Controlling Where Office Stores Documents and Templates on a Network

Archived content. No warranty is made as to technical accuracy. Content may contain URLs that were valid when originally published, but now link to sites or pages that no longer exist.

Published February 1998

On This Page

Introduction
Before You Start
Installing System Policy Editor and Policy Templates
Using Microsoft Office 97 System Policies
List of Office 97 System Policies
Applying a System Policy on a Network

Introduction

Microsoft® Office programs have many options that users can customize to alter the user interface and behavior of the program. As a network administrator, you can set many of these options remotely for all the users in a workgroup by using Microsoft® Windows system policies. System policies allow you to provide greater consistency among client computers and to centralize support and maintenance efforts.

For example, it is a common practice for network administrators to store documents and templates for users on a network server. As a network administrator, you may want all users to use the same template to create Microsoft® Word documents, save all documents on a specific network server, use a custom dictionary stored on a network server, and so on. (The default behavior in Office 97 is to store or save these files on the local hard disk.) This document describes how to modify system policies to change the location in which the Office programs store documents and templates.

Information about many of the file locations that the Office programs use is stored in the user registry. The easiest way to modify the entries in the registry is to use the Windows System Policy Editor and the policy templates that are included with the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit. The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit is published by Microsoft® Press (ISBN: 1-57231-329-3). The System Policy Editor and policy templates for Office are also available at the following Web site:

https://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/appa/AppA.htm

Note: System policies are supported by Microsoft® Windows 95 and Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation version 4.0 or later. The Macintosh® and Windows NT Workstation, version 3.51, operating systems do not support system policies. In this section, Windows refers to Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation, 4.0.

Before You Start

Important: This document contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

You can edit the registry by using System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) or Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). If you are not the network administrator, check with your network administrator before you make any changes to the registry.

System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) is available in the Admin\Apptools\Poledit folder on the Windows 95 compact disc. Click Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to install System Policy Editor.

If you are using the Microsoft Office 97 system policy templates that are included in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit, you must use the version of System Policy Editor that is included in the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit or the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit.

You also can download a self-extracting executable file that contains Poledit.exe from the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit on online services at the following Web site:

https://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/appa/appa.htm

Installing System Policy Editor and Policy Templates

The Tools and Utilities compact disc (CD) includes several policy templates for Office 97. You must install these templates on your computer before you use them to create system policy files. To install System Policy Editor in the Windows folder and the Office policy templates in the Windows\Inf subfolder, follow these steps:

1. Obtain System Policy Editor and the Office policy template files from the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit CD or from the following World Wide Web site:

   https://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/appa/appa.htm#CHappaH203

2. Point to Settings on the Start menu and click Control Panel. In Control Panel, double­click Add/Remove Programs.

3. Click the Windows Setup or the Windows NT Setup tab, and then click Have Disk.

4. In the Copy manufacturer's files from box, type the name of the policy folder you created in step 1, and then click OK.

5. Under Components, click to select the System Policy Editor check box to install the System Policy Editor program (Poledit.exe) and related files.

6. If you are running Windows 95, click to select the Office Templates for Windows 95 check box to install the Office policy templates for Windows 95. If you are running Windows NT, click to select the Office Templates for Windows NT 4.0 check box to install the Office policy templates for Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

7. Click Install.

Tip If the latest System Policy Editor is already installed on your computer, you can copy the Office policy templates directly to the Program Files\ORK97\Policy folder instead of installing them.

Using Microsoft Office 97 System Policies

The Office 97 policy template files contain system policies that you can use to customize Office programs for your network users. To open an Office policy template file, follow these steps:

1. Start System Policy Editor.

2. On the Options menu, click Policy Template.

3. Click Add and locate the policy template file that you want to use.

   

   Note that you can also remove policy templates by using this interface.

4. Click Open, and then click OK.

5. To create a new system policy, click New Policy on the File menu.

A system policy is composed of two sections: computer settings and user settings. When you first create a new system policy, System Policy Editor displays the Default Computer icon and the Default User icon.

Computer Settings

Computer setting policies apply to all users who log on to one computer. If you click the Default Computer icon, the setting applies to all computers on which the policies are loaded. If you create a new computer icon by using the Add Computer command Edit menu, the settings apply only to that computer.

