Using Group Policy Settings for Desktop Control
Group Policy settings should be enforced using Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory. However, when necessary, you can use Group Policy locally to control desktop settings and configuration options such as:
Wallpaper and screen saver settings.
Start and Programs menu options.
Display properties.
The following sections discuss many of the user interface options you can configure, as well as the Group Policy settings that might affect those options. Options that are not set by Group Policy can be configured by the user and are saved in the user's profile. However, when Group Policy settings are in effect, they take precedence over user-implemented configurations.
Overall, there are more than 550 different Group Policy settings, and the best way to see all the different options is to study an installed version of Windows 2000 Professional. For more information about Group Policy settings and using Group Policy in non-Windows 2000 Server networks, see "Introduction to Configuration and Management" in this book and "Group Policy" in the Distributed Systems Guide.
Applying Group Policy Settings to Multiple Users of the Same Computer
If you want to enforce Group Policy settings in a non-Windows 2000 Server network and want different settings for each user of the same computer, you need to use System Policy Editor. For more information about using System Policy Editor, see "Introduction to Configuration and Management" in this book.
Applying Group Policy Settings to the Desktop
Most of the local computer Group Policy settings that control desktop functions are configured under the User ConfigurationAdministrative Templates node in Group Policy. As illustrated in Figure 8.1, Group Policy settings are located in the following folders: Start Menu & Taskbar, Desktop, DesktopActive Desktop, and Control PanelDisplay.
To open Group Policy, click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.
Figure 8.1 Location of Group Policy Settings for Customizing the Desktop
For detailed descriptions of each Group Policy setting, right-click the setting in Group Policy, click Properties, and then click the Explain tab. Some of the desktop local computer Group Policy settings are discussed later in this chapter. For a more comprehensive description of Group Policy settings, refer to the Group Policy Reference on the Windows 2000 Resource Kit companion CD.