Control Panel

Disable Control Panel access

The "Disable Control Panel access" check box lets you disable all access to Control Panel programs. This setting prevents Control.exe, the program file for Control Panel, from starting. As a result, users cannot start Control Panel or run any Control Panel items.

This setting also removes Control Panel from the (new) Start menu and removes the Control Panel folder from Windows Explorer.

If users try to select a Control Panel item from the Properties item on a context menu, a message appears explaining that a setting prevents the action.

Note: Changing this setting requires a logoff.

Control panel style

This setting affects the visual style and presentation of the Control Panel.

It allows you to disable the new style of Control Panel, which is category-based, and use the Windows 2000 style, referred to as the "classic" Control Panel. The new Control Panel, referred to as the "simple" Control Panel, simplifies how users interact with settings by providing a category-based interface. This is the default setting. In this mode, users can change to the "classic" Control Panel if they whish.

If you select "Force simple Control Panel", Control Panel is set to the catagory-based style. Users cannot switch to the "classic" Control Panel style.

If you select "Force classic Control Panel", Control Panel will be set to the "classic" style. Users cannot switch to the new "simple" style Control Panel.

Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs

Restrict Add/Remove Programs

The "Restrict Add/Remove Programs" check box lets you prevent users from using "Add or Remove Programs". Selecting this setting removes "Add or Remove Programs" from Control Panel and removes the "Add or Remove Programs" item from menus.

"Add or Remove Programs" lets users install, uninstall, repair, add and remove features and components of Windows and a wide variety of Windows programs. Programs published or assigned to the user appear in "Add or Remove Programs".

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to install or uninstall programs.

Hide Change/Remove button

The "Hide Change/Remove button" check box lets you remove the "Change/Remove Programs" button. The "Change/Remove Programs" button lets users uninstall, repair, add or remove features of installed programs.

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to change/remove programs.

Hide "Add New Programs"

The "Hide Add New Programs" check box lets you remove the "Add New Programs" button. The "Add New Programs" button lets users install programs published or assigned by a system administrator.

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to install programs.

Hide "Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk"

The "Hide Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk" check box lets you remove the "Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk" section from the "Add New Programs" page. This prevents users from using "Add or Remove Programs" to install programs from removable media.

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to add or remove program components.

Hide "Add programs from Microsoft"

The "Hide Add programs from Microsoft" check box lets you remove the "Add programs from Microsoft" section from the "Add New Programs" page. This setting prevents users from using "Add or Remove Programs" to connect to Windows Update.

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to connect to Windows Update.

Hide "Add/Remove Windows Components"

The "Hide Add/Remove Windows Components" check box lets you remove the "Add/Remove Windows Components" button from "Add or Remove Programs".

The "Add/Remove Windows Components" button lets users configure installed services and use the Windows Component Wizard to add, remove and configure components of Windows from the installation files.

This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to configure services or add or remove program components. However, this setting blocks user access to the Windows Component Wizard.

Remove "Support Information"

The "Remove Support Information" check box lets you remove links to the Support Info dialog box from programs on the "Change or Remove Programs" page.

Programs listed on the "Change or Remove Programs" page can include a "Click here for support information" hyperlink. When clicked, the hyperlink opens a dialog box that displays troubleshooting information, including a link to the installation files and data that users need to obtain product support for, such as the Product ID and version number of the program. The dialog box also includes a hyperlink to support information on the Internet, such as the Microsoft Product Support Services Web page.

Note: Not all programs provide a support information hyperlink.

Remove "Set Program Access and Defaults"

Setting "Remove 'Set Program Access and Defaults'" will remove the "Set Program Access and Defaults" Icon from the "Add or Remove Programs" applet in Control Panel. This icon is added in Windows XP Service Pack 1 and later.

Control Panel > Display

Disable Display

The "Disable Display" check box lets you disable the Display applet in Control Panel.

When users try to open the Display applet, a message appears explaining that a setting prevents the action.

