when/if I find a better solution).

Download the script

My version is based upon the official Microsoft script with below differences:

  • I use PSADT to make it easier to deploy as a Win32App
  • Log file location has been changed to “C:\Windows\Logs\Software” (this is a well known log location for a lot of admins)
  • I have added more applications to the list, the list will be updated regularly

MS version is found here: Download uncustomized version

Download my version: NicklasAhlberg/ASRmageddon (github.com)

Get going with the customized version

Follow these steps if you want to give my approach a try

  1. Extract the zip file.
  2. Open Deploy-Application.ps1 with your favorite editor
  3. Optional: Edit line 25 with your organization name. The name will be written to registry for detection later on.
  4. Optional: Add more applications to the list (starting from line 113) as per your needs.
  5. Wrap the contents to .intunewin
    I am using my Rock Enroll Tool in below print screen:
  6. Upload the package to Intune with below settings:

    Program:
    Install command: Deploy-Application.exe -DeploymentType Install
    Uninstall command: Deploy-Application.exe -DeploymentType Uninstall

    Detection rules:
    Rules format: Manually configure detection rules
    Detection rules: Registry
    Key path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rockenroll.tech\Detection\Shortcut Recovery ❗”Rockenroll.tech” must match the value of line 25 in the script. Change it as per your need
    Value name: Version
    Detection method: Version comparison
    Operator: Greater than or equal to
    Value: 1.0.0.3 (❗please note that the version number will be updated regularly, below printscreen will however not be updated).
  7. I recommend that you assign it to a test group to find more applications that needs to be added to the application list. Assign it to all your Windows devices when you are happy with the script.
  8. The log file will be located in C:\Windows\Logs\Software in all targeted devices.

2 thoughts on “ASRmageddon – May I have my shortcuts back, please?

  1. Hi Nicklas, thanks for your post. the script in GitHub is empty only has READme file, please advice.

    1. Hi! Thanks for reaching out. The downloadable files are actually found in the “Releases” section over at GitHub 🙂

      //Nicklas

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