Group Policy uses legacy files called .adm
templates to display and configure registry settings. These files
describe where registry-based policy settings are stored in the
registry. Administrative template files, typically referred to as .adm
templates, do not affect actual policy processing by the administrative
template’s client-side extension (CSE). The .adm templates affect only
the display of the policy settings in the Group Policy Management
Editor snap-in. If the .adm template is removed from a GPO, the
settings corresponding to the .adm template will not appear in the GPME.
The
.adm templates are Unicode text files that enable a user interface to
allow modification of registry-based policy settings using the GPME.
After a setting established by using the .adm templates is configured
within the GPME, the setting information is stored in the Registry.pol
file located in the Group Policy template (GPT) for the GPO. The actual
policy settings are stored in the Registry.pol file, so the .adm
template can be removed from the GPO, but the setting remains in the
Registry.pol file and continues to apply to the appropriate target
computer or user.
More than 1,300
administrative template settings are available, and administrators can
add hundreds more custom settings.
1. Default .adm Templates
Every
computer running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 comes
with some default .adm templates. These files are used to create the
default interface under the Administrative Templates portions of a GPO.
The standard .adm templates are listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Standard .adm Templates
| .adm Template | Features |
|---|
| Common.adm | Policy settings for the user interface common to Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 9x. Designed to be used with System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe). |
| Conf.adm | Policy
settings for configuring Microsoft NetMeeting. Conf.adm is loaded by
default in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, and Windows
Server 2003. (It is not available with Windows XP Professional 64-bit
edition or the 64-bit versions of the Windows Server 2003 family.) |
| Inetcorp.adm | Policy settings for dial-up, language, and control over Temporary Internet Files settings. |
| Inetres.adm | Policy
settings for configuring Microsoft Internet Explorer. Ineteres.adm is
loaded by default in Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, and Windows
Server 2003. |
| Inetset.adm | Policy settings for additional Internet properties: autocomplete, display settings, and some advanced settings. |
| System.adm | Policy
settings for configuring the operating system. System.adm is loaded by
default in Windows Server 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. |
| Windows.adm | Policy settings for the user interface options specific to Windows 9x. Designed to be used with System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) running on Windows 98 and Windows NT. |
| Winnt.adm | Policy
settings for the user interface options specific to Windows NT 4.0.
Designed to be used with System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) running on
Windows 98 and Windows NT. |
| Wmplayer.adm | Policy
settings for configuring Windows Media Player. Wmplayer.adm is loaded
by default in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. (It is not available
with Windows XP Professional 64-bit edition or the 64-bit versions of
the Windows Server 2003 family.) |
| Wuau.adm | Policy
settings for configuring Windows Update. Wuau.adm is loaded by default
in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3), Windows XP SP1, and Windows
Server 2003. |
The
.adm templates that ship with Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
Professional, and Windows 2000 Server are located in the %windir%\inf\
folder.
Additional .adm templates are
available for security settings, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office,
and more. Some applications also come with their own .adm templates to
help centralize administration and customization of the application. Table 2
lists the current Office 2003 and Internet Explorer .adm templates that
you can obtain from the Microsoft Office Resource Kit and the Microsoft
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit.
Table 2. Office 2003 and Internet Explorer .adm Templates
| Microsoft Office Template | Features |
|---|
| Aer_1033.adm | Office 2003 application error reporting client configuration. |
| Access11.adm | Office Access 2003 settings. |
| Dw20.adm | Old Office Application Reporting configuration file, replaced with Aer_1033.adm. |
| Excel11.adm | Office Excel 2003 settings. |
| Fp11.adm | Office FrontPage 2003 settings. |
| Gal11.adm | Microsoft Clip Organizer settings. |
| Inf11.adm | Office InfoPath 2003 settings. |
| Instlr11.adm | Microsoft Windows Installer settings. |
| Office11.adm | Common Office 2003 settings. |
| Onent11.adm | Office OneNote 2003 settings. |
| Outlk11.adm | Office Outlook 2003 settings. |
| Ppt11.adm | Office PowerPoint 2003 settings. |
| Pub11.adm | Office Publisher 2003 settings. |
| Word11.adm | Office Word 2003 settings. |
| Aaxa.adm | Data binding settings. |
| Chat.adm | Microsoft Chat settings. |
| Inetesc.adm | Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration settings. |
| Oe.adm | Microsoft Outlook Express Identity Manager settings. Use this to prevent users from changing or configuring identities. |
| Sp1shell.adm | Active Desktop settings. |
| Subs.adm | Offline Pages settings. |
| Wmp.adm | Windows Media Player, Radio Toolbar, and Network Settings customizations. |
