Group Policy Help Needed with Internet Explorer

[Bill Brower]

I've got a native W2K3 forest and am using Group Policy
Management console v
1.01 - hopefully this question is appropriate for this,
since I can't find
the answer in Technet (yet !).

In Internet Explorer under Tools | Internet Options |
Advanced I want to set
specific machines to have the "Reuse windows for launching
shortcuts"
selected by default.

I've created a new policy and thought I could use
Computer Configuration |
Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Internet
Explorer and browse
to that setting.

I can't find it at all in Administrative Templates.. and I
don't know if it
is possible to add it?

However, under Computer Configuration | Software Settings
| Windows Settings
| Security Settings | Registry I could choose to add a
key. That let me
browse and select MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\AdvancedOptions\BROWSE\REUSEWINDOWS

But - I'm frankly at a loss how I could use that to set
the value desired.

Can someone point me to a solution in Technet (or
elsewhere?)?

Thanks for your time reading this.

Bill

 

[Bob Qin [MSFT]]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your posting here.

Not all the Advanced Settings are in the Group Policy. As for the "Reuse
windows for launching shortcuts" setting, it is in the following registry
key.

Display Name: Reuse windows for launching shortcuts
Value Name: AllowWindowReuse
Type: DWORD
Setting: 1 = Enabled and 0 (zero) = Disabled
Registry Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Main

You can create a customized ADM template and apply the ADM file to a GPO.
Below is a sample.

------------- Sample -------------

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
CLASS USER ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
CATEGORY !!TESTADM
POLICY !!AllowWindowReuse
KEYNAME "Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main"
VALUENAME "AllowWindowReuse"
VALUEON NUMERIC 0
VALUEOFF NUMERIC 1

END POLICY

END CATEGORY

[strings]
Testadm="TestADM"
AllowWindowReuse="Allow Windows Reuse"
------------- Sample -------------

Related Articles that will help create the ADM file
=======================================
323639 HOW TO: Create Custom Administrative Templates in Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=323639

225087 Writing Custom ADM Files for System Policy Editor
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=225087

Implementing Registry-Based Group Policy - white paper
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/rbppaper
.asp

Have a nice day!

Regards,
Bob Qin
Microsoft Online Partner Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

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--------------------
From: "Bill Brower" <[email protected]>
Subject: Group Policy Help Needed with Internet Explorer
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 15:00:30 -0700
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.active_directory

I've got a native W2K3 forest and am using Group Policy
Management console v
1.01 - hopefully this question is appropriate for this,
since I can't find
the answer in Technet (yet !).

In Internet Explorer under Tools | Internet Options |
Advanced I want to set
specific machines to have the "Reuse windows for launching
shortcuts"
selected by default.

I've created a new policy and thought I could use
Computer Configuration |
Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Internet
Explorer and browse
to that setting.

I can't find it at all in Administrative Templates.. and I
don't know if it
is possible to add it?

However, under Computer Configuration | Software Settings
| Windows Settings
| Security Settings | Registry I could choose to add a
key. That let me
browse and select MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\AdvancedOptions\BROWSE\REUSEWINDOWS

But - I'm frankly at a loss how I could use that to set
the value desired.

Can someone point me to a solution in Technet (or
elsewhere?)?

Thanks for your time reading this.

Bill

 

[Laura A. Robinson [MVP]]

circa Thu, 26 Aug 2004 15:00:30 -0700, in
microsoft.public.win2000.active_directory, Bill Brower
([email protected]) said,

In Internet Explorer under Tools | Internet Options |
Advanced I want to set
specific machines to have the "Reuse windows for launching
shortcuts"
selected by default.

Bob has already answered your question both accurately and
thoroughly, but I just wanted to toss in my two cents on this from
another perspective.

If you implement that setting, I *guarantee* you are going to tick
off a bunch of your users, and they're going to dig around eight ways
to Sunday to try to figure out how to circumvent that policy setting.
I say this because I am one of those users.

You might just be better off letting people decide for themselves
whether or not they want that option selected.

Laura