Modifying the Start Menu and Taskbar with Group Policies

You’ve seen throughout this book that the group policies offer unprecedented control over the Windows XP interface without having to modify the registry directly. This is particularly true of the Start menu and taskbar, which boast more than 40 policies that do everything from removing Start menu links such as Run and Help to hiding the taskbar’s notification area. To see these policies, launch the Group Policy editor and select User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Start Menu And Taskbar.

Most of the policies are straightforward: By enabling them, you remove a feature from the Start menu or taskbar. For example, enabling the Remove Run Menu From Start Menu policy hides the Start menu’s Run command for the current user. This is a handy feature if you’re trying to restrict a user to using only those programs and documents that appear on the Start menu. Here are a few policies that we think are the most useful:

• Remove Drag-And-Drop Context Menus On The Start Menu Enable this policy to prevent the current user from rearranging the Start menu using drag-and-drop techniques.

• Prevent Changes To Taskbar And Start Menu Settings Enable this policy to prevent the current user from accessing the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.

• Remove Access To The Context Menus For The Taskbar Enable this policy to prevent the current user from right-clicking the taskbar and seeing the taskbar’s context menus.

• Do Not Keep History Of Recently Opened Documents Enable this policy to prevent Windows XP from tracking the current user’s recently opened documents.

• Clear History Of Recently Opened Documents On Exit Enable this policy to remove all documents from the current user’s recent documents list whenever the user logs off.

• Remove Balloon Tips On Start Menu Items Enable this policy to prevent the current user from seeing the balloon tips that Windows XP displays when it prompts you about new hardware being detected, downloading automatic updates, and so on.

• Remove User Name From Start Menu Enable this policy to prevent the current user’s name from appearing at the top of the Start menu. This is a good idea if you need more room on the Start menu for the pinned program or frequent program lists.

• Hide The Notification Area Enable this policy to prevent the current user from seeing the taskbar’s notification area.

• Do Not Display Any Custom Toolbars In The Taskbar Enable this policy to prevent the current user from adding custom toolbars to the taskbar, or displaying existing custom toolbars from this taskbar.