Hide Desktop tab

The "Hide Desktop tab" check box lets you remove the Desktop tab from the Display applet in Control Panel. This setting prevents users from using Control Panel to change the pattern and wallpaper on the desktop.

Enabling this setting also prevents the user from customizing the desktop by changing icons or adding new Web content through Control Panel.

Prevent wallpaper change

The "Prevent wallpaper change" check box lets you prevent users from adding or changing the background design of the desktop. By default, users can use the Desktop tab of the Display applet in Control Panel to add a background design (wallpaper) to their desktop.

If you enable this setting, the Desktop tab still appears, but all options on the tab are disabled.

To remove the Desktop tab, use the "Hide Desktop tab" setting.

Hide Themes tab

The "Hide Themes tab" check box lets you remove the Themes tab of the Display applet in Control Panel. Using the options under the Themes tab, users can configure the theme for their desktop. By default, Windows has the Windows XP theme.

Note: If you enable this setting but do not set a theme, the theme defaults to whatever the user previously set.

Hide Themes and Appearance tab

The "Hide Themes and Appearance tab" check box lets you remove the "Themes and Appearance" tabs from the Display applet in Control Panel. When this setting is enabled, it also removes the desktop color selection option from the Desktop tab.

This setting prevents users from using Control Panel to change the colors or color scheme and metrics of the desktop items and windows.

Hide Settings tab

The "Hide Settings tab" check box lets you remove the Settings tab from the Display applet in Control Panel. This setting prevents users from using Control Panel to add, configure or change the display settings on the computer.

Hide Screen Saver tab

The "Hide Screen Saver tab" check box lets you remove the Screen Saver tab from the Display applet in Control Panel. This setting prevents users from using Control Panel to add, configure or change the screen saver on the computer.

Control Panel > Appearance

Remove ability to change menu/tooltip animation

The "Remove ability to change menu/tooltip animation" check box lets you prevent users from selecting the option to animate the movement of windows, menus and lists. If you enable this setting, the "Use the following transition effects for menus and tooltips" option in the Display applet (Appearance tab > Effects button) in Control Panel is disabled.

Note: Users can still change these settings if they have access to the System Properties > Advanced tab > Performance settings.

Control Panel > Appearance > Desktop

Disable Windows and buttons style change

The "Disable Windows and buttons style change" check box lets you prevent users from changing the visual style of the windows and buttons displayed on their screens. When enabled, this setting disables the "Windows and buttons" drop-down list on the Appearance tab in Display Properties.

Disable Font size change

The "Disable Font size change" check box lets you prevent users from changing the size of the font in the windows and buttons displayed on their screens. If this setting is enabled, the "Font size" drop-down list on the Appearance tab in Display Properties is disabled.

Disable Theme changes

The "Disable Theme changes" check box lets you prevent users from changing the theme color. If you enable this setting, a user cannot change the color scheme of the current desktop theme.

Control Panel > Printer

Prevent addition of printers

The "Prevent addition of printers" check box lets you prevent users from using familiar methods to add local and network printers. This setting removes the "Add Printer" option from the Start menu. (To find the "Add Printer" option, click Start, click Printers, and then click "Add Printer"). This setting also removes "Add Printer" from the "Printers and Faxes" applet in Control Panel.

Also, users cannot add printers by dragging a printer icon into the Printers folder. If they try, a message appears explaining that a setting prevents the action. However, this setting does not prevent users from using the "Add Hardware" wizard to add a printer. Nor does it prevent users from running other programs to add printers.

This setting does not delete printers that users have already added. However, if users have not added a printer when this setting is applied, they cannot print.

Note I: You can use printer permissions to restrict the use of printers without specifying a setting. In the Printers folder, right-click a printer, click Properties, and then click the Security tab.

Note II: Changing this setting requires a logoff.

Prevent deletion of printers

The "Prevent deletion of printers" check box lets you prevent users from deleting local and network printers. If a user tries to delete a printer, such as by using the Delete option in "Printers and Faxes" in Control Panel, a message appears explaining that a setting prevents the action.

This setting does not prevent users from running other programs to delete a printer.

