Microsoft Office

Office – Force Add-ins activation by GPO

When you install plugins / Add-in for Microsoft Office, this add-in could be automatically disabled by Office depends on the ressouces needed, time to load, etc. This feature could be great, but sometime, this add-in must be enabled all the time. Fortunately, Group Policy can forces the Add-ins activation. Moreover, we can allow the user to change it or not.

Office Add-ins Activation

Office Add-ins Activation

Let’s see how to do that with an example: The Symantec Enterprise Vault Add-in:

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Windows10-logo

Windows 10 – Enable Automatic TimeZone

During the deployment of Windows 10 in a multi countries company, you will be facing an issue with the laptops moving regularly from one country to another. The Windows 10 Automatic Timezone service is not enabled by default during the installation.

This means that the laptops will always keep the time from its origin country and it will not change the hours automatically based on the current country.

In fact, you need to configure it using Group Policy Object (GPO).

Windows 10 Automatic Timezone

Windows 10 Automatic Timezone

Let’s see how to configure it and how the users can see and interact with this service. Continue reading

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Windows10-logo

Windows 10 – How to remove OneDrive shortcut

Since Windows 10, OneDrive is an built-in application. But hopefully, for enterprise administrator, you can disable this functionality with Group Policy (GPO). But even disabled, the OneDrive shortcut in the start menu still exists.

OneDrive shortcut in start menu

OneDrive shortcut in start menu

Let’s see how to remove this shortcut easily with Group Policy Preference (GPP):

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WindowsServer

Server 2012 – Import Windows 10 ADMX GPO

For each product, like Windows or Office,  Microsoft introduces new features or new configuration options. All of these can be managed using Group Policy Object (GPO) but you must get the latest policy definitions if you want set the new options. For exemple, with Windows Server 2012 R2, you need to import Windows 10 ADMX in order to manage it by GPO.

Windows 10 ADMX with Server 2012

Windows 10 ADMX with Server 2012

Let’s see how to import ADMX file for Group Policy Object.

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Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 – Force Start Menu Layout

When you deploy Windows 8.1 in your environnement, you may define a strategy to force all users to have the same Start Menu Layout. This layout was defined by IT Team and will be provide to all computers.

For example, I set a custom layout: I added some tools and application groups:

Windows 8.1 Custom Start Menu

Windows 8.1 Custom Start Menu

If you want to deploy this Start Menu Layout, you can do it with:

  • Powershell cmdlet on the computer
  • ConfigMgr (SCCM)
  • Group Policy

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WindowsServer

Windows Server – Not display Server Manager

Since Windows Server 2012, Server Manager is displayed when you log in. This can be annoying to close it each time. Hopefully, you can disable this behavior using two solutions:

  • Locally on the server.
  • With GPO.

Local Server Manager

If you want to prevent Server Manager to start automatically:

  • Go to Server Manager, click on Manage and click on Server Manager Properties:
Server Manager Properties

Server Manager Properties

  • Check Do not start Server Manager automatically at logon.
Server Manager not start automatically

Server Manager not start automatically

Group Policy Object

You can also set this option by GPO:

  • Path: Computer/ Administrative Templates / System / Server Manager
  • Setting: Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon
  • Value: Enabled
GPO Server Manager Disabled

GPO Server Manager Disabled

More

You could get more information about Server Manager here.

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WindowsServer

Server – Internet Explorer GPO not applied

With Active Directory, you can deploy some Internet Explorer configuration using Group Policy (GPO). But sometime, settings for Internet Explorer are not modified, even if the GPO is correctly applied.

This behavior is not a bug, it’s a feature 🙂 When IE Security is enabled, GPO can’t change configuration for Internet Explorer.
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