Group Policy settings overview
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
Group Policy settings overview
With Group Policy settings, you can define the configuration of a user's desktop environment. Settings are available for Computer Configuration and User Configuration. In addition to client computers and users, you can apply these settings to member servers and domain controllers within the scope of an Active Directory forest.
Administrative Templates folder
The Administrative Templates folders are available under Computer Configuration and User Configuration in Group Policy Object Editor. These folders contain registry settings. For more information, see Administrative Templates.
The following table contains links to Help for all of the registry settings included in the five default Administrative Templates.
| For these settings | Open this Administrative Template | Reference |
|---|---|---|
System settings that control features such as desktop, network connections, shared folders, and Control Panel. |
System (System.adm) |
Group Policy settings for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family |
Internet Explorer settings that control features such as security zones, proxy settings, search, and temporary Internet files. |
Internet Explorer (Inetres.adm) |
Group Policy settings for Internet Explorer |
Windows Media Player settings that control features such as proxy settings, codec, and network buffering. This tool is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems. This tool is not available on the x64-based versions of the Windows operating systems. |
Windows Media Player (Wmplayer.adm) |
Group Policy settings for Windows Media Player |
NetMeeting settings to control features such as application sharing, audio, video, and chat. This tool is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems. This tool is not available on the x64-based versions of the Windows operating systems. |
NetMeeting (Conf.adm) |
Group Policy settings for NetMeeting v3.01 |
Windows Update settings that control features such as automatic software updates through the Internet. |
Windows Update (Wuau.adm) |
Group Policy settings for Windows Update |
Software Settings folder
The Software Settings folders are available under Computer Configuration and the User Configuration in Group Policy Object Editor. The Computer Configuration\Software Settings folder contains software settings that apply to all users who log on to the computer. This folder contains software installation settings, and it might contain other settings that are placed there by independent software vendors. The User Configuration\Software Settings folder contains software settings that apply to users regardless of which computer they log on to. This folder also contains software installation settings, and it might contain other settings that are placed there by independent software vendors. For more information, see Software Settings.
Windows Settings folder
The Windows Settings folders are available under Computer Configuration and User Configuration in Group Policy Object Editor. The Computer Configuration\Windows Settings folder contains Windows settings that apply to all users who log on to the computer. This folder also contains the following items: Security Settings and Scripts. The User Configuration\Windows Settings folder contains Windows settings that apply to users regardless of which computer they log on to. This folder also contains the following items: Folder Redirection, Security Settings, and Scripts. For more information, see Windows Settings.
Security Settings folder
The Security Settings folders are available under Computer Configuration and User Configuration in Group Policy Object Editor. Security settings or security policies are rules that you configure on a computer or multiple computers that protect resources on a computer or network. With security settings you can specify the security policy of an organizational unit, domain, or site. To view a complete list and detailed information about security settings, see Security Setting Descriptions. To specify security settings on a local computer, see Local Security Policy. For more information, see Security Settings extension to Group Policy.