Server 2008, Windows 7 and ADMX Files

[CallumCatterall]

Hi, we are running Windows Server 2008 as our DC and are now starting to roll out Windows 7, as it is only Server 2008 some of the Administrative Templates are not there e.g. Personalisation... I have download the correct (I think!) ADMX files for Windows 7 but am not sure where to place them, we use the %SYSTEMROOT%/PolicyDefinitions for the templates currently but am unsure if that if I paste them into here it will overwrite the current one? Am I able to make a folder in %SYSTEMROOT%/PolicyDefinitions and place them in there and Group Policy Management will still pick them up, or have I got this wrong?

 

The ADMX files I have got for Windows 7 came from 'C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions' from a Windows 7 Professional machine, are these the correct one?

 

Thanks!

[Killer_Bot]

You're best bet is to setup a Central Store so that no matter where you access the Group Policy MMC you'll get the same ADMX/L Templates.

 

To do that follow the instructions here; How to create a Central Store for Group Policy Administrative Templates in Window Vista (although it says Vista the same steps apply).

 

To sum it up though you just create a folder called PolicyDefinitions at \\FQDN\SYSVOL\FQDN\policies and drop a copy of your Servers Policy Definitions in there (including the language folder containing the ADML files).

 

You can just copy those files you've downloaded (both the ADMX and ADML files) to that location then and that'll do the job.

 

If you can't be bothered doing that just drop them in the servers PolicyDefintions folder, so long as it is uptodate then you're fine to overwrite. My advice is always the Central Store though.

[CallumCatterall]

So I'm right in saying it will overwrite the current files? Would that change the current policies or should they be ok?

 

Thanks.

[Killer_Bot]

There may be no like-for-like policies in there that will prompt the overwrite but if they do just look at what's the latest version and keep that. If you're really worried it may mess it up then just copy the current PolicyDefinitions to somewhere else on the C drive. If anything messes up during the overwrite you can just delete the folder and copy the old one back.