Group Policy Changes in Vista

In this article we will look at the new Group Policy features in Vista.
Author: Derek Melber

As a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in the area of Group Policy, it is always nice to see new Group Policy related changes, enhancements, and features from Microsoft. With the imminent release of Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista, on the horizon, Microsoft is gearing up to deliver some more radical and amazing changes to Group Policy. As an instructor and consultant for Active Directory and Group Policy for the past 6 years, these changes are a welcome addition in my eyes. The reason is that I will no longer need to let people down (or point them to third party Group Policy extension solutions) when they ask me if Group Policy can solve problems related to Power Options, Printer management, and Device management. Other new Group Policy features in Vista include Network Location Awareness and a new approach for ADM templates.

New Group Policy Settings in Vista
It is not like Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 added enough settings to Group Policy, Vista is coming in with even more new settings to Group Policy. There will be approximately 2400 possible settings in a Group Policy Object that is created for a Windows Vista computer. This only adds about 800 settings, which is adding ½ again as much settings compared to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Many of the settings are being added in a response to customer response, while others are there to support new features that will be included in Vista. Some of the more important additions include those listed under the following areas.

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