In a domain-joined networked environment, we always need to restrict users’ access to most PC settings and resources. It is necessary to do so for security and safety reasons. One crucial restriction that we always need to apply is to deny users access to PC Settings and Control Panel. And that is what this article is about. More specifically, this article covers the detailed steps to preventing users’ access to the Control Panel and PC Settings using Group Policy on Windows Server 2022.

In our example, our domain controller machine runs Windows Server 2022, on which we create the group policy. We create an Organization Unit (OU) level group policy directly on the (OU) that contains the users to which we apply the policy.

You may also like to read Install Active Directory On Windows Server 2022 Using PowerShell.

Steps to Deny Access to PC Settings and Control Panel

As we described in the scenario earlier, we create the policy that is linked to an OU, which contains the users to which we apply the restriction. We can create the group policy first and link that to the OU, or we can create the group policy directly on the OU. Either way ends up with the same result. However, we go with the second approach in our example. That being said, let’s go with the steps.

1. Press down the Windows key + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialogue box.
2. Type in gpmc.msc and press Enter to open the Group Policy Management console.

3. Right-click on the OU to which you want to associate the group policy. Then, select Create a GPO in this domain,… option.

4. Put a name for the Group Policy Object (GPO) in the relevant box, and click OK.

5. Once the GPO is created, right-click on it, and select Edit from the context menu.

6. On the Group Policy Management Editor window, expand Policies under User Configuration. Then, expand the Administrative Template and click on Control Panel. Finally, double-click on Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC settings.

7. On the configuration window, check the Enabled option. Then, click OK, and close the Group Policy Management Editor window.

To this end, we have created the group policy to prevent users’ access to the Control Panel and PC settings. We created it directly linked to the OU that contains user accounts that we want to restrict. So, it is all done. To verify it, go with the next section.

Verifying the Above Group Policy Configuration

To check the above restriction, we need to log in with a user account that is a member of the OU to which we linked the group policy. Then, we update the group policy and try to open the Control Panel and PC Settings. See the below steps.

1. Login to the client’s computer with a user account that is a member of the OU to which you linked the restriction.
2. Run gpupdate /force in the Run dialog box to perform group policy updates. Wait for a while until the group policy completes.

3. Once the group policy gets updated, try to open the Control Panel or PC Settings. It doesn’t open, and you will face the pop-up window shown in the below pic.

That is all we need to do to check how the restriction we configured works and if it is applied correctly.

Conclusion

It is a common setting in a domain environment to deny users access to the Control Panel and PC settings. It is essential for security and safety reasons. As the steps discussed above, we can apply this restriction simply by defining and configuring a group policy object to an OU that contains the target users.

In the end, I hope you found this article helpful. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts and queries in the comment section.

The post Deny Users Access to PC Settings and Control Panel using Group Policy appeared first on TECHNIG.

System admins have the ability to prevent/block users’ access to all removable storage media drives. Such restrictions play an important role in the security and safety of a networked environment. And they are very common and most often used inside almost all organizations. Additionally, the tool that helps us create such restrictions is the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). It is a feature that we add along with the AD DS role installation. That all being said, this article covers a step-by-step guide to preventing domain-joined users’ access to removable storage media drives using group policy in Windows Server 2022.

In our example, the domain controller machine runs Windows Server 2022 Standard. Additionally, we define the group policy directly on an Organizational Unit (OU) that contains the target users. So, we have already created an OU and moved the target user(s) into it.

You may also like to read DNS Server Guides and DHCP Server Articles.

Steps to Prevent Access to Removable Media

With the above scenario in mind, it is a straightforward process to prevent users’ access to removable media.

1. Press down the Windows Key + R on your keyboard. It opens the Run dialogue box.
2. Type in gpmc.msc and press the enter. It opens the Group Policy Management (GPM) console.

3. On the group policy management console, right-click on the OU that contains the target users. Then, select Create a GPO… from the context menu.

4. Type a name for the new GPO. Then, click OK to continue.

5. Right-click on the GPO that you created. Then, select Edit from the context menu.

6. On the GPM Editor window, expand User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System. Then, select the Removable Storage Access folder as shown in the below picture. Finally, double-click on All Removable Storage classes: Deny all access.

7. On the GPO configuration window, check the Enabled option. Then, click OK and close the GPM Editor window.

8. The GPO configuration is all set throughout the previous steps. However, it will affect only after we perform a group policy update on the client machine or restart it. So, to perform a group policy update, use gpupdate /force the Command Prompt or Run dialogue box.

9. Now, if you insert a removable media like a USB drive and try to open it, you will face an error saying the media is not accessible.

That is all with the steps to deny users access to removable storage media using group policy.

Conclusion

To conclude this article, first, we talked about the importance of restricting users’ access and discussed the Group Policy Management tool. Then, we briefly introduced our scenario. Lastly, we covered detailed steps to prevent users’ access to removable storage media.

In the end, as always, I hope you find this article helpful. And feel free to share your thoughts and queries in the comment section.

The post How to Prevent Access to Removable Storage Media Using Group Policy? appeared first on TECHNIG.

