Windows 7: Show only specified Control Panel items

I have been working on GPO quite a bit lately and came across the requirement to create a ‘Whitelist’ of control panel items to be shown to users. Initially I started with using the good old cpl files that we have grown accustomed to when working with Run commands such as appwiz.cpl etc but intersting enough, some common cpl items is not registered with the GPO setting at: User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Show only specified Control Panel items

The verbage from within the same configuration gave away some good instructions on how it can be set using “Canonical Names” which pretty much describes the Control Panel items in good old plain english. A quick google search picked up this particular site at MSDN and it is GOLD!! http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee330741(v=vs.85).aspx

Problem solved! 🙂

Disable Outlook 2010 from downloading Shared Mail Folders

Since Microsoft Outlook 2010, shared mail folders are automatically cached if you are using Cached Exchange mode which most organizations do these days. I have had to disable this setting lately for a client and all that is required is some registry settings.

Create Registry items using Group Policy Preferences under the User context for:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Cached Mode

Name: CacheOthersMail
Type: DWORD:
Value: 0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Cached Mode

Name: DownloadSharedFolders
Type: DWORD
Value: 0

The first setting will disable shared mailboxes from caching and the second setting will disable the option so users are not able to make changes. The end result would be the screenshot as follows:

Microsoft has a KB on this listed at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982697