how to disable DVD/CD drives

[bookouri]

Management has decided they want to keep users from accessing any DVDs or CDs from their XP pro workstations. Im running a Windows 2003 forest in 2003 native mode. The only settings I can find in group polices seem to be "hiding the drives" but I havnt tested to see if hiding the drives will actually keep the users from using them yet.

Can anybody point me in the right direction for any better way to use a GPO to cut users off from their DVD/CD drives?

thanks for any suggestions

 

[somedea]

Have you looked at this?:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555324

It's a group policy adm template designed to do just what you want, I think.

 

[bookouri]

thanks that looks like it might just do it

Ill take a look and see how it works.

 

[bookouri]

Is there any chance anyone here has actually implemented the gp ADM in KB555324? Every reference I find points to that solution, but I have implemented it based on the MS instructions and everything appears just as advertised in the setup and configuration, except that it doesnt actually work when applied. According to gpresult the policy gets applied but none of the drives are ever restricted.

 

[gbaughma]

Unplug the drives.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[somedea]

We use the admin template and the "hidecalc" tool on our Citrix server to hide both the cd-rom drives and some of the network drives. Admin template has to go under User Configuration, not Computer Configuration. Download hidecalc here:

http://www.dabcc.com/downloadfile.aspx?id=20

Google: hidecalc for more info