GPO tool

Group Policy made searchable

A free ADMX browser or comparison tool for IT administrators.Search policies, find registry keys, and see exactly what each setting writes to the Windows Registry. Or compare two GPO backups to see exactly what has changed between them.

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Hide and disable all items on the desktop

Removes icons, shortcuts, and other default and user-defined items from the desktop, including Briefcase, Recycle Bin, Computer, and Network Locations.

Removing icons and shortcuts does not prevent the user from using another method to start the programs or opening the items they represent.

Also, see "Items displayed in Places Bar" in User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCommon Open File Dialog to remove the Desktop icon from the Places Bar. This will help prevent users from saving data to the Desktop.

Registry Information

VendorMicrosoft
ProductDesktop
CategoryDesktop
Applies toComputer & User Configuration
Supported onWin2k
Registry Key[HKLM|HKCU]SoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer
Value NameNoDesktop
TypeREG_DWORD