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Upgrading the ADMX Central Store files from Vista to Windows 7

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I had a question from a customer and thought I’d share the answer with everyone. They asked “I want to upgrade our Central Store of ADMX/ADML files for Group Policy from Windows Vista SP2/Windows Server 2008 SP2 to Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2. What do we need to worry about?”. So I redirected them to this blog:

https://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2009/12/09/windows-7-windows-server-2008-r2-and-the-group-policy-central-store.aspx

But we found that there were differences between the ADMX files available in C:WindowsPolicyDefinitions on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. One such difference is highlighted here:

https://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2008/07/18/enabling-group-policy-preferences-debug-logging-using-the-rsat.aspx

I wondered if there were more differences, so I went through all of the ADMX files of:

  • a Windows Server 2008 R2 server with no roles or features installed
  • a Windows Server 2008 R2 server with EVERY role and feature installed
  • a Windows 7 RTM client
  • all of the above with Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 installed

Here are the results:

  • The only ADMX/ADML files which were modified by SP1 related to TerminalServer.admx to include changes relating to Calista or RemoteFX. No other ADMX/ADML files were changed by SP1.
  • Applications like AGPM and Office can add their own ADMX files to the local PolicyDefinitions folder on the server or workstation they are installing to. Make note to add ALL the ADMX/ADML files you need to \FQDNSYSVOLFQDNpolicies
  • Installing Windows Search on the server will add the ADMX/ADML files for this on the server. Adding any other role/feature does NOT add ADMX/ADML files to Servers local PolicyDefinitions folder
  • Get your ADMX/ADML files from a server with all the roles and features installed, and a Windows 7 client with all the features installed, and create a “super-set” of all ADMX/ADML files in your Central Store

 

ADMX/ADML files in Windows Server 2008 R2, which are missing in Windows 7

  • · adfs
  • · GroupPolicy-Server
  • · GroupPolicyPreferences
  • · kdc
  • · mmcsnapins2
  • · NAPXPQec
  • · PowerShellExecutionPolicy
  • · PswdSync
  • · SearchOCR (if Handwriting Recognition is installed)
  • · ServerManager
  • · Snis
  • · TerminalServer-Server
  • · WindowsServer

 

ADMX/ADML files in Windows 7, which are missing in Windows Server 2008 R2

  • · DeviceRedirection
  • · sdiagschd
  • · Search (if not installed on the server)
  • · ShapeCollector

Here is a list of all Files in PolicyDefinitions folder on collected from both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Server (with every role and feature installed) and their dates and sizes:

10-06-2009 23:04 4,717 ActiveXInstallService.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 4,714 AddRemovePrograms.admx

10-06-2009 22:49 1,249 adfs.admx

10-06-2009 22:30 5,393 AppCompat.admx

10-06-2009 22:36 5,965 AttachmentManager.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 3,391 AutoPlay.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 2,968 Biometrics.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 49,181 Bits.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 1,749 CEIPEnable.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,361 CipherSuiteOrder.admx

10-06-2009 22:43 1,329 COM.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 13,967 Conf.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 2,600 ControlPanel.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 10,099 ControlPanelDisplay.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,293 Cpls.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,933 CredentialProviders.admx

10-06-2009 23:00 10,779 CredSsp.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,746 CredUI.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 2,141 CtrlAltDel.admx

10-06-2009 22:43 2,437 DCOM.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 13,576 Desktop.admx

10-06-2009 23:07 18,551 DeviceInstallation.admx

10/06/2009 22:50 2,391 DeviceRedirection.admx

10-06-2009 22:59 1,093 DFS.admx

10-06-2009 22:37 1,992 DigitalLocker.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 3,034 DiskDiagnostic.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 2,758 DiskNVCache.admx

10-06-2009 22:38 6,123 DiskQuota.admx

10-06-2009 22:54 989 DistributedLinkTracking.admx

10-06-2009 22:30 10,290 DnsClient.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 7,656 DWM.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 962 EncryptFilesonMove.admx

10-06-2009 22:40 5,097 EnhancedStorage.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 21,737 ErrorReporting.admx

10-06-2009 22:56 1,996 EventForwarding.admx

10-06-2009 22:56 12,429 EventLog.admx

10-06-2009 22:58 2,528 EventViewer.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 3,836 Explorer.admx

10-06-2009 22:51 2,141 FileRecovery.admx

10-06-2009 22:38 6,172 FileSys.admx

10-06-2009 22:45 2,342 FolderRedirection.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,517 FramePanes.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 2,229 fthsvc.admx

10-06-2009 22:38 2,256 GameExplorer.admx

10-06-2009 23:10 26,800 Globalization.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 1,485 GroupPolicy-Server.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 23,507 GroupPolicy.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 100,025 GroupPolicyPreferences.admx

10-06-2009 22:40 2,647 Help.admx

10-06-2009 22:40 2,830 HelpAndSupport.admx

10-06-2009 22:37 1,701 HotStart.admx

10-06-2009 22:44 32,865 ICM.admx

10-06-2009 22:43 1,243 IIS.admx

10-06-2009 22:48 3,076,705 inetres.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 1,787 InkWatson.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 3,327 InputPersonalization.admx

10-06-2009 22:41 6,868 iSCSI.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 1,980 kdc.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 3,709 Kerberos.admx

10-06-2009 23:02 1,912 LanmanServer.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 2,205 LeakDiagnostic.admx

10-06-2009 22:39 3,681 LinkLayerTopologyDiscovery.admx

10-06-2009 22:44 7,130 Logon.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 1,786 MediaCenter.admx

