Prevent PST usage

[PreviousPoster]

So I found an article to allow me to prevent PST usage. Seems pretty simple. Requires a few registry changes. But I cant find the area in the GPO the instructions are saying to modify. It specifies "User Settings" under "User Configuration." But I cant seem to find "user Settings" What am I missing here?

Here are the instructions I have:

# Click Start, Administrative Tools, and click on Group Policy Management.

# When the GPMC opens, right-click domain.local and click on Create and Link a GPO here...

# Call the Policy something familiar to you, like Prevent PST Usage.

# You'll now see what you just created in the list of GPOs, right-click it and choose Edit...

# In the new gpedit MMC window that opens, under User Configuration, and User Settings, select the new node called Registry

# In the right pane, right-click in some white-space and choose New, Registry Item.

# On the new property page that opens, fill out the following:


* Action: Create

* Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER

* SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\PST\

* Value name: PstDisableGrow

* Value type: REG_DWORD

* 00000001


# If you have any Office 2003 versions on your network, you'll want to also repeat the last step, but make the registry key for version "11.0" instead: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST\

This policy prevents the PST files from growing (hence writing to PST files) It does not prevent the user from loading up any PST file and reading mail out of it.

[AdamV]

I think those instructions may only relate to using Desktop Standard's Policy Maker extension (now Group Policy Preferences as part of the MS buyout)
Do you have an SBS domain?

Either way, as far as I can see you can just download Group Policy templates for Office 2003 (or whatever version(s) you have), add the OutlookXX.adm file into your policy by going to User config > admin templates > right-click, add/remove template, browse to it and add it.
Now you should have settings under User config \ administrative templates \ Microsoft Office Outlook 200x \ Miscellaneous \ PST settings and in there is a setting for Large PST: size to disable adding new content.
Try setting this to enabled and 1MB (the policy says it can accept 0, but when you try it errors and sets it to 1, bad caption on the dialog, never mind!)
If users might have some older PST files you should probably set the pollicy for Legacy PST files as wel while you are in there.

So, this is the built-in, 'proper' way to do this using the provided templates, setting the policy keys in the registry rather than some transient HKCR application setting hacked in there which users can access and change (if they know how) in between policy refreshes.

You can also choose to force any PST which does get opened to empty it's deleted items when it is closed as well, although without defragging (compacting) the files through Outlook this may not make any difference.

Hope this helps you keep them under control