You can view and set computer policies in the System Policy Editor by double­clicking the Default Computer icon or, if you have added a new computer, by double­clicking the icon for a new computer.

User Settings

User setting policies affect all user profiles on the computer to which you apply the profile. If you click the Default User icon, the setting applies to all users who logged on to the computers that load these policies. If you create a new user or group icon by using the Add User or Add Group command on the Edit menu, the settings apply only to that user or to the users in that group.

If the user logs onto a Windows NT network on which the person has a roaming user profile, the settings roam with the user; otherwise only the settings that are defined for the system profile that is applied to the computer are available.

You can view and set user policies in the System Policy Editor by double­clicking the Default User icon or, if you have added a new user or group, by double­clicking the icon for new user or group.

List of Office 97 System Policies

This section lists all the policies that are available in the policy template files. The order in this section corresponds to the order in which the policies are defined in the Office policy template files and closely matches the order in which they appear in the System Policy Editor.

The policies in the templates are arranged in two sections. Policies grouped under the heading "User Settings" are specific to the user who is currently logged on to a computer. These policies correspond to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree keys in the Windows registry. Policies grouped under the heading "Computer Settings" apply to all users running a particular computer. These policies correspond to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree keys in the Windows registry.

Under these headings, the policies are grouped by component or by functionality. For example, all Office 97 Office Assistant policies are grouped together, and all policies that correspond to the Edit tab in the Options dialog box in Microsoft Excel (click Options on the Tools menu) are grouped together.

