While the Action Center cannot actually be disabled in Windows 7, it is possible to remove its icon from the notification area of the taskbar by using the following Group Policy setting:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Remove the Action Center icon
You can also remove its icon from Control Panel by using this Group Policy setting:
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Hide specified Control Panel items
In which kinds of situations might you want to do this? Examples could include:
- When users' computers are running third-party antivirus software that doesn't integrate properly with Action Center, with the result that Action Center is always complaining about antivirus being disabled or being out of date or not being installed.
- When users' computers have third-party firewall software installed that doesn't integrate with Action, with the result that Action Center is always complaining about the firewall being disabled or fully open.
- When your IT department doesn't want users phoning Helpdesk all the time asking about Action Center notification warnings being displayed on their machines.
Mitch Tulloch is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and widely recognized expert on Windows administration, deployment and virtualization. For more tips by Mitch you can follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
