42 Microsoft Windows NT Server White Paper
• If the box is cleared, the policy is not implemented, and if the settings
were previously implemented, they are removed from the registry.
• If the box is grayed, the setting is ignored and unchanged from the last
time the user logged on. Windows NT does not modify this setting. The
grayed state ensures that Windows NT provides quick processing at sys-
tem startup because it does not need to process each entry every time a
user logs on.
NOTE: When you decide whether the value should be checked or cleared, be careful of the terminology of
the setting or unexpected results may occur. For example, the Don’t save settings at exit option, when
checked, does not allow settings to be saved. If you clear the checkbox, the settings can be saved.
When you select an option, the pane below it contains other configurable
items that relate to the setting you modified, as well as information about the
option you selected.
When administering System Policies, if you specify paths for particular op-
tions such as wallpaper, ensure that the paths are consistent across all
workstations that will receive the policy file.
Setting Folder Paths Back to Defaults
If you create a policy file and then change the path to any of the custom
shared folders or custom user-specific folders, the change overrides the de-
fault setting established in the .adm file. For example, by default a user’s
program folder path is %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs.
If the policy file is not modified from the default, this value is not changed for
the client computer. However, you can modify this value to point to a server
location that contains different shortcuts. To do this, click the option in the
System Policy Editor, and specify the path to the folder containing the short-
cuts. Once this change is applied, the user will receive the new shortcuts.
Suppose, however, that you want to restore the user’s environment to the
state it was in before the change was made. To do this, follow the procedure
described next.
To restore the defaults:
1. Open the policy file, and click the option to clear the check box.
2. Save and close the policy file.
3. Reopen the policy file, and click the option to re-enable it. The original
setting should be displayed, pointing to the user’s local machine.
NOTE: Be sure to complete all steps; completing Steps 1 and 2 only results in an empty Programs folder
on the client machine.
Creating a System Policy
Before you create a System Policy, decide which settings will be enforced and
how the settings will be grouped.
To create a new System Policy:
1. On a Windows NT Server-based machine in the domain where the policy
file will apply, open the System Policy Editor. From the Start menu, click
Programs, then click Administrative Tools (Common), then click Sys-