Policies in the Off97w95.adm Template

Computer Settings

Office 97
Default Save
Prompt Text
Disable Password Caching
Uninstall
Command to point Add/Remove to new network install location
Assistant
Installed Path
Location of actor (.act) and preview (.acp) files.
Source Path
Location in which additional actor (.act) files can be found.
Excel 97
Microsoft Map
Map Data
Folder in which map data is stored
Search Paths
Directories in which shared map data is stored
Converters
Excel 9.0 Import Converter
Path for Excel 9.0 import converter
PowerPoint 97
Converters
PowerPoint 9.0 Import Converter
Path for PowerPoint 9.0 import converter
Word 97
Spelling Advanced
Default AutoCorrect File
Path to default AutoCorrect file for new users
Custom Dictionaries
Value Name = 2­10. Value = Dictionary Path
New Dictionary Locations
Spelling English (United States)
Path to MSSP2_EN.LEX
Spelling English (British)
Path to MSSP2_EN.LEX
Spelling English (Australia)
Path to MSSP2_EN.LEX
Thesaurus English (United States)
Path to MSTH_AM.LEX
Thesaurus English (British)
Path to MSTH_AM.LEX
Hyphenation English (United States)
Path to HY_EN.LEX
Hyphenation English (British)
Path to HY_EN.LEX
Grammar English (United States)
Path to MSGR_EN.LEX
Converters
Word 9.0 Import Converter
Path for Word 9.0 import converter
Name of converter:
Clip Art Gallery 3.0
Concurrent Database #1
multimedia (.avi and .wav files), or photos (.bmp, .jpg, .gif, etc.)
Concurrent Database #2
multimedia (.avi and .wav files), or photos (.bmp, .jpg, .gif, etc.)
Concurrent Database #3
multimedia (.avi and .wav files), or photos (.bmp, .jpg, .gif, etc.)
Windows
Network Install Tab
Location of INI file with list of network install locations.
User Settings
Office 97
Common
Personal Folder
Path to Personal folder used by all apps
User Templates
Path to User Templates folder
Workgroup Templates
Path to Workgroup Templates folder
Sound
Chart Gallery
Chart gallery path
Assistant
Default State
Choose File
Filename of assistant (*.act)
Position
Distance from left of screen
Distance from top of screen
Options Tab
Respond to F1 key
Help with wizards
Display alerts
Search for both product and programming help
Move when in the way
Guess help topics
Make sounds
Using features more effectively
Using the mouse more effectively
Keyboard shortcuts
Only show high priority tips
Show the Tip of the Day at startup
Internet
FTP Sites
Delete FTP Sites
Add FTP Sites
Site:
Web Search
Internet Lookup Options
Server Friendly Name
Server Base URL or UNC
Index Path
Template Path
GIF Path
Properties
Protocol
Sort By
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Tools_Customize
Options
Menu Animation
Large Icons
Show ToolTips
Always show shortcut keys
Office Wizards
Binder Options
Single Print Job
Visual Basic Editor
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Excel 97
Tools_Options
Edit
Move Enter Direction
Move selection after Enter
Fixed Decimal
General
Recently Used File List
Entries on recently used file list
Default Sheets
Sheets in new workbook
Font
Name,Size
Alternate Startup Folder
Alternate startup file location
Transition
Default Save
Save Excel files as:
Menu Key
Excel menu or Help key:
BitFields
Options value
Options3 value
Options5 value
Options6 value
Options95 value
Microsoft Map
Map Matching
Time Limit (secs)
Sizing Units
Feature Sizing Units
Compact Legends
Auto Correct
Internet
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Converters
Future File Format Converters
URL for Converter
Miscellaneous
Personal Toolbars
Path to roving custom toolbar
Run Query
Path to saved queries folder
Chart Gallery
Chart gallery path
PowerPoint 97
Tools_Options
View
Startup dialog
New slide dialog
Status bar
Vertical ruler
Popup menu on right mouse click
Show popup menu button
End with blank slide
General
Recently Used File List
Enable recently used file list
Size of recently used file list
Macro Virus Protection
Link Sounds File Size
Link sounds with file size greater than (Kb):
Edit
Replace straight quotes with smart quotes
Automatic word selection
Use smart cut and paste
Drag­and­Drop text editing
Inserting
Undo
Maximum number of undos:
Print
Background Printing
Save
Allow fast saves
Prompt for file properties
Full text search information
AutoRecovery
Save AutoRecovery info
AutoRecovery save frequency (min):
Default Save
Save PowerPoint files as:
Spelling
Background spelling
Hide spelling errors
Suggest Always
Ignore words in UPPERCASE
Ignore words with numbers
Advanced
Picture
Render 24­bit bitmaps at highest quality
Export pictures:
Internet
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Converters
Future File Format Converters
URL for Converter
Miscellaneous
Personal Toolbars
Path to roving custom toolbar
Multimedia Folder
Template Folder
Picture Folder
No Edit Time
Do not display edit time in document statistics
Word 97
Tools_Options
General
Help for WordPerfect users
Macro Virus Protection
Edit
Picture Editor
Picture editor:
Print
Background Print
Save
Default Save
Save Word files as:
Background Save
Spelling & Grammar
Background Spelling
Background Grammar
File Locations
Clipart Pictures
Path to Clipart Pictures folder
AutoRecover Files
Path to AutoRecover Files folder
Tools
Path to folder containing dictionaries, filters, and text converters
Startup
Path to Startup folder
Tools_AutoCorrect
AutoFormat
Plain Text WordMail Documents
Internet
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Converters
Future File Format Converters
URL for Converter
Web Page Authoring
Bullet Path
Dialog Bullet Path
Horizontal Line Path
Dialog Horizontal Line Path
Local Content
Workgroup Content
Local Page Styles
Workgroup Page Styles
Clipart URL
Template URL
AutoUpDate
AutoUpDate Address
Miscellaneous
Date Format
Default date format:
Time Format
Default time format:
No Edit Time
Windows
Internet Settings
Proxy Server
Proxy Override
Proxy Enable
Internet Explorer 3.0
Options_Navigation
Start Page
Search Page
Bookshelf
Location of Bookshelf Content
Remove Tools_Look Up Reference menu from Excel

