We've deployed Windows 7 32bit persistent linked clones in a VMWare View 4.5 environment and occasionally users will report that their desktop icons will disappear. The user profiles are redirected to a DFS path on a file server. The DFS configuration consists of 2 root targets (both AD domain controllers) pointing to 1 target (file server). Status on all the DFS targets shows as Online and no errors appear in the event logs on any of the servers. The Windows 7 desktops, domain controllers, and file server are all in the same subnet, not separated via any slow links or routers. Same subnet.
None of our Windows XP persistent linked clones have ever exhibited this behaviour. I've tried pointing the Windows 7 desktops to the file server via the IP address of the file server, but that didn't solve the issue. I've adjusted the MaxCachedIcons setting in the registry which didn't help either. When the icons disappear a reboot of the desktop usually solves the issue.
In testing yesterday I noticed some very odd behaviour. User calls and states icons are gone. I remote to their machine and there are only the My Computer, Recycle Bin on the desktop. I browse to the redirected DFS path which we'll call \\dfspath\corp\fldredir\username\desktop where their icons should be. The shortcuts all appear in that directory, yet they don't appear on the desktop. I create a new icon and it shows on their desktop. I then login to the file server, pull up the \\dfspath\corp\fldredir\username\desktop directory, but don't see the icon the user just created. I then create a new icon in the users desktop directory from the file server. Icon shows up on the Windows 7 desktop.
Even after rebooting the Windows 7 desktop, their icons may reappear, however the icons they created on the desktop while all the other icons were gone, DO NOT show up on the file server. It's like the desktop is caching them somewhere, but I've pulled my hair out trying to find where. I've searched the local disk, the UDD, and the disposable disk for the names of the newly created icons and can't find them. We don't employ Offline Files and the service is turned off on the desktop, turned off in Group Policy, and the file share where the user profiles are stored doesn't have the option turned on.