10-06-2009 22:31 3,580 MMC.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 56,928 MMCSnapins.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 6,994 MMCSnapIns2.admx

10-06-2009 22:37 1,890 MobilePCMobilityCenter.admx

10-06-2009 22:37 1,986 MobilePCPresentationSettings.admx

10-06-2009 22:49 3,626 MSDT.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 2,147 Msi-FileRecovery.admx

10-06-2009 22:40 16,466 MSI.admx

10-06-2009 22:58 1,298 NAPXPQec.admx

10-06-2009 22:34 3,615 NCSI.admx

10-06-2009 22:47 17,738 Netlogon.admx

10-06-2009 22:31 17,024 NetworkConnections.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 2,443 NetworkProjection.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 25,505 OfflineFiles.admx

10-06-2009 22:54 8,498 P2P-pnrp.admx

10-06-2009 22:44 1,381 ParentalControls.admx

10-06-2009 22:46 9,071 pca.admx

10-06-2009 22:56 3,648 PeerToPeerCaching.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 1,773 PenTraining.admx

10-06-2009 22:33 2,292 PerfCenterCPL.admx

10-06-2009 23:07 7,555 PerformanceDiagnostics.admx

10-06-2009 23:07 1,939 PerformancePerftrack.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 35,966 Power.admx

10-06-2009 22:41 2,029 PowerShellExecutionPolicy.admx

10-06-2009 22:44 6,901 PreviousVersions.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 30,822 Printing.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 3,239 Programs.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 3,344 PswdSync.admx

10-06-2009 22:50 13,257 QOS.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 1,273 RacWmiProv.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 1,972 Radar.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 1,236 ReAgent.admx

10-06-2009 22:57 3,722 Reliability.admx

10-06-2009 22:51 7,150 RemoteAssistance.admx

10-06-2009 23:07 23,268 RemovableStorage.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 6,292 RPC.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 6,991 Scripts.admx

10-06-2009 22:48 2,519 sdiageng.admx

10/06/2009 22:49 2,027 sdiagschd.admx

10-06-2009 22:34 43,882 Search.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 11,602 SearchOCR.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 1,370 Securitycenter.admx

10-06-2009 22:34 3,888 Sensors.admx

10-06-2009 22:48 3,334 ServerManager.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 1,588 Setup.admx

10/06/2009 23:08 1,187 ShapeCollector.admx

10-06-2009 22:54 1,634 SharedFolders.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,985 Sharing.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 3,466 Shell-CommandPrompt-RegEditTools.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,157 ShellWelcomeCenter.admx

10-06-2009 22:58 5,039 Sidebar.admx

10-06-2009 22:31 7,397 Sideshow.admx

10-06-2009 23:03 9,691 Smartcard.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 2,057 Snis.admx

10-06-2009 23:00 2,307 Snmp.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 1,943 SoundRec.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 25,663 StartMenu.admx

10-06-2009 23:01 2,833 SystemResourceManager.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 1,716 SystemRestore.admx

10-06-2009 22:46 12,737 TabletPCInputPanel.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 12,313 TabletShell.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 9,365 Taskbar.admx

10-06-2009 22:58 5,520 TaskScheduler.admx

10-06-2009 22:49 10,059 tcpip.admx

10-06-2009 22:39 17,774 TerminalServer-Server.admx

04/11/2010 17:56 83,116 TerminalServer.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 2,352 Thumbnails.admx

10-06-2009 23:05 2,726 TouchInput.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 3,409 TPM.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 8,101 UserDataBackup.admx

10-06-2009 22:56 15,021 UserProfiles.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 40,554 VolumeEncryption.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 6,277 W32Time.admx

10-06-2009 22:49 2,512 WDI.admx

10-06-2009 22:52 1,768 WinCal.admx

10-06-2009 22:42 14,532 Windows.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 1,265 WindowsAnytimeUpgrade.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 3,702 WindowsBackup.admx

10-06-2009 22:45 2,024 WindowsColorSystem.admx

10-06-2009 22:39 4,085 WindowsConnectNow.admx

10-06-2009 23:04 5,115 WindowsDefender.admx

10-06-2009 22:53 35,942 WindowsExplorer.admx

10-06-2009 23:08 &nbs

Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    Hi,   A while back I posted something similar regarding upgrading the PolicyDefinitions folder in

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    ##############################

UPDATE (22 March 2013)

The ADMX and ADML files for Windows

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    @Jason Hamilton - "PowerShellExecutionPolicy.admx" is already in the list above. See the section called: "ADMX/ADML files in Windows Server 2008 R2, which are missing in Windows 7"

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    @NomDeGuerre - Here are 2 alternate methods to work around this:

  1. Download the ADMX/ADML pack - noting this is RTM, not SP1, so the TerminalServer.admx file will be out of date.
  2. Take any install of Win7 and any install of Win2K8R2 and search for *.admx and *.adml from C:Windowswinsxs and copy them from there. I hope that helps.

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    I noticed that the Windows 7 Policy Spreadsheet that enumerates all of the ADMX files is missing Search.admx and Windows.admx.  Do you know why or do you know where we can find a copy of those?

  • Anonymous
    January 01, 2003
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    July 19, 2011
    It seems that those files are part of the Windows 7 C:WindowsPolicyDefinitions folder

  • Anonymous
    June 15, 2012
    @Craig Forster PowerShellExecutionPolicy.admx is missing from the ADMX/ADML pack, so grab that from a Win2K8R2 server when creating the Central Store.