Server Manager automatically launches by default on most of the Windows OS for servers including Windows Server 2022. The Server Manager is, of course, a very important management console, but it might be disturbing to pop up automatically at login. It is also present on the start menu by default and we can easily launch it anytime needed. This article discusses three simple methods to disable Server Manager auto-launch on a single server. These three methods are only for an individual server. Additionally, the article includes how to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 for a number of specified servers in an environment.

Method 1: Using Server Manager

The first and by far the easiest method to disable The Server Manager auto-launch on a single server is to use the server manager itself. Follow the below easy steps to do so.

• Open Server Manager console. To do so, open the start menu and click on Server Manager as shown in the below picture illustration. You can also open using the command servermanager in the Run dialogue box.

• On the Server Manager window, click on Manage and choose the Server Manager Properties option from the list. Then, check out the Do not start Server Manager automatically at logon checkbox and click on OK.

As simple as that! The next time you log in, the Server Manager will not automatically pop up.

Method 2: Group Policy Editor

The second method to disable Server Manager auto-launch at logon in Windows Server 2022 is by using the Local Group Policy Editor. The simple steps are listed below.

• Open Local Group Policy Editor. To do so, press down the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open Run. Type in the command gpedit.msc and enter or click on OK as shown in the below picture. You can also searchedit group policyat the start, and click on it when appeared.

• On the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand the Administrative Templates folder under Computer Configuration. Then, expand the System folder, and go all the way down to find Server Manager. Now, select this folder and double click on Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon option.

• On the properties window for the abovementioned option, check out the Enabled option. Click on OK afterwards.

That is all with the second method. We disabled Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 using the local group policy editor. Now, let’s see the third method.

Method 3: Task Scheduler

The third method to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 is by using Task Scheduler. Let’s straightly walk through the steps to do so.

• Open Task Scheduler. To do so, press down the Windows Key + R to open Run. Put in thetaskschd.msc command and press enter key or OK button as shown in the below picture. Another way to open the Task Scheduler is to right-click on Start, choose Computer Management, and select Task Scheduler. Both ways end up in the same window.

• Now, expand the Task Scheduler Library folder. Then, expand Microsoft and consequently the Windows folder. Scroll down and find the Server Manager folder. Select this folder. On the central pane, right-click on the ServerManager option and click on Disable as shown in the below picture.

When it is done successfully, close the Task Scheduler window. We are all done with disabling Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 using Task Scheduler.

As mentioned at the beginning, these three methods are only for individual servers. That means, that when you want to disable Server Manager auto-launch for a single server, you make use of one of these methods. To disable Server Manager auto-launch at logon for a set of servers in an environment, read the next section of the article.

Disabling Server Manager Auto-Launch for a Group of Servers

To disable Server Manager auto-launch for multiple servers in an environment, we must have an Organizational Unit (OU) containing all those target servers. We can define a group policy to disable the Server Manager auto-launch for the whole objects (in this case, servers) residing in that OU. The below steps explain the whole process.

• Log in to the Domain Controller (DC).
• On the Server Manager console of the DC, click on Tools and select Group Policy Management.

• Now, we have an OU named Servers. This OU includes all the servers to which we apply the policy. Read How To Create Object In Active Directory if you do not know what it is and how to create one.

• Enter a name for your GPO and click on OK.

• Now, you can see that the new GPO pops up at the right pane. Right-click on it and select Edit.

• Expand the Policies under Computer Configuration. Expand the Administrative Templates, and System folder consequently. Find the Server Manager and select it. Open Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon at the right pane.

• Check out the Enabled option and click on OK to apply.

We have defined our OU-level policy to disable Server Manager auto-launch, and it applies to all the servers in that OU.

Summery

To summarize this article, we discussed various methods to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022. These methods work on most of the Windows Os for Servers. We discussed three methods to disable Serven Manager auto-launch for an individual server. Then we went through discussing a way to accomplish this task for multiple Servers in a networked environment.

It is encouraging for me if this article is helpful to you. If there is any further question, make sure to share them in the comment section.

Relate Articles:

• How To Create And Configure Storage Pool On Windows Server 2022
• Install And Configure Active Directory In Windows Server 2016 Step By Step Guide
• Quick Installation Of Hyper-V On Windows 11 And Windows Server 2022

The post How to Disable Server Manager Auto-Launch in Windows Server 2022 appeared first on TECHNIG.

Here you just learn about backup and restore Group Policy Object in Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019. This method works the same for other Windows server as well. Group policy objects backup will helps you protect GPOs configuration. It is easy to create and edit group policy object from Group Policy Management on Windows Server. But takes to much time to completely configure the settings of each GPOs. Having a backup save you time and effort to reconfigure settings of a new GPO.

Backup and Restore Group Policy Object

To back up the created GPO in Windows Server, navigate to Group Policy Management console from server dashboard or type ‘gpmc.msc‘ in windows run and then press enter to open the Group Policy Management Console.

1. Type “gpmc.msc” on run and press enter to open the group policy management console.
2. Expand the domain and your domain name.
3. Now, expand the Group Policy Objects to see all GPOs created by you.