Note: Changing this setting requires a logoff.

Browse Network for printers

The "Browse Network for printers" check box lets you allow users to use the "Add Printer" wizard to search the network for shared printers. Enabled by default, when users click "Add a network printer" but do not type the name of a particular printer, the "Add Printer" wizard displays a list of all shared printers on the network and invites users to choose a printer from among them.

If you disable this setting, the network printer browse page is removed from within the "Add Printer" wizard, and users cannot search the network but must type a printer name.

Note: This setting affects the "Add Printer" wizard only. It does not prevent users from using other programs to search for shared printers or to connect to network printers.

Control Panel > Screen saver

Screen saver name

Specifies the screen saver for the user's desktop.

If you enable this setting, the system displays the specified screen saver on the user's desktop. Also, this setting disables the drop-down list of screen savers on the "Screen Saver" tab from the Display applet in Control Panel, preventing users from changing the screen saver.

To use this setting, select the name of the file that contains the screen saver by pressing the button labeled "Select", and by browsing to the screen saver you want to use.

Note: To disable this setting, select the screen saver name in the selection box, and press the "Delete" key on your keyboard. This will remove the name of the screen saver. Next press the "Apply" button.

Password protect screen saver

The "Password protect screen saver" check box lets you determine whether screen savers used on the computer are password protected. If you enable this setting, all screen savers are password protected. If you disable this setting, password protection cannot be set on any screen saver.

This setting also disables the "On resume, display Welcome screen" check box on the "Screen Saver" tab from the Display applet in Control Panel, preventing users from disabling this setting.

If you do not configure this setting, users can choose whether or not to set password protection on each screen saver.

This setting is used only when a screen saver is specified for the computer.

Note: To remove the "Screen Saver" tab, use the "Hide Screen Saver tab" setting (under "Control Panel > Disable Display").

Screen saver timeout

Specifies how much user idle time must elapse before the screen saver is launched. When configured, this idle time can be set from a minimum of 1 second to a maximum of 86,400 seconds or 24 hours. If set to zero, the screen saver will never start.

This setting has no effect under any of the following circumstances:

�� - The setting is disabled or not configured.

�� - The wait time is set to zero.

�� - Neither the "Screen saver executable name" setting nor the "Screen Saver" tab of the client computer's Display Properties dialog box specifies a valid, existing screen saver program on the client.

When not configured, whatever wait time is set on the client through the "Screen Saver" tab of the Display Properties dialog box is used. The default is 15 minutes.

Control Panel > Hide applets

Hide specified applets

The "Hide specified applets" check box lets you hide specified Control Panel items and folders. This setting removes Control Panel items (such as Display) and folders (such as Fonts) from the Control Panel window and the Start menu. It can remove Control Panel items you have added to your system, as well as Control Panel items included in Windows.

This setting affects the Start menu and Control Panel window only. It does not prevent users from running Control Panel items.

Note I: This setting does not affect the Categories that are displayed in the new Control Panel Category view in Windows XP. If you want to control which items are displayed in Control Panel, enable the "Force classic style" setting to remove the Category view, and then use this setting to control which .cpl files are not displayed.

Note II: Changing this setting requires a logoff.

Control Panel > Show applets

Show only specified applets

The "Show only specified applets" check box lets you hide all Control Panel items and folders except those specified in this setting. This setting removes all Control Panel items (such as Network) and folders (such as Fonts) from the Control Panel window and the Start menu. It removes Control Panel items you have added to your system, as well as the Control Panel items included in Windows. The only items displayed in Control Panel are those you specify in this setting.

To display a Control Panel item, select the name of the item, such as ncpa.cpl (for Network). To display a folder, select the folder name such as Fonts. If you do not specify any items or folders, the Control Panel window is empty.

This setting affects the Start menu and Control Panel window only. It does not prevent users from running any Control Panel items.

Note I: If both the "Disable specified applets" setting and the "Show only specified applets" setting are enabled, the "Show only specified applets" setting is ignored.

Note II: Changing this setting requires a logoff.