Security Policies - Start Menu and Taskbar

Endpoint Central supports configuring the following security policies in Start Menu and Taskbar category:

Security PolicyDescription
Remove user's folder from the start menuHides all folders on the user-specific (top) section of the Start menu. Other items appear, but folders are hidden. 
This setting is designed for use with redirected folders. Redirected folders appear on the main (bottom) section of the Start menu.

Remove links and access to

Windows update

Prevents users from connecting to the Windows Update Web site.
Remove common program groups from start menuRemoves items in the All Users profile from the Programs menu on the Start menu.
Prohibit user from changing My Documents pathPrevents users from changing the path to the My Documents folder.
Remove My Documents from start menuRemoves the Documents menu from the Start menu.
Remove programs on settings menuPrevents Control Panel, Printers, and Network Connections from running.
Remove network connections from start menuPrevents users from running Network Connections.
Remove favorites from start menuPrevents users from adding the Favorites menu to the Start menu or classic Start menu.
Remove search from start menuRemoves the Search item from the Start menu, and disables some Windows Explorer search elements. This setting removes the Search item from the Start menu and from the context menu that appears when you right-click the Start menu. Also, the system does not respond when users press the Application key (the key with the Windows logo)+ F.
Remove help menu from start menuRemoves the Help command from the Start menu.
Remove run from start menuAllows you to remove the Run command from the Start menu, Internet Explorer, and Task Manager.
Add logoff to the start menuAdds the "Log Off <username>" item to the Start menu and prevents users from removing it.
Remove logoff on the start menuRemoves the "Log Off <username>" item from the Start menu and prevents users from restoring it.
Remove and prevent access to the shutdown commandPrevents users from shutting down or restarting Windows.
This setting removes the Shut Down option from the Start menu and disables the Shut Down button on the Windows Security dialog box, which appears when you press CTRL+ALT+DEL.
Remove drag-and-drop context menu on the start menuPrevents users from using the drag-and-drop method to reorder or remove items on the Start menu. Also, it removes context menus from the Start menu.
Prevent changes to taskbar and start menu settingsRemoves the Taskbar and Start Menu item from Settings on the Start menu. This setting also prevents the user from opening the Taskbar Properties dialog box.
Remove context menu for the taskbarHides the menus that appear when you right-click the taskbar and items on the taskbar, such as the Start button, the clock, and the taskbar buttons.
Do not keep the history of recently opened documentsPrevents the operating system and installed programs from creating and displaying shortcuts to recently opened documents.
Clear history of recently opened documents history on exitClear history of recently opened documents on exit.
Turn off personalized menusDisables personalized menus. Windows 2000 personalizes long menus by moving recently used items to the top of the menu and hiding items that have not been used recently.
Turn off user trackingDisables user tracking.  This setting prevents the system from tracking the programs users run, the paths they navigate, and the documents they open.
Add 'run in separate memory space' check box to run dialog boxLets users run a 16-bit program in a dedicated (not shared) Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) process.
Do not use the search based method when resolving shell shortcutsPrevents the system from conducting a comprehensive search of the target drive to resolve a shortcut.
Do not use the tracking based method when resolving shell shortcutsPrevents the system from using NTFS tracking features to resolve a shortcut.
Gray unavailable Windows installer programs start menu shortcutsDisplays Start menu shortcuts to partially installed programs in gray text.  This setting makes it easier for users to distinguish between programs that are fully installed and those that are only partially installed.

The policy descriptions are taken from Microsoft Help Documentation

Trusted by