Libraries and Public Folder

[Scorpio]

Right guys ive cracked it !

This is how to lock them down and this is reliant upon you not wanting to keep any user manually setup libraries.

1. Log on as a user, remove the public folders from all 4 standard Libraries, and untick "show in navigation pane"

2. Copy these 4 XML files to a network location \\server\share\

3 Use Group policy preferences (File) to:
delete any .library-ms from %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries
replace \\server\share\(all for four library XML files) to %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries
making sure you set the file attribute to read only

4. Set the Policy "Prevent users from adding files to the root of their Users Files folder"

What will happen is, when the user logs on all the library files are deleted from the users profile and replaced with the set ones from the server share without the public path (just incase) and then made hidden, when the users goes the libraries they appear empty and when they right click and say New > Library they get a file error due to the policy not allowing new files. So they cannot config the Libraries as they are hidden so relies also on locking down your Folder Options.

If you do not have 2008 server, you can do this with batch scripts to delete and copy over the files and then using the attrib command as per below:

@echo off
%systemdrive%
cd\
cd %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries
attrib +h Pictures.library-ms
attrib +h music.library-ms
attrib +h videos.library-ms
attrib +h documents.library-ms
attrib +h *.library-ms

Hope this helps someone out and glad we now have a way of doing this, as it keeps the files intact so programs can access them if needed, as i know WMP12 has issues if you delete or disable the libraries.

Cheers

Scorps

[rvdmast]

We took a different approach. Instead of disabling public folders and/or removing libraries, we
redirect the "Public documents" (and Common pictures, movies, etc...) folder to our Shared drive, much the same as redirecting My documents to their network home share.
This way we have the best of both:

• You get to keep the libraries functionality for both "My documents" and "Public documents"
• You get to keep the "Public documents" functionality, except it's now on the network Shared area.

[DaveCoop]

Hiding them will be ok, trouble is it always throws you into the lib folder when saving in certain apps.

Has anyone got any further on this one! no point in hiding as the little darlings are trying to save to desktop when its says you need permission windows gives them the option to save to c:\users Nice!!!!! try it open notepad save the file as cmd to desktop annoying to say the least

[fiza]

Why is this so difficult? Why have Microsoft forgotten about Domain Admins? All I want is that when a user clicks to save it goes to their home drive. I've managed to redirect my docs to the server but the library location still shows 2 locations. 1 for the server and 1 local. I DONT WANT the local.

Has anyone resolved this? I have managed to hide Libraries with a custom GPO found on Edugeek.

BUT when I open Notepad and then click "save as" I still get "Documents Library" appear with the obligatory "some library features are unavailable due to unsupported library locations". It still shows 2 locations. 1 is the users Home Drive and the other is Public Documents on C drive!!!!

Can someone please tell me how to resolve this?

[Miscbrah]

Hi - hope I'm not too late to the party! I knocked up a guide a little while back, be keen to see it tried out and see if it solves any problems for anyone! I know these threads actually come up on Google and I learned how to do this here on Edugeek, so spreading the love.

If the guide's any good/sucks let me know.

Linky.