Group Policy Desktop Settings

Hello

I am testing a group policy for different users to have various desktop settings. I have tried this by using the group policy on a server, such as hiding desktop icons by enabling that policy in the user configuration>Administrative Templates but then each time I restart a Windows XP machine on the network the policy has not took force.

Even when I have applied the same settings on an XP machine it doesn't work.

What is the best way to apply such a policy by configuring it on a server to apply to different user accounts when they log onto their own desktops?

Any help much appreciated,

Thanks,
Jeff

 

GPO for network machines

Hi there
Do your computers have domain accounts ?? otherwise group policy objects wont be applied to the machines. With XP you dont need to restart the machine to update group policy you can run gpupdate from the command prompt.
Also with XP you cant have different policies for different users as such ( you can in vista ) you will need to group users in OU's ( organisational units ) then apply the relevant group policy to that OU.

 

Hi Pete

Thanks for your response.

Yes the computers do have domain accounts. It does make sense that the policies need to be applied to OUs.

May I ask where specifically I would apply such a policy as preventing access to desktop icons, Internet Explorer, but only access to things like Microsoft Office applications and emails in Outlook.

I saw a policy in the GPO where it disables desktop icons but nothing where a user may be limited to only using specific applications like Office 2003 for example.

Hope this makes some kind of sense.

Thanks,
Jeff