NoteHKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
| Data type | Range | Default value |
|---|---|---|
| REG_DWORD | 0x0 - 0x3FFFFFF | 0x0 |
Prevents users from using My Computer to gain access to the content of selected drives.
When a drive is represented in the value of this entry, users cannot view the contents of the selected drives in My Computer or Windows Explorer. Also, they cannot use the Run dialog box, the Map Network Drive dialog box, or the Dir command to view the directories on these drives.
This entry stores the setting of the Prevent access to drives from My Computer Group Policy. Group Policy adds this entry to the registry when you enable the Prevent access to drives from My Computer policy. If you disable the policy or set it to Not configured, Group Policy deletes the entry from the registry and the system behaves as though the value is 0x0.
The value of this entry is a 32-bit bitmask. The lower 26 bits in this value correspond to the 26 letters used to identify drives on the local computer and its network. The rightmost bit represents drive A; the 26th bit from the right represents drive Z. To restrict access to a drive, set the bit that corresponds to its drive letter to 1. To permit access to a drive, set the bit that corresponds to its drive letter to 0. To restrict access to all 26 drives, set all bits to 1. This corresponds to a value of 67108863 (decimal) or 0x3FFFFFF (hexadecimal).
Group Policy sets the value of this entry to one of the following values.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0x03FFFFFFFF | Restrict all drives. |
| 0x3 | Restrict A and B drives only. |
| 0x4 | Restrict C drive only. |
| 0x8 | Restrict D drive only. |
| 0x7 | Restrict A, B, and C drives only. |
| 0xF | Restrict A, B, C, and D drives only. |
| 0x0 | Do not restrict drives. All drives appear. |
To change the value of this entry, use Group Policy. This entry corresponds to the Prevent access to drives from My Computer policy (User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer). Select a drive or combination of drives from the drop-down list.
Note
The icons representing the specified drives still appear in My Computer, but if users double-click the icons, a message appears explaining that a policy prevents the action.
This entry does not prevent users from using programs to access local and network drives. Also, it does not prevent users from using the Disk Management snap-in to view and change drive characteristics.
By default, the system permits access to all drives. Therefore, disabling the Prevent access to drives from My Computer policy, not configuring the policy, and enabling the policy and setting it to Do not restrict drives do not have any effect on the system.
Tip
For detailed information about particular Group Policy settings, see the Group Policy Reference (Gp.chm) on the Windows 2000 Resource Kit companion CD.
For general information about Group Policy, see Group Policy in Windows 2000 Help.
To see a table associating policies with their corresponding registry entries, see the Group Policy Reference Table.
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