Policies in the Access97.adm Template

User Settings

Access 97
Tools_Options
View
Status Bar
Startup Dialog
Hidden Objects
System Objects
Macro Names Column
Macro Conditions Column
General
Sort Order
New Database Sort Order
Sound
Hyperlink Colors
Already viewed
Not yet viewed
Hyperlink Underline
Hyperlink Address
Print Margins
Left Margin
Right Margin
Top Margin
Bottom Margin
Edit/Find
Find/Replace
Default Find/Replace Behavior
Record Changes
Document Deletions
Action Queries
Datasheet
Default Colors
Font
Background
Gridlines
Default Font
Name
Weight
Size
Underline
Italics
Horizontal Gridlines
Vertical Gridlines
Column Width
Default Column Width
Cell Effect
Default Cell Effect
Animations
Tables/Queries
Field Sizes
Default Text Field Size
Default Number Field Size
Field Type
Default Field Type
AutoIndex
AutoIndex on Import/Create
Show Table Names
Output All Fields
Enable AutoJoin
Run Permissions
Forms/Reports
Selection Behavior
Form Template
Report Template
Event Procedures
Keyboard
Move After Enter
Arrow Key Behavior
Behavior Entering Field
Cursor Stop
Module
Font
Name
Size
Coding Options
Auto Indent
Auto Syntax Check
Break On All Errors
Require Variable Declaration
Compile On Demand
Auto Statement Builder
Auto Quick Info
Auto Value Tips
Tab Width
Window Options
Full Module View
Procedure Separator
Drag­and­Drop Text Editing
Debug Window On Top
Margin Indicator Bar
Advanced
Default Record Locking
Ignore DDE Requests
Enable DDE Refresh
OLE/DDE Timeout
OLE/DDE Timeout (sec)
Update Retries
Number of Update Retries
ODBC Refresh
ODBC Refresh Interval (sec)
Refresh Interval
Refresh Interval (sec)
Update Retry
Update Retry Interval (msec)
Default Open Mode
Default Open Mode for Databases
Internet
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu

Policies in the Outlk97.adm Template

Computer Settings

Outlook 97
Use Schedule+
User Settings
Outlook 97
Tools_Options
General
Warn Before Deleting
Sychronize Folders
E­Mail
Process delivery, read, and recall receipts on arrival
Process requests and responses on arrival
Delete receipts and blank meeting responses after processing
WordMail
Use WordMail as e­mail editor
WordMail Template
Path and file name of WordMail template
Calendar
Work Week
First Day of Week
First Week of Year
Working Hours
Start time:
End time:
Appointment defaults
Duration (min)
Reminder (min)
Show Week Numbers
Use Schedule+
Tasks/Notes
Reminder Time
Reminder time:
Set Reminders
Track Tasks
Send Status Reports
Task color options
Overdue tasks:
Completed tasks:
Work Settings
Hours per day:
Hours per week:
Note Defaults
Color:
Size:
Show time and date
Journal
Automatically record these items
E­mail message
Fax
Meeting cancellation
Meeting request
Meeting response
Task request
Task response
Also record these files
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Office Binder
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Journal Entry Options
Double­clicking a journal entry:
Reminders
Reminder Options
Display the reminder
Play reminder sound
Sound file name:
Spelling
Suggest Replacements
Check Spelling
Ignore Uppercase
Ignore Numbers
Ignore Original
Internet
Help_Microsoft on the Web
Customize submenu
Reset submenu to original defaults
Disable submenu
Converters
Future File Format Converters
URL for Converter:
Miscellaneous
Disable Forms Designer
Policies in the Query97.adm Template
User Settings
Query 97
File_New
Data Source Folders
Enter paths to data sources
Use Wizard
Edit_Options
Disable Options
Connection Timeout
within
Limit Records
to
Auto Disconnect
Disable Edit
Table Options
Show Tables
Show Views
Show System Tables
Show Synonyms
Records
Automatic Query
ODBC 3.0
Default DSN Folder
Folder in which ODBC 3.0 File DSNs are created

Applying a System Policy on a Network

After you create a system policy, you must apply it. To do this, use the steps in one of the following sections, depending on the network client you are using.

Microsoft® Windows NT® Clients

If you are using Windows NT, name the policy file Ntconfig.pol. If the user logs on to a Windows NT network, this Ntconfig.pol file must be placed in the NETLOGON folder (\<ntwindir>\SYSTEM32\REPL\IMPORTS\SCRIPTS) on each of the domain controllers of the domain the user logs on to.

If the user logs on to a NetWare network, this Ntconfig.pol file must be placed in the PUBLIC folder (\\<preferred server>\SYS\PUBLIC) on the preferred server the user logs on to.

Note: If you are using Windows NT, and the UpdateMode entry is set to 0 (zero), Windows NT disables any system policies that would otherwise be implemented. The UpdateMode entry is commonly set to 0 for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installations of Windows NT Workstation, version 4.0.

