It is easy to view and edit Group Policy settings with the Group Policy Editor. There are two main types of Group Policy settings: Local Group Policy settings and Active Directory Group Policy settings, which you’ll learn about in the next section. You define local Group Policy settings on each computer and Windows stores the settings on that computer. All of the local Group Policy settings apply to a single computer. When you first open the Local Group Policy Editor, you see the two main groups of settings, “Computer Configuration” and “User Configuration” settings. FIGURE 6-3 shows the Local Group Policy Editor.

Notice the two main categories of settings in the Local Group Policy Editor. The settings under the Computer Configuration category are stored in the Registry under the HKLM entry. The settings under the User Configuration category are stored under the HKCU entry. Although the Windows Registry Editor can be used to modify Group Policy settings, the Local Group Policy Editor is easier and safer. The Local Group Policy Editor allows you to change only Group Policy settings and ensures the settings are stored properly and in the correct location in the Registry. Changing Group Policy settings in the Local Group Policy Editor is easy. Find the setting you want to change, choose Edit, and change the setting to the value you choose. FIGURE 6-4 shows the modified value for the Turn Off user-installed desktop gadgets setting. When you enable this setting, users will not be able to launch any of their own user-installed gadgets in the sidebar of their desktop.

Since Group Policy settings are stored in the Registry, they can be edited directly using the Registry Editor. Windows stores all currently active GPOs in the Registry under the HKCU entry. When a user logs on, and every 90–120 minutes thereafter, Windows will update the HKCU hive with the most current GPOs that apply to the current user. This updater will also occur within 10 minutes if a Windows Server computer refreshes GPOs with the Remote Group Policy Update. Each GPO has a globally unique identifier (GUID) that uniquely identifies it as a Windows object. The GPO GUID is the key Windows uses to store the GPO in the Registry. Windows stores current GPOs under the key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionGroup Policy Objects. FIGURE 6-5 shows the GPO setting for “Turn Off User-Installed Desktop Gadgets” from the previous example in the Registry Editor.