User Configuration Policy Node

The User Configuration node contains settings used to configure and manage the user desktop environment on a Windows system. Unlike the computer configuration settings that define system settings and restrict what users can do on a particular system, the user configuration settings can customize the desktop experience for a user, including setting Start menu options, hiding or disabling Control Panel applets, redirecting folders to network shares, restricting write access to removable media, and much more. At the root of the User Configuration node are three policy nodes named the Software Settings node, the Windows Settings node, and the Administrative Templates node, but the settings contained within these nodes are different from the settings included in the Computer Configuration node, and in a domain group policy, these nodes are located beneath the User Configuration\Policies\ node.

User Configuration Software Settings Node

The Software Settings node in the User Configuration section of a policy allows administrators to publish or assign software applications to individual users to which the policy applies. When a packaged software application is assigned to a user, it can be configured to be installed automatically at user logon or it can just be available in the Control Panel Programs applet for installation by the user the same as when it is published. When a packaged application is published to a user, it can be installed by that user by accessing the application in the following section of Control Panel:

• Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2: Control Panel, Get Programs
• Windows Vista: Control Panel, Programs, Get Programs and Features
• Windows 7: Control Panel, Programs, Get Programs
• Windows XP: Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, Add New Programs

User Configuration Windows Settings Node

The Windows Settings node in the User Configuration section of a policy allows administrators to configure logon scripts for users, configure folder redirection of user profile folders, define software restriction policies, automatically install and, if necessary, remove printers, and configure many Internet Explorer settings and defaults.

User Configuration Administrative Templates Node

User Configuration Administrative Templates are the most commonly configured policy settings in domain group policy deployments. Settings contained within the User Configuration Administrative Templates node can be used to assist administrators with the automated configuration of a user's desktop environment. Of course now with domain group policy preferences, many of these newly available settings will also be highly used once Group Policy administrators begin to explore and find the best ways to use preference settings.