Folder preference items allow you to create, update, replace, and delete folders and their contents. (To configure individual files rather than folders, see Files Extension.) Before you create a Folder preference item, you should review the behavior of each type of action possible with this extension.
Creating a Folder item
To create a new Folder preference item |
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Open the Group Policy Management Console. Right-click the Group Policy object (GPO) that should contain the new preference item, and then click Edit.
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In the console tree under Computer Configuration or User Configuration, expand the Preferences folder, and then expand the Windows Settings folder.
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Right-click the Folders node, point to New, and select Folder.
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In the New Folder Properties dialog box, select an Action for Group Policy to perform. (For more information, see "Actions" in this topic.)
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Enter folder settings for Group Policy to configure or remove. (For more information, see "Folder settings" in this topic.)
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Click the Common tab, configure any options, and then type your comments in the Description box. (For more information, see Configure Common Options.)
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Click OK. The new preference item appears in the details pane.
Actions
This type of preference item provides a choice of four actions: Create, Replace, Update, and Delete. The behavior of the preference item varies with the action selected and whether the folder already exists.
Create |
Create a new folder for computers or users. |
Delete |
Remove a folder for computers or users. |
Replace |
Delete and recreate a folder for computers or users. The net result of the Replace action is to delete the contents of an existing folder and to overwrite all existing settings associated with the folder. If the folder does not exist, then the Replace action creates a new folder. |
Update |
Modify an existing folder for computers or users. This action differs from Replace in that it only updates settings defined within the preference item. All other settings remain as configured on the folder. If the folder does not exist, then the Update action creates a new folder. |
Folder settings
Path |
Type a path for the folder from the perspective of the client. Do not include quotes or a trailing slash. This field can contain variables. |
Attributes |
To configure file system attributes for the folder, select the appropriate check boxes. These options are available only when the action selected is Create, Replace, or Update. |
Options for Delete or Replace actions |
Select a combination of options to control which files and folders are deleted. If the Replace action is selected, the folder is recreated after these options have been processed unless deletion is prevented. The effect of these options varies depending on the combination of options selected. For more information, see "Additional considerations." These options are available only when the action selected is Replace or Delete. Available options include:
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Additional considerations
- Common combinations of options for
Delete or Replace actions include:
- Delete the folder only if it is empty: Select
Delete this folder and Allow deletion of read-only
files/folders. To prevent an error if the folder contains files
and cannot be deleted, select Ignore errors.
- Delete the folder and all files and
subfolders within: Select Delete this folder, Recursively
delete all subfolders, Delete all files in the
folder(s), and Allow deletion of read-only
files/folders.
- Delete all empty subfolders within the
folder: Select Recursively delete all subfolders and
Allow deletion of read-only files/folders. To prevent an
error if the folder contains files and cannot be deleted, select
Ignore errors.
- Delete all files within the folder, but not
subfolders or files within subfolders: Select Delete all files
in the folder(s) and Allow deletion of read-only
files/folders.
- Delete all files and subfolders within the
folder: Select Recursively delete all subfolders, Delete
all files in the folder(s), and Allow deletion of read-only
files/folders.
- Delete the folder only if it is empty: Select
Delete this folder and Allow deletion of read-only
files/folders. To prevent an error if the folder contains files
and cannot be deleted, select Ignore errors.
- You can use item-level targeting to change
the scope of preference items.
- Preference items are available only in
domain-based GPOs.