Re: Windows Explorer NoNetCrawling

From: Bruce Sanderson (bsanders_at_junk.junk)
Date: 11/11/04

  • Next message: Bruce Sanderson: "Re: Windows Explorer NoNetCrawling" 
    Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 13:31:36 -0800

    Mark: thanks for your information. Looks like this works - here's some
    details.

    I created the custom ADM included at the end of this note and in a GPO,
    "Enabled" the policy
    Computer Configuration,
      Administrative Templates,
        Windows Components,
           Windows Explorer,
               Disable Automatically search for network folders and printers

    On a computer that this GPO applies to, the registry entry
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\NoNetCrawling
    is set to 1.

    In Windows Explorer,
       Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View,
    Automatically search for network folders and printers
    does not appear.

    I assume this is good - the policy is disabling the automatic search feature
    and users can not turn it on.

    I'm not sure exactly how to construct a test scenario to verify that this is
    having the desired affect, but I expect I will see the result of it on the
    Terminal Servers (Windows Explorer no longer uses excess CPU time) when they
    get loaded up.

    Here's the custom ADM that appears to work

    CLASS MACHINE ;This modifies the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE portion of the registry

    CATEGORY !!WindowsComponents
      CATEGORY !!WindowsExplorer
     KEYNAME !!KeyMachinePoliciesExplorer
    ; allows turning on or off Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View,
    Automatically search for network folders and printers
     POLICY !!PNoNetCrawling
      EXPLAIN !!ENoNetCrawling
      VALUENAME !!VNoNetCrawling
       VALUEON NUMERIC 1
       VALUEOFF NUMERIC 0
     END POLICY

       END CATEGORY
    END CATEGORY

    [strings]
    WindowsComponents="Windows Components"
    WindowsExplorer="Windows Explorer"
    KeyMachinePoliciesExplorer="SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer"

    PNoNetCrawling="Disable Automatically search for network folders and
    printers"

    ENoNetCrawling="This policy controls whether Windows Explorer (when Windows
    Explorer window is open) will periodically search the network for new shared
    folders and printers.\n\nIf this policy is Enabled, Windows Explorer, Tools,
    Folder Options, View, "Automatically search for network folders and
    printers" is not present and Windows Explorer behaves as there is no check
    mark (the automatic searching feature is Off).\n\nIf this policy is
    Disabled, Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, View, "Automatically
    search for network folders and printers" does not display and Windows
    Explorer behaves as if the check mark is present (the automatic searching
    feature is On).\n\nIf this policy is Not Configured, the Windows Explorer,
    Tools, Folder Options, View, "Automatically search for network folders and
    printers" is displayed and a user can add or remove the check mark to turn
    this feature on or off.

    VNoNetCrawling="NoNetCrawling" 

    -- 
Bruce Sanderson MVP Printing
It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.
>>Hi Bruce
>>You can create a custom .ADM that won't tattoo the registry by following:
>>323639 HOW TO: Create Custom Administrative Templates in Windows 2000
>>http://support.microsoft.com/?id=323639
>>By utilising the policies branch in the registry, you avoid persistent 
>>settings.
>>Kind regards
>>-- 
>>Mark Renoden [MSFT]
>>Windows Platform Support Team
>>Email: markreno@online.microsoft.com
>>>
>>>
>>> "Bruce Sanderson" <Bruce.Sanderson@junk.junk> wrote in message 
>>> news:uF$xndfxEHA.3072@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>>> I've looked in the spread*** from 
>>>> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=7821C32F-DA15-438D-8E48-45915CD2BC14&displaylang=en, 
>>>> but can't find a Policy setting that is equivalent to 
>>>> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\NoNetCrawling.
>>>>
>>>> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\NoNetCrawling 
>>>> appears to relate to the Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Optons, View, 
>>>> Automatically search for network folders and printers.
>>>>
>>>> When this item in View has a check mark, NoNetCrawling is zero; when it 
>>>> has a check mark, NoNetCrawling is 1.
>>>>
>>>> Now, I know I can set NoNetCrawling in a Logon Script or by using a 
>>>> Custom ADM template, but these would not establish a "Policy", but 
>>>> rather "tatoo" the user's registry.
>>>>
>>>> Is there a way to set NoNetCrawling as a "Policy"?  I'm prepared to 
>>>> create a custom ADM, but I'm not sure what Policy registry entry to set 
>>>> to accomplish this.
>>>>
>>>> When users have a check mark in "Automatically search for network 
>>>> folders and printers", Windows Explorer appears to use excessive CPU 
>>>> time on our Windows 2003 Terminal Servers.  Note that I have already 
>>>> have hotfix described in KB article 831129 installed and have set 
>>>> NoRemoteRecursiveEvents and NoRemoteChangeNotify to 1 using a Custom 
>>>> ADM and a Group Policy Object.  These did make a difference, but 
>>>> Windows Explorer is stil using excessive CPU time when users have a 
>>>> check mark in "Automatically search for network folders and printers".
>>>>
>>>> I've turned this off via the Tools, Folder Options, View gui for a few 
>>>> users that Task Manager showed their explorer.exe process using a lot 
>>>> of CPU time. This improved the perceived performance for those users 
>>>> and ameliorated the heavy CPU load, so now I'd like to turn this off 
>>>> permanently for all users.
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Bruce Sanderson MVP
>>>>
>>>> It's perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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