The best way to learn about the Win 8 Group Policy editor is through
examples. Try changing settings and preferences using Gpedit.msc.
If an edit does not seem to work, check your logic, because you don't have
to logoff / logon before they work.
The concept is that administrators use group policy to map drives, rather
than grappling with tricky VBScript methods to create logon scripts.
Incidentally, they then have to 'wire-up' these scripts using group policy,
so better to take a short cut and master
Drive Maps.
Win 8 Group Policy to Disable USB Drives
There are two main ways of editing Group Policy settings to prevent users from
using USB drives. Firstly, stop them installing the drivers, or if you
are too late for that, prevent them from reading or writing to the USB
drive. See more on using
Group Policy to Disable a USB drive.
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One way of creating workable group policies is to combine the thoughts of two
experienced members of staff with different view points of view. My
suggestion would be to pair a techie, who knows the group policies, with a
manager who has a vision of what the company's Windows 8 computers interface
should provide for the users. See more on
Windows 8 Group Policy settings.
Review of Win 8 Group Policy Preferences
Concepts
Please note, you won't see the 'Preferences' folder in Gpedit, they only
appear in the GPMC (Group Policy Management Console).
The difference between traditional Group Policies, and editing the new
flexible Preferences is that Group Policies Settings force the configuration
on users, whereas Preferences merely advice people of the administrator's
best choice for their computer environment.
There are broadly three reasons for launching Gpedit.msc:
To restrict users, for
example, 'Prevent users from adding or removing toolbars'.
To pamper users, for example to adjust settings that confuse
users, such as 'AutoPlay' where without a policy their machine would play the wrong
media by default.
To configure the machine with old settings
that were found in previous versions of Windows, but have been
replaced, phased out, or deprecated in Windows 8.
Example Group Policy: To Disable a Windows
8 Firewall
In this example 'Protect all network connections' policy can prevent even
administrators from changing the Firewall settings in the Control Panel.
Computer Configuration . Administrative Templates ... Network .....
Network Connections [Key folder] ....... Standard Profile [Check Domain
Profile] ......... Windows Firewall: Protect all network connections
(Disable)
Note : As with many Windows 8 Group Policies, check the
logic, for instance, Protect -- > Disable. This means you have no
firewall protection. See more on
disabling Windows 8 Firewalls.
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Use a Spare Laptop for Testing Failed experiments on a domain
controller will alienate users, therefore it's better to practice with
Gpedit on a Windows 8 laptop, than jump in the deep end with GPMC on a
Windows Server 2008 domain controller.
Get a Simple Policy Working My advice is to build
on success. Get a simple, easy setting to work before stepping into
the unknown.
Incidentally, it always amazes how once I get one policy working it seems easier
to get other more tricky settings to do what I ask of them.
Read the Policy Carefully Be careful with double negatives in group policies,
for instance, 'Turn off xyz...' Disabled, would mean a user gets xyz.
Check your logic with a quick look at the description of a policy you are
about to apply. See more on
Microsoft's Group Policies.
»
Summary of Win 8 Group Policy Editor
Here are illustrations of the Win 8 Group Policy editor in action.
I have chosen examples from the traditional settings, and also from the
'Prefences' section. If you try my changes, then you don't have to logoff / logon before they
take effect.
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