The Group Policy can also be deployed in Workgroup security model but there is no central tool available to configure all computers in one go. For example, you have 20 computers in your network. You need to configure the same Group Policy settings on 20 computers. To do so you need to visit each computer individually and then open Group Policy Editor and configure the settings. As a manul process, this will take some considerable time. A workaround to this is to copy the Group Policy settings. This is how you do it:
- Log on to a workgroup computer using Local Administrator account.
- Configure Group Policy settings using gpedit.msc snap-in.
- Close the gpedit.msc snap-in.
- Run the following commands to refresh the settings and before you copy: If Windows 2000: Secedit.exe /refreshpolicy user_policy Secedit.exe /refreshpolicy machine_policy If Windows XP or Windows 2003 Gpupdate.exe
- Launch Windows Explorer – Tools – Folder Options – View and then select “Show hidden files and folders”, click Ok.
- Create a shared folder named “GPContents”.
- Go to %SystemRoot%\System32, locate the GroupPolicy folder, right click and then select Copy and paste in GPContents shared folder.
- Access each computer using UNC (\\computer\c$) and copy the contents of GPContents\GroupPolicy to %SystemRoot%\System32\GroupPolicy.
- Restart all computers for the changes to take affect. Note: If you do not want to restart your computer, you need to remotely execute the Gpupdate or Secedit to refresh the Group Policy settings.