4. In Group Policy Management expand the domain name and group policy objects in order to see all created objects.

5. To create a backup from all GOPs, right-click the Group Policy Objects and click Back up all. 

Remember, this will backup all modified and non-modified GPOs which you have created for the domain. The other configuration like linked objects, Enforced, and Block Inheritance to domain organizational units will not back up. The full configuration back up just done a full system back up with Windows backup services.

6. Now in Back Up Group Policy Object page, click Browse and choose wherever to want to save backups and type some description in the description box, then click Back Up button.

7. Good, the backup task was accomplished successfully. Let’s check how do we can restore the deleted GPO from backup data.

Restore Group Policy Object

To restore GPO, right-click the Group Policy Objects and click Manage Backups. In the Manage Backups page brows to the backup directory or location on the hard disk.

You see backup contents in GPO backup folder. But if you want to restore a policy object, select GPO and click Restore button.

Click OK, if ask you ‘Do you want to restore the selected backup? and selected backup will restore the Group Policy Objects.

Now you can link and apply it to your OUs in your domain.

Hope this helps you solve the backup and restore of group policy object on Windows server. If you have any issue, just write us in the comment box.

The post Backup & Restore Group Policy Objects in Windows Server 2016 appeared first on TECHNIG.

Software deployment is the most important task for System Administrator on the network. Here we just show you an easy way to deploy software using Group Policy on network client computers. It’s not difficult but needs some basic networking and Windows Server knowledge.

Deploy Software using Group Policy

Let’s start with installing some software in Windows 10 through group policy. I’m using Windows 10 as a client and Windows Server 2012 R2 for Server. It works the same for Windows server 2019 as well.

1. Create a folder in Server and share it with appropriate permission for domain users to execute MSI files.

Here I have created an AppDeployment folder. The folder contains all software we need to install them through group policy.

2. Now go to Server Manager Dashboard and open the Group Policy Management or simply type “Gpmc.msc” in Windows Run.

3. In Group Policy Management console, create a new GPO and link it to your domain. I have created App Deployment for Technig.local domain.

4. Right-click the App Deployment and click edit, in order to edit the policy. In the opened Group Policy Management Editor, go to the Software installation through Computer Configuration > Policies > Software Settings > Software Installation.

5. To create a new software package, right-click the Software installation > New then click Package.

6. In the opened window, using the UNC path of the software select the software MSI file you want to deploy. Here I want to install 7zip software for Technig.local clients.

7. On the Deploy Software window select Assigned then click OK.

8. Now, Navigate to Properties of software MSI file on the Deployment tab, check the Install this application at logon then click OK. Finally, close all opened windows and update the Windows Policy by typing “Gpupdate /force /logoff” command on Command Prompt. You might need to restart your PC after executing the group policy update command.

Testing Software Deployment on Network Computers

Now you can test the software deployment with group policy on one of your client computer. Here I test it on a Windows 10 PC. I have just updated the group policy and restart my computer. Now the 7zip has been installed successfully.

You can see the 7zip has been installed successfully on Windows 10 at login through group policy. Try to apply this article to deploy software using group policy on your network environment. Please comment us if you have any issue with deploying software with group policy in Windows server.

The post How to Deploy Software Using Group Policy? appeared first on TECHNIG.

Restrict access to removable devices is a security practice to prevent someone from copying sensitive data onto USB, CD, or other types of removable devices. This is just work for local access to a system. And restrict access to removable devices physically if some want to copy your files to all removable devices, but it can not protect uploading files to file upload centers or Microsoft One Drive, Google Drive etc…

The process will going to accomplish through Group Policy. The group policy settings will apply to all computer users and prevent access to all types of removable devices and medias that are classified as removable devices.

Restrict Access to Removable Devices in Windows 10

By default in all Windows clients, a user has the ability to copy files to any removable devices without any privilege restriction. So try to restrict access to removable devices in Windows client Windows 10. It works the same for Windows 8.1, 7.

1. Open the Group Policy by typing “Gpedit.msc” to the Windows Run and Navigate to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, Removable Storage Access.

2. All Removable Storage Access are defined clearly. Double click a setting and enable it. For example, you want to prevent that users can not execute any executable files from their removable devices. Double click the Removable Disk Deny Execute Access, then select Enable and click OK to apply changes.

Apply the other settings the same as this one. For USB devices, CD and DVD writers, and others.

3. To apply changes immediately configures the amount of time (in seconds) that the operating system waits to reboot in order to enforce a change in access rights to removable storage devices.

If you want to enable this policy settings, set the number of seconds. It works in second not minutes. If you don’t reboot the system, it will not take effect, even by updating group policy with “Gpupdate /force” command.

4. Reboot the system and see the result. Plug a USB to your computer and test the settings you have applied through group policy.

Remember: In order to apply Restrict access to removable devices policy to specific user or group, configure it from User Configuration of Group Policy settings.

Hope this will help to protect your data from copying by unwanted users. Feel free to ask your questions about Windows Group Policy through comment area. Or read more articles related to group policy.

The post How to Restrict Access to Removable Devices in Windows 10? appeared first on TECHNIG.