

Computer Configuration – holds settings that are applied to computers regardless of which user is logging in.There are two top-level folders to be aware of: The interface is very similar to every other administration tool – the treeview on the left allows you to look for settings in a hierarchical folder structure, there is a list of settings, and a preview panel that gives you more information about the particular setting. There are many other things that you can configure though, like disabling Windows features that you don’t like, blocking certain applications from running, or creating scripts that run during Logon or Logoff. And you probably won’t need to lock down your machines to only run specific approved executables. In the home environment, however, you probably won’t want to set password length restrictions or force yourself to change your password. Group Policies are a really powerful way to setup a corporate network with each of the computers locked down so users can’t mess them up with unwanted changes, and stop them from running unapproved software, among many other uses. We should note right up-front that the Group Policy editor is only available in the Pro versions of Windows – Home or Home Premium users won’t have access to it. Understanding Windows Administration Tools.Using Group Policy Editor to Tweak Your PC.Understanding and Managing Windows Services.Understanding the Advanced System Properties Panel.Monitoring Your PC with Resource Monitor and Task Manager.Learning to Use the Registry Editor Like a Pro.Understanding Hard Drive Partitioning with Disk Management.Using Event Viewer to Troubleshoot Problems.Using Task Scheduler to Run Processes Later.
