Hide the Set Program Access and Defaults page

Removes the Set Program Access and Defaults button from the Add or Remove Programs bar. As a result users cannot view or change the associated page. The Set Program Access and Defaults button lets administrators specify default programs for certain activities such as Web browsing or sending e-mail as well as which programs are accessible from the Start menu desktop and other locations. If you disable this setting or do not configure it the Set Program Access and Defaults button is available to all users. This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to change program access or defaults. This setting does not prevent the Set Program Access and Defaults icon from appearing on the Start menu. See the “Remove Set Program Access and Defaults from Start menu” setting.

Remove Add or Remove Programs

Prevents users from using Add or Remove Programs. This setting removes Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel and removes the Add or Remove Programs item from menus. Add or Remove Programs lets users install uninstall repair add and remove features and components of Windows 2000 Professional and a wide variety of Windows programs. Programs published or assigned to the user appear in Add or Remove Programs. If you disable this setting or do not configure it Add or Remove Programs is available to all users. When enabled this setting takes precedence over the other settings in this folder. This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to install or uninstall programs.

Hide Add New Programs page

Removes the Add New Programs button from the Add or Remove Programs bar. As a result users cannot view or change the attached page. The Add New Programs button lets users install programs published or assigned by a system administrator. If you disable this setting or do not configure it the Add New Programs button is available to all users. This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to install programs.

Hide the “Add programs from your network” option

Prevents users from viewing or installing published programs. This setting removes the “Add programs from your network” section from the Add New Programs page. The “Add programs from your network” section lists published programs and provides an easy way to install them. Published programs are those programs that the system administrator has explicitly made available to the user with a tool such as Windows Installer. Typically system administrators publish programs to notify users that the programs are available to recommend their use or to enable users to install them without having to search for installation files. If you enable this setting users cannot tell which programs have been published by the system administrator and they cannot use Add or Remove Programs to install published programs. However they can still install programs by using other methods and they can view and install assigned (partially installed) programs that are offered on the desktop or on the Start menu. If you disable this setting or do not configure it “Add programs from your network” is available to all users. Note: If the “Hide Add New Programs page” setting is enabled this setting is ignored.

Hide the “Add programs from Microsoft” option

Removes the “Add programs from Microsoft” section from the Add New Programs page. This setting prevents users from using Add or Remove Programs to connect to Windows Update. If you disable this setting or do not configure it “Add programs from Microsoft” is available to all users. This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to connect to Windows Update. Note: If the “Hide Add New Programs page” setting is enabled this setting is ignored.

Hide the “Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk” option

Removes the “Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk” section from the Add New Programs page. This prevents users from using Add or Remove Programs to install programs from removable media. If you disable this setting or do not configure it the “Add a program from CD-ROM or floppy disk” option is available to all users. This setting does not prevent users from using other tools and methods to add or remove program components. Note: If the “Hide Add New Programs page” setting is enabled this setting is ignored. Also if the “Prevent removable media source for any install” setting (located in User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Installer) is enabled users cannot add programs from removable media regardless of this setting.

Specify default category for Add New Programs

Specifies the category of programs that appears when users open the “Add New Programs” page. If you enable this setting only the programs in the category you specify are displayed when the “Add New Programs” page opens. Users can use the Category box on the “Add New Programs” page to display programs in other categories. To use this setting type the name of a category in the Category box for this setting. You must enter a category that is already defined in Add or Remove Programs. To define a category use Software Installation. If you disable this setting or do not configure it all programs (Category: All) are displayed when the “Add New Programs” page opens. You can use this setting to direct users to the programs they are most likely to need. Note: This setting is ignored if either the “Remove Add or Remove Programs” setting or the “Hide Add New Programs page” setting is enabled.