Removing Tools/Synchronize

[Scorpio]

Hi Guys

 

Gret forums you have here, been looking over them for the last couple of weeks, and now in need of some help.

 

I need to remove the Syncronize menu from the windows explorer Tools menu, all policies in place for offnfile both USER & COMPUTER, but restricted users still get the TOOLS menu with SYNCHRONIZE on it when they browse there My Docs folder, enabling them to play around with settings with should be disabled.

 

Does anyone know how to remove this SYNCHRONIZE option or the TOOLS menu in Windows Explorer. ?

 

Cheers

[SYNACK]

In group policy:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files : Allow or Disallow the use of the offline files feature

[Scorpio]

DOne that, still doesnt remove this, menu, seems like a bug

[SYNACK]

Works for me, are you applying to a policy that affects users or machines. Machine based stuff will only apply if the GPO is set in the OU that houses the computers. Anyhow, add these and try again:

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files : Allow or Disallow the use of the offline files feature

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files : Remove 'make avalible offline'

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files : Prohibit user configuration of offline files

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Offline Files : preven use of offline files folder

 

and make sure to run a gpupdate /force afterwards so that the policy is applied.

[Scorpio]

Hi

 

Yes dont all that, both applied to user and machine side to make sure both on a user policy and a seperate machine policy, everything else has gone except the 1 menu in the users my docs, in the tools bar, it lets them go in a just tick and untick sync at loggoff. just reminding them that there is nothing to sync, (as there wont be as its disabled).

 

Have you checked your users my documnets folders to see if it actuallly removes it as many other people are getting this menu from what ive searched.

 

Remove Tools menu or Synchronize... from explorer - MSFN Forums

Remove "Synchronize..." - MSFN Forums

Citrix Forums : Remove synchronize from the tools menu ...

 

 

Anyone else got this problem or wish to check to see if they do actually have the problem

 

Cheers

[FN-GM]

Yep we have it setup on our Desktops like Synack and it works fine. Is the group policy actually applying to the machine?

[Scorpio]

yes it just isnt removing this menu, weird, might be some clash of GPS thats causing the rougue menu.

[PiqueABoo]

Me! Me! Me!

 

I can't get rid of Explorer->Tools->Synchronize... on XP SP3 w. IE7 either. I have all the above mentioned polices set and trust me, they are definitely applied. Well except there is no HKCU "Allow or disallow" with GPMC or in the MS PolicySettings.xls file (for XP) I've been using. The HKLM one is there.

 

I considered hacking it out of the Tools menu but that's not a "nice" thing to do really, plus there it's empty sos *nothing* they can do with it.. life is too short. Before giving up I did wonder there might also be some IE-ish policy involved because on a standalone the only thing in there is Offline Web Pages -> My Current Home Page, and that's something a bit different from standard CSC of fille shares etc.

 

Hmm:

 

Since you'd got me thinking about this I decided to take another swipe at it and this does something:

 

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Infodelivery\Restrictions\NoManualUpdates -> 1 (DWORD).

 

I don't know where you'd find that in GPMC/GPME because I just tried with a GPP. Without that selecting Tools->Synchronize gives me a nothing-to-synchronise message. With it, I get a restricted-by-your-admin message.

 

Would be nice to take the entire option off the menu (same as others) though - if that's possible anywhere then I imagine it is an IE policy and somewhere nearby.

Edited August 20, 2009 by PiqueABoo
Hmm..

[Scorpio]

So the reg add in your post (as from one of the links i posted) made it so the synchronize box didnt open ?

[PiqueABoo]

I didn't see it in one of your links, but yes - I get that "..cancelled by restrictions on this computer.." message instead.

 

[i'm not convinced that's better than it opening, but them not being able to do anything with it]

[Scorpio]

Guys

 

Having carrying on and played around with User / Machine side ive done a policy for anyone else with this problem, its not a tattoo policy.

 

Heres the code:

 

CLASS MACHINE

CATEGORY "Windows Components"
CATEGORY "Windows Explorer"
POLICY "Disable the Synchronize Button on the Tools Menu"
    KEYNAME "SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Infodelivery\Restrictions"
    VALUENAME "NoManualUpdates"
    VALUEON NUMERIC 1
    VALUEOFF NUMERIC 0
END POLICY

END CATEGORY 
END CATEGORY 

 

hope it helps someone out, thanks for the guidance.

[Ignatius]

@Scorpio (and anyone else who might be able to answer!): I'm interested in custom .ADM files and have played around with them a little. I realise the difference between tattooing and non-tattooing is whether the registry change is made in a ...\policy\... key. I've created some .ADMs which are designed to write to non-...\policy\... keys and they work fine, but I'm warned about the tattooing and the icon has a red mark, rather than blue. I saw the key to which your .ADM writes - did you simply find the relevant key (maybe HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Infodelivery\Restrictions?) and have it write to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Infodelivery\Restrictions instead? I've tried adding a second KEYNAME in my .ADM so it writes to a ...\policy\... key as well as a non-...\policy\... key so it might avoid tattooing but it throws up an error.

 

I suspect that I'm missing something here when I'm creating .ADMs - but what?

[Scorpio]

No, it doesnt work like that, otherwise there wouldnt be tattooed GPOs they would all be Managed GPOs, its a case of finding if it is a key that can be managed ie in the Polices folder, i guess you could trial it and see and sometimes the paths are the same.

 

This one did have a key that can be managed, it could be possibly buried in a ADM somewhere but its knowing what they have called it, so i did my own.

[Ignatius]

That's interesting. I've just checked the various Policies keys on my client and most are absolutely barren. I guess it's a bit of trial and error to find a relevant Policies key, along with Mr Google.