Microsoft® Windows® 95 Clients

If you are using Windows 95, name the policy file Config.pol. The Windows 95 client must be set up to use different user profiles for each user. To do this, do either of the following:

• Point to Settings on the Start menu and click Control Panel. In Control Panel, double-click Passwords. Click the User Profiles tab, and click Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings.

  -or-

• In the system policy (Config.pol), double-click Default Computer, double-click System, and then click to select Enable User Profiles.

If the user logs on to a Windows NT network, the Config.pol file must be placed in the NETLOGON folder (\<ntwindir>\SYSTEM32\REPL\IMPORTS\SCRIPTS) on each of the domain controllers of the domain the user logs on to.

If the user logs onto a NetWare network, the Config.pol file must be placed in the PUBLIC folder (\\<preferred server>\SYS\PUBLIC) on the preferred server the user logs on to.

By default, Windows 95 is configured so that every user shares the same user profile. Unless you configure Windows 95 to use a different user profile for each user, Windows 95 ignores a system policy that is placed on a logon server.

If you set up a system policy to affect all users, it affects everyone. If you, as an administrator, log on to a Windows 95 client that uses a very restrictive system policy, it may impossible to reverse the restrictions.

Environment Variables

This white paper has described how to modify settings for the Office programs to point to a single location. However, in some cases, you may want some settings to point to a different location for each user. For example, you may want each user to use a separate folder on a network server as the default document folder. Windows NT supports a number of environment variables, such as: %USERNAME%, %HOMEDIR%, %HOMEDRIVE%, %HOMESHARE%, and so on. If Office is being installed on a Windows NT client workstation, you can take advantage of environment variables to specify the default documents folder for the Office programs. An example follows.

Suppose that you, as a network administrator, have created a home folder for each of the users who are running Windows NT Workstation and you want each of the Office programs to use this folder as the default location for opening and saving files. (That is you want the home folder to be the personal documents folder). To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start the System Policy Editor and open the Off97nt4.adm template.

2. Double-click Default User.

3. Double-click Office 97.

4. Double-click Common.

5. Click to select the Personal Folder check box. In the field for Path to Personal folder used by all apps enter the following:

   %homeshare%\%username%

6. Save and apply the system policy.

Limitations of Environment Variables

Windows NT Clients

You can use environment variables only when you specify the personal documents folder. This setting simultaneously applies to all of the Office 97 programs. You cannot use environment variables to specify other path locations, such as the user templates location. Other paths used in Microsoft Office policy templates do not accept environment variable. To specify a different folder for each user for file locations other than the personal documents folder (such as the user templates location), use home folders and logon scripts.

Windows 95 Clients

Windows 95 cannot recognize and expand environment variables. If you apply a system policy to a Windows 95 client that uses C:\%username%, Windows 95 interprets this information literally and looks for a folder called "C:\%username%." To specify a different folder for each user for any file location, use home folders and logon scripts.

Creating Home Folders for Users

Windows NT Server supports home folders for users. A home folder is a folder to which only one user has permissions. The user who has permissions stores documents in this folder. Home folders are commonly implemented on a network server and are used when roaming user profiles are used. Create home folders on the Windows NT server that acts as the primary domain controller. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows NT server that is designated to store the home folders, create a USERS folder. This computer can be the primary domain controller. For higher security, create the home folders on an NTFS file system (NTFS) partition.

   Note: If the computer is connected to a large network, you may want to dedicate a separate server for storing the folders.

2. Share the USERS folder with share-level security so that the Everyone group is granted Full Control.

3. Set folder permissions so that the Everyone group has Read and Execute permissions and Administrators have Full Control. (Note that this can be done only on an NTFS partition.)

4. On the primary domain controller, point to Programs on the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and click User Manager for Domains.

5. Select the users that you want.

   

6. On the User menu, click Properties. When the dialog box appears, click Profiles.

7. Under the home folder section, click Connect to and enter a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path in the field.

   You can insert an environment variable, such as %username% as part of the path (for example, \\server\share\%username%).

   

This creates a subfolder for each user under the USERS folder if one does not already exist. However, you cannot map a disk drive letter directly to any of these home folders because none of them are shared (only the USERS folder is shared at this point). To allow each user to map a disk drive letter directly to the designated home folder, you must share every home folder.

