I often see companies looking to carry over login scripts for users after being migrated, or look for an alternative to login scripts (in a large enterprise environment, managing hundreds of login scripts can become a nightmare, especially in a non decentralized administrative model). Often times GPOs can replace many login script functions, and now Microsoft has recently released their Group Policy Preferences tool. This tool essentially lets you manage O/S and application settings that were previously unmanageable via GPOs. Some examples include managing group membership, mapped drives (some very flexible settings around mapped drives), Start menu settings, printers, folder options/view, and countless others.
By combining GPOs and GPPs, in many cases we're now able to completely eliminate the need for a login script.
Q. What is the main difference between policy settings and preference settings?
A. The main difference between policy settings and preference settings is that preference settings are not enforced. This means the end user can change any preference setting that is applied through Group Policy, but policy settings prevent users from changing them.
A few things to note:
* To manage GPPs you need a Win2008 Server or Vista-SP1 machine on your network
* To utilize GPPs you need your clients to at least be at XP-SP2, Vista, 2003-SP1, or 2008, in addition to having the GPP Client-Side Extensions update installed (available via Windows Update)
For more information:
Group Policy Preferences Overview
Group Policy Preferences FAQ
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