Customizing your computer using Group Policy

Products in the Windows Server 2003 family provide a number of ways to customize your computer. Using items in Control Panel, you can change the way your desktop looks, change the sounds associated with program events, and change the look and speed of your mouse pointer.

Another way to customize your computer is by using Group Policy. In a network domain environment, administrators use Group Policy to customize and configure computers on the network. In an environment where you have one stand-alone computer or several computers joined in a workgroup, you can still use Group Policy to customize your computer.

To open Group Policy

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.

When Group Policy opens, you will see two options in Local Computer Policy: Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Computer Configuration allows you to set policies that apply to your computer, regardless of who logs on. User Configuration allows you to set policies that apply to each user who logs on to the computer.

Using Group Policy on your computer

You can customize your desktop environment by enabling or disabling different policy settings. For example, you can remove icons from your desktop, customize the Start menu, and simplify the Control Panel using Group Policy. You can also add scripts that will run on your computer when it starts up or shuts down, and when users log on or log off. You can even configure Internet Explorer.

The following table lists the four main areas in which you can set policies to customize your computer:

Using Group Policy when your computer is joined to a network domain

If your computer is part of a corporate network, it is possible that the network administrator will configure your computer using these features of Group Policy. The Group Policy settings applied by your network administrator take precedence over any of the Group Policy settings you have configured on your computer.

You can find more information about the Group Policy settings that have been applied to your computer in Help and Support Center.

To open Help and Support Center to view policy information

1. Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
2. Under Support Tasks, click Tools.
3. In Tools, click Help and Support Center tools.
4. In Help and Support Center tools, click Advanced System Information.
5. In Advanced System Information, click Group Policy settings applied.

Notes

• For more information about using Group Policy to define policy settings that are applied to computers and computer users, see Group Policy Help.
• For more information about using Group Policy to define security settings that are applied to computers and computer users, see Local Security Help.
• You must be an administrator to add Group Policy to a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and to use Group Policy to customize settings on your computer.