Sharing Home Folders

When you want to create large numbers of users and corresponding home folders, you can simplify the task by using a batch process instead of creating each home folder individually through Microsoft File Manager or Microsoft Windows Explorer.

The following is an example of a batch process that creates the home folder, creates the network server share, and assigns permissions. The following example uses RMTSHARE from the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit:

   md c:\users\<username>
   rmtshare \\<HomeServer>\<username>$=c:\users\<username>
         /grant <username>:f /grant administrator:f
         /remove everyone

Note: Although it appears that there are four lines of text in this example, there are actually only two command lines. The second command line, which begins with rmtshare, should be typed on one line in the batch file.

The first command creates the folder for the user. Note that <username> represents the user. If you want, you can use an environment variable to represent the user. User names can then be pulled from a list of users. For example, you can create this list by using the ADDUSERS -D command.

The second command line creates the share on <homeserver>. The $ at the end of the user's share creates a hidden share. Grant gives full control to the user <username> and full control to the administrator account.

Remove removes permissions from the group everyone. Again, the user could be represented by an environment variable.

Because memory resources are used for each share on a server, you may want to divide the home folders evenly among several servers if you are creating large numbers of home folders.

Using Logon Scripts

After you share user's home folder, create a logon script so that when the user logs on to the network, a disk drive letter is automatically mapped to the home folder. The Office programs can then use these mapped disk drive letters for certain settings, such as the user templates location, workgroup templates location, personal toolbar locations, on so on. (If roaming profiles are set up under Windows NT, these settings roam with the user.) To create the logon script, follow these steps:

1. On the primary domain controller, point to Programs on the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and click User Manager for Domains.

2. Select the users that you want.

3. On the User menu, click Properties. When the dialog box appears, click Profiles.

4. Under Logon Script Name, type the name of a batch file (for example, logon.bat).

5. In the NETLOGON folder (usually the WINNT\system32\Repl\Import\ Scripts folder on the primary domain controller) create a batch file with the name you used in step 4 with the following command:

   net use Y: /home

   Note: It's not necessary to use drive Y; you can use any drive you want.

When the user is validated by the primary domain controller, the logon batch file is executed, and a drive letter is mapped to the user's home folder. This mapped disk drive letter is visible both in Windows Explorer and in My Computer.

Issues to Be Aware Of When You Use System Policy Editor

When you use the System Policy Editor with Office 97, there are a few issues and limitations to be aware of. These issues are listed as follows.

System Policy Editor May Incorrectly Display Policy File Settings

When you view a policy file (either Config.pol or Ntconfig.pol) by using the System Policy Editor that is included with the Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit, the settings that appear may not be the same settings that appear when you first create the file. This problem occurs because the System Policy Editor incorrectly displays the settings in the .pol file.

Note: Although Sytem Policy Editor displays the incorrect settings, the correct settings are in the .pol file. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID:	169634
TITLE:	OFF97: Policy Editor Displays Incorrect Settings

Policy Editor Causes an Access Violation When You Save a Policy File

When you try to save a policy file, Poledit.exe causes an access violation. This problem occurs when a large custom policy template (an ADM file) has been added to allow the configuration of new (custom) policy entries. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID:	162774
TITLE:	Policy Editor Crashes When Using Large Custom ADM Files

Office Policy Templates Do Not Accept Most Environment Variables

The paths used in Microsoft Office 97 policy templates (except for the Personal folder) do not accept environment variables. For more information, For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID:	170264
TITLE:	Office 97 Programs Do Not Expand Environment Variables

Microsoft Word 97 Resolves Mapped Network Drives to UNC Paths

Although you can set many of the Word 97 file locations (such as the user templates location) to use mapped disk drive letters that refer to network locations, Word 97 may automatically resolve those drive letters to the UNC path. This behavior may be problematic. Microsoft Word 97 Service Release 1 (SR-1) contains a workaround for this problem. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID:	171406
TITLE:	WD97: How to Disable the Use of UNC

Users Can Map a Network Drive in an Individual Office Program Despite System Policy

When you create a system policy that restricts network access for the Network Neighborhood, users can still map a network disk drive from within an individual Office program. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID:	175683
TITLE:	OFF97: System Policy Does Not Completely Restrict Network Access

® 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, this paper should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.

This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.

Microsoft Office 97 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.