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Windows 7 LGPE Part III, Control Panel

December 25, 2009

This is Part III of a series which demonstrates how you can use the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE) to change various aspects of your life with Windows 7. Its power cannot be over-stressed, so – again – it is suggested that you follow the instructions given to you here closely so as not to cause any issues. Of course, don’t forget to make that system restore point before you start working with this snap-in. Be safe and you will be glad you were if something should go awry.

The Control Panel in Windows 7 is a central control center for everything the operating system (OS) does. It is also a place where there are several icons and where someone who does not know what they are doing can make some very costly changes. Well, with LGPE, we can eliminate all of the icons displayed here if you want to, but it is not suggested as you will often need access to some of them. It is better to just remove icons of areas you do not want other users messing with or getting rid of the many icons which do not apply to your specific install of Windows 7. Just simplifying the Control Panel in general can be a good idea for some. To remove any or all of the icons in Control panel, use the following procedure.

• Start the LGPE up and go to User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel and double-click Hide Specified Control Panel Items
• Enable this option
• Now, click on the Show button to display the Show Contents dialog box
• Once it is open, type in the name of the Control Panel icon you do not want to see anymore and hit Enter
• Repeat the above step for each icon you wish to eliminate
• Once you are done, click OK, and you will return to the Hide Specified Control Panel Items
• Click OK again and the new policy will go into immediate effect.

Of course, you can always go back and make changes to the list of icons you created in the above scenario, so do not worry if you miss one or if you hide a Control Panel icon you actually need.

A sort of reverse method is also available. This is in case you have a very long list of the Control Panel icons you do not want people accessing – or, you simply do not use or need. Instead of going through all of the icons, writing down what they are called, then going to the procedure above and removing them, you can simply tell Windows 7 that you only want some icons to be shown. To do this, as usual, just follow the steps below and you will have your Control Panel fully customized.

• Of course, get the LGPE up and running and go to User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel and double-click Show Only Specified Control Panel Items
• Enable this policy
• Now, click on the Show button to display the Show Contents dialog box
• Once it is open, type in the name of the Control Panel icon you want to see and hit Enter
• Repeat the above step for each icon you wish to display in Control Panel
• Once you are done, click OK, and you will return to the Show Only Specified Control Panel Items
• Enable this new policy by clicking on OK again and you are done

Once you are done there, again you will have a Control Panel setup just as you want it to be. And, of course, remember that your changes here are not permanent – you can come back and use this process to remove the icons you displayed or to bring back icons you removed.

There are two more areas where the LGPE can help you customize your Windows 7 install to your liking. It is easy, quick, and simple. Not much in life is, so take full advantage of this new and feature-rich OS once you get your hands on one. In Part IV we will look at changing the Windows notification settings somewhat, so don’t miss it!

Filed under: Guides, Tips, Windows 7 Tweaks

Tags: control panel, Control Panel icons, dialog box, lgpe, local group policy editor, remove icons, win7, windows 7