MyPCHealth

Group Policy Essentials

I have recently developed a Windows 7 Group policy for our network. Unfortunately i have to say it was an absolute nightmare. But i hope this page will make some of the nightmare settings to lock down windows 7 easier for you to deploy as i spent stupid amounts of hours sorting it out.

The Items that i found most difficulty in sorting when developing my group policy where the following::

• Remove the network icon from the navigation pane in explorer.
• Remove the Libraries Folders from the navigation pan in explorer
• Remove the uninstall or change a program button from the explorer menu
• Stop Win 7 prompting for privileges to install a network printer

Stop Windows 7 from prompting the user for privelges when installing a network printer

To do this there is actually a setting within the group policy manager in Windows server 2008. This policy is called Point and Print Restrictions. To stop the promt follow the instructions below:

• On your server, open up group policy management
• Create a new policy under the organisation unit you wish it to deploy to.
• In the left window Expand the following User Configuration - Policies - Administrative Templates - Control Panel - and then Printers.

• Right-click Point and Print Restrictions, and then click Properties. C
• Click Enabled.
• Clear the following check boxes:
• Users can only point and print to these servers
• Users can only point and print to machines in their forest
• In the When installing drivers for a new connection box, select Do not show warning or elevation prompt.
• Scroll down, and in the When updating drivers for an existing connection box, select Do not show warning or elevation prompt. (see image below)

• Click OK.

If this does not work. It is worth changing the setting to deploy at the computer configuration level rather than the user level.