OFF97: Can Explore Drives and Folders with Restricted Policy

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows

IMPORTANT: This article 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.

SYMPTOMS

When you create a system policy that restricts users from exploring their computers by using Windows Explorer or within My Computer, users can still explore files and folders within the individual Microsoft Office programs within the Open and Save As dialog boxes.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you run the Policy Editor program and, by using the Common.adm policy template, restrict access to the Windows shell by hiding drives and Windows Explorer.

However, Word 97 and Excel 97 use a different means of accessing the directory structure. When users, even with the restricted access, are in the Open or Save As dialog box, they will be able to browse all folders on drives by either double-clicking folders or clicking the drive drop-down arrow.

There are no options in the Microsoft Office 97 policy files to disable this functionality of the Open and Save As dialog boxes. This functionality cannot be disabled because no system registry option exists in the Microsoft Office 97 programs to switch it on or off. The ability to browse drives and folder is an inherent function of these dialog boxes.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Office 97 Resource Kit includes a collection of templates that you can use with the System Policy Editor to specify user policies for the Office programs.

You can edit the registry by using System Policy Editor (Poledit.exe) or Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). However, check with your network administrator before you make any changes to the registry.

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

NOTE: You can download Policy.exe, a self-extracting executable file containing Poledit.exe, from online services. Download this file from the following Web site:

   http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/appa/appa.htm#dex4

   http://www.microsoft.com/

REFERENCES

For more information about setting up policy files, click the Index tab in System Policy Editor Help, type the